Reconnaissance

T1589.001: Credentials

Adversaries may gather credentials that can be used during targeting. Account credentials gathered by adversaries may be those directly associated with the target victim organization or attempt to tak...

T1589.001 · Sub-technique ·1 platforms ·5 groups

Description

Adversaries may gather credentials that can be used during targeting. Account credentials gathered by adversaries may be those directly associated with the target victim organization or attempt to take advantage of the tendency for users to use the same passwords across personal and business accounts.

Adversaries may gather credentials from potential victims in various ways, such as direct elicitation via Phishing for Information. Adversaries may also compromise sites then add malicious content designed to collect website authentication cookies from visitors.(Citation: ATT ScanBox) (Citation: Register Deloitte)(Citation: Register Uber)(Citation: Detectify Slack Tokens)(Citation: Forbes GitHub Creds)(Citation: GitHub truffleHog)(Citation: GitHub Gitrob)(Citation: CNET Leaks) Where multi-factor authentication (MFA) based on out-of-band communications is in use, adversaries may compromise a service provider to gain access to MFA codes and one-time passwords (OTP).(Citation: Okta Scatter Swine 2022)

Credential information may also be exposed to adversaries via leaks to online or other accessible data sets (ex: Search Engines, breach dumps, code repositories, etc.). Adversaries may purchase credentials from dark web markets, such as Russian Market and 2easy, or through access to Telegram channels that distribute logs from infostealer malware.(Citation: Bleeping Computer 2easy 2021)(Citation: SecureWorks Infostealers 2023)(Citation: Bleeping Computer Stealer Logs 2023)

Gathering this information may reveal opportunities for other forms of reconnaissance (ex: Search Open Websites/Domains or Phishing for Information), establishing operational resources (ex: Compromise Accounts), and/or initial access (ex: External Remote Services or Valid Accounts).

Platforms

PRE

Mitigations (1)

Pre-compromiseM1056

This technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on behaviors performed outside of the scope of enterprise defenses and controls. Efforts should focus on minimizing the amount and sensitivity of data available to external parties.

Threat Groups (5)

IDGroupContext
G0007APT28[APT28](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0007) has harvested user's login credentials.(Citation: Microsoft Targeting Elections September 2020)
G0059Magic Hound[Magic Hound](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0059) gathered credentials from two victims that they then attempted to validate across 75 different we...
G0065Leviathan[Leviathan](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0065) has collected compromised credentials to use for targeting efforts.(Citation: CISA AA21-200A APT40 ...
G1004LAPSUS$[LAPSUS$](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1004) has gathered user identities and credentials to gain initial access to a victim's organization; the g...
G0114Chimera[Chimera](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0114) has collected credentials for the target organization from previous breaches for use in brute force a...

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is T1589.001 (Credentials)?

T1589.001 is a MITRE ATT&CK technique named 'Credentials'. It belongs to the Reconnaissance tactic(s). Adversaries may gather credentials that can be used during targeting. Account credentials gathered by adversaries may be those directly associated with the target victim organization or attempt to tak...

How can T1589.001 be detected?

Detection of T1589.001 (Credentials) 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 T1589.001?

There are 1 documented mitigations for T1589.001. Key mitigations include: Pre-compromise.

Which threat groups use T1589.001?

Known threat groups using T1589.001 include: APT28, Magic Hound, Leviathan, LAPSUS$, Chimera.