Detection rules › Splunk
Windows Steal Authentication Certificates CryptoAPI
The following analytic detects the extraction of authentication certificates using Windows Event Log - CAPI2 (CryptoAPI 2). It leverages EventID 70, which is generated when a certificate's private key is acquired. This detection is significant because it can identify potential misuse of certificates, such as those extracted by tools like Mimikatz or Cobalt Strike. If confirmed malicious, this activity could allow attackers to impersonate users, escalate privileges, or access sensitive information, posing a severe risk to the organization's security.
MITRE ATT&CK coverage
| Tactic | Techniques |
|---|---|
| Credential Access | T1649 Steal or Forge Authentication Certificates |
Event coverage
| Provider | Event ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CAPI2 | 70 | For more details for this event, please refer to the "Details" section |
Stages and Predicates
Stage 1: search
search EventCode=70
Stage 2: xmlkv
xmlkv
Stage 3: stats
stats BY Computer, UserData_Xml
Stage 4: rename
rename
Stage 5: search
search
Stage 6: search
search
Stage 7: 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 |
|
Neighbors
Broader alternatives (more inclusive than this rule)
These rules match a superset of what this rule catches. They cover the same events plus more. Use them if you want wider coverage and can absorb more false positives.
- Certificate Private Key Acquired (drops 1 filter this rule applies)