Detection rules › Splunk
Windows Computer Account Requesting Kerberos Ticket
The following analytic detects a computer account requesting a Kerberos ticket, which is unusual as typically user accounts request these tickets. This detection leverages Windows Security Event Logs, specifically EventCode 4768, to identify instances where the TargetUserName ends with a dollar sign ($), indicating a computer account. This activity is significant because it may indicate the use of tools like KrbUpRelay or other Kerberos-based attacks. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to impersonate computer accounts, potentially leading to unauthorized access and lateral movement within the network.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Credential Access | T1558 Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Security-Auditing | 4768 | A Kerberos authentication ticket (TGT) was requested. |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
search EventCode=4768 TargetUserName="*$" src_ip!="::1"
Stage 2: stats
stats BY dest, subject, action, user, TargetUserName, src_ip
Stage 3: search
search
Stage 4: search
search
Stage 5: search
search `macro`
Indicators
Each row is a field, operator, and value that the rule matches. The corpus column counts how many other rules in the catalog look for the same combination: high numbers point to widely-used, community-vetted indicators. Blank or 1 shows that the indicator is specific to this rule.
| Field | Kind | Values |
|---|---|---|
EventCode | eq |
|
TargetUserName | eq |
|
src_ip | ne |
|