Description
Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion. Compromised credentials may be used to bypass access controls placed on various resources on systems within the network and may even be used for persistent access to remote systems and externally available services, such as VPNs, Outlook Web Access, network devices, and remote desktop.(Citation: volexity_0day_sophos_FW) Compromised credentials may also grant an adversary increased privilege to specific systems or access to restricted areas of the network. Adversaries may choose not to use malware or tools in conjunction with the legitimate access those credentials provide to make it harder to detect their presence.
In some cases, adversaries may abuse inactive accounts: for example, those belonging to individuals who are no longer part of an organization. Using these accounts may allow the adversary to evade detection, as the original account user will not be present to identify any anomalous activity taking place on their account.(Citation: CISA MFA PrintNightmare)
The overlap of permissions for local, domain, and cloud accounts across a network of systems is of concern because the adversary may be able to pivot across accounts and systems to reach a high level of access (i.e., domain or enterprise administrator) to bypass access controls set within the enterprise.(Citation: TechNet Credential Theft)
Privilege Escalation Guide
Read our in-depth pentesting guide related to this technique
Platforms
Sub-Techniques (4)
Default Accounts
T1078.002Domain Accounts
T1078.003Local Accounts
T1078.004Cloud Accounts
Mitigations (8)
Password PoliciesM1027
Applications and appliances that utilize default username and password should be changed immediately after the installation, and before deployment to a production environment.(Citation: US-CERT Alert TA13-175A Risks of Default Passwords on the Internet) When possible, applications that use SSH keys should be updated periodically and properly secured.
Policies should minimize (if not eliminate) re
User Account ManagementM1018
Regularly audit user accounts for activity and deactivate or remove any that are no longer needed.
Privileged Account ManagementM1026
Audit domain and local accounts as well as their permission levels routinely to look for situations that could allow an adversary to gain wide access by obtaining credentials of a privileged account. (Citation: TechNet Credential Theft) (Citation: TechNet Least Privilege) These audits should also include if default accounts have been enabled, or if new local accounts are created that have not been
Multi-factor AuthenticationM1032
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all account types, including default, local, domain, and cloud accounts, to prevent unauthorized access, even if credentials are compromised. MFA provides a critical layer of security by requiring multiple forms of verification beyond just a password. This measure significantly reduces the risk of adversaries abusing valid accounts to gain initial
Application Developer GuidanceM1013
Ensure that applications do not store sensitive data or credentials insecurely. (e.g. plaintext credentials in code, published credentials in repositories, or credentials in public cloud storage).
User TrainingM1017
Applications may send push notifications to verify a login as a form of multi-factor authentication (MFA). Train users to only accept valid push notifications and to report suspicious push notifications.
Active Directory ConfigurationM1015
Disable legacy authentication, which does not support MFA, and require the use of modern authentication protocols instead.
Account Use PoliciesM1036
Use conditional access policies to block logins from non-compliant devices or from outside defined organization IP ranges.(Citation: Microsoft Common Conditional Access Policies)
Threat Groups (45)
| ID | Group | Context |
|---|---|---|
| G0096 | APT41 | [APT41](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0096) used compromised credentials to log on to other systems.(Citation: FireEye APT41 Aug 2019)(Citation: Cr... |
| G0061 | FIN8 | [FIN8](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0061) has used valid accounts for persistence and lateral movement.(Citation: FireEye Know Your Enemy FIN8 Aug... |
| G0085 | FIN4 | [FIN4](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0085) has used legitimate credentials to hijack email communications.(Citation: FireEye Hacking FIN4 Dec 2014)... |
| G0046 | FIN7 | [FIN7](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0046) has harvested valid administrative credentials for lateral movement.(Citation: CrowdStrike Carbon Spider... |
| G1015 | Scattered Spider | [Scattered Spider](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1015) has used compromised credentials for initial access.(Citation: Mandiant UNC3944 May 2025)(Ci... |
| G0035 | Dragonfly | [Dragonfly](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0035) has compromised user credentials and used valid accounts for operations.(Citation: US-CERT TA18-074... |
| G0093 | GALLIUM | [GALLIUM](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0093) leveraged valid accounts to maintain access to a victim network.(Citation: Cybereason Soft Cell June ... |
| G0026 | APT18 | [APT18](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0026) actors leverage legitimate credentials to log into external remote services.(Citation: RSA2017 Detect a... |
| G1017 | Volt Typhoon | [Volt Typhoon](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1017) relies primarily on valid credentials for persistence.(Citation: CISA AA24-038A PRC Critical In... |
| G0032 | Lazarus Group | [Lazarus Group](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0032) has used administrator credentials to gain access to restricted network segments.(Citation: Kas... |
| G0114 | Chimera | [Chimera](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0114) has used a valid account to maintain persistence via scheduled task.(Citation: Cycraft Chimera April ... |
| G0045 | menuPass | [menuPass](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0045) has used valid accounts including shared between Managed Service Providers and clients to move betwe... |
| G0034 | Sandworm Team | [Sandworm Team](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0034) have used previously acquired legitimate credentials prior to attacks.(Citation: US-CERT Ukrain... |
| G1021 | Cinnamon Tempest | [Cinnamon Tempest](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1021) has used compromised user accounts to deploy payloads and create system services.(Citation: ... |
| G1024 | Akira | [Akira](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1024) uses valid account information to remotely access victim networks, such as VPN credentials.(Citation: S... |
| G1004 | LAPSUS$ | [LAPSUS$](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1004) has used compromised credentials and/or session tokens to gain access into a victim's VPN, VDI, RDP, ... |
| G0008 | Carbanak | [Carbanak](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0008) actors used legitimate credentials of banking employees to perform operations that sent them million... |
| G0007 | APT28 | [APT28](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0007) has used legitimate credentials to gain initial access, maintain access, and exfiltrate data from a vic... |
| G0027 | Threat Group-3390 | [Threat Group-3390](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0027) actors obtain legitimate credentials using a variety of methods and use them to further lat... |
| G1051 | Medusa Group | [Medusa Group](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1051) has utilized compromised legitimate local and domain accounts within the victim environment to f... |
Associated Software (7)
| ID | Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| S0599 | Kinsing | Malware | [Kinsing](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0599) has used valid SSH credentials to access remote hosts.(Citation: Aqua Kinsing April 2020) |
| S0053 | SeaDuke | Malware | Some [SeaDuke](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0053) samples have a module to extract email from Microsoft Exchange servers using compromised crede... |
| S9036 | LP-Notes | Malware | [LP-Notes](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S9036) has used stolen Windows credentials to log in as the users.(Citation: ESET_MuddyWater_Dec2025) |
| S0567 | Dtrack | Malware | [Dtrack](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0567) used hard-coded credentials to gain access to a network share.(Citation: CyberBit Dtrack) |
| S0604 | Industroyer | Malware | [Industroyer](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0604) can use supplied user credentials to execute processes and stop services.(Citation: ESET Indust... |
| S0038 | Duqu | Malware | Adversaries can instruct [Duqu](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0038) to spread laterally by copying itself to shares it has enumerated and for whi... |
| S0362 | Linux Rabbit | Malware | [Linux Rabbit](https://attack.mitre.org/software/S0362) acquires valid SSH accounts through brute force. (Citation: Anomali Linux Rabbit 2018) |
Related CWE Weaknesses
References
- Adair, S., Lancaster, T., Volexity Threat Research. (2022, June 15). DriftingCloud: Zero-Day Sophos Firewall Exploitation and an Insidious Breach. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2022, March 15). Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Gain Network Access by Exploiting Default Multifactor Authentication Protocols and “PrintNightmare” Vulnerability. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- Microsoft. (2016, April 15). Attractive Accounts for Credential Theft. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is T1078 (Valid Accounts)?
T1078 is a MITRE ATT&CK technique named 'Valid Accounts'. It belongs to the Stealth, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, Initial Access tactic(s). Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of existing accounts as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion. Compromised credentials may be used to by...
How can T1078 be detected?
Detection of T1078 (Valid Accounts) typically involves monitoring system logs, network traffic, and endpoint telemetry. Use SIEM rules, EDR solutions, and behavioral analytics to identify suspicious activity associated with this technique.
What mitigations exist for T1078?
There are 8 documented mitigations for T1078. Key mitigations include: Password Policies, User Account Management, Privileged Account Management, Multi-factor Authentication, Application Developer Guidance.
Which threat groups use T1078?
Known threat groups using T1078 include: APT41, FIN8, FIN4, FIN7, Scattered Spider, Dragonfly, GALLIUM, APT18.