Detect Password Cracking in IBM QRadar
Adversaries may use password cracking to attempt to recover usable credentials, such as plaintext passwords, when credential material such as password hashes are obtained. OS Credential Dumping can be used to obtain password hashes, which may then be cracked offline on adversary-controlled systems. Techniques include dictionary attacks, brute force, and rainbow table lookups. Tools like Hashcat, John the Ripper, and Hydra are commonly used. Groups such as APT3, FIN6, Dragonfly, and Salt Typhoon have all leveraged password cracking in their operations.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Credential Access
- Technique
- T1110 Brute Force
- Sub-technique
- T1110.002 Password Cracking
- Canonical reference
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1110/002/
QRadar Detection Query
SELECT
DATEFORMAT(devicetime, 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') AS event_time,
logsourcename(logsourceid) AS log_source,
CATEGORYNAME(category) AS event_category,
username,
sourceip,
QIDNAME(qid) AS event_name,
"Process Name",
"Command"
FROM events
WHERE
LOGSOURCETYPEID(logsourceid) IN (12, 13, 52, 94, 143)
AND devicetime > (CURRENT_TIMESTAMP - 86400000)
AND (
LOWER("Process Name") MATCHES '(hashcat|john\.exe|hydra\.exe|crackmapexec|ophcrack\.exe|l0phtcrack|pwdump|fgdump|mimikatz\.exe|ntdsutil\.exe|secretsdump)'
OR LOWER("Command") MATCHES '(--attack-mode|-a\s+[0-9]|--hash-type|-m\s+1000|-m\s+5600|-m\s+13100|--wordlist|rockyou|--format=nt|--format=lm|--pot-file|-hash-file|ntds\.dit|hashes\.txt|ntlm)'
)
ORDER BY devicetime DESC
LAST 24 HOURSQRadar AQL query detecting password cracking tool execution and characteristic arguments via Windows Security (EventID 4688), Sysmon process create events, and endpoint log sources. Matches known cracking binaries and Hashcat/John/Hydra argument patterns including NTLM hash modes and wordlist references.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Authorized vulnerability assessment tools such as CrackMapExec deployed by internal red team or IT security in sanctioned test environments
- Forensic workstations running password recovery tools on legally obtained evidence under chain-of-custody procedures
- Development or QA systems running integration tests that invoke credential utilities as part of automated test suites
Other platforms for T1110.002
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 4 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1Hashcat NTLM Hash Cracking Simulation
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=hashcat.exe, CommandLine containing '-m 1000', '-a 0', 'test_hashes.txt', and '--potfile-path'. Sysmon Event ID 11: File creation events for test_hashes.txt, test_wordlist.txt, and test.potfile. Security Event ID 4688 (if command line auditing enabled) with same details.
- Test 2John the Ripper Password Hash Cracking
Expected signal: Linux auditd execve syscall events showing john binary execution with --wordlist, --format=sha512crypt arguments and /tmp/test_shadow.txt file path. Syslog entries from auditd showing process creation. ~/.john/john.pot created on successful crack.
- Test 3CrackMapExec with Credential Spraying Post-Crack
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=crackmapexec.exe or cme.exe, CommandLine containing 'smb', '-u testuser', '-p'. Sysmon Event ID 3: Network Connection to 127.0.0.1:445. Security Event ID 4625 (failed logon) or 4624 (successful logon) for the test authentication attempt against localhost.
- Test 4NTDS.dit Extraction via NTDSUtil IFM
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1: Process Create with Image=ntdsutil.exe, CommandLine containing 'ac i ntds', 'ifm', 'create full'. Sysmon Event ID 11: Multiple file creation events under the output directory including ntds.dit and SYSTEM hive. Security Event ID 4688 for ntdsutil.exe with command line. Security Event ID 4663 for ntds.dit file access on the domain controller.
References (10)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1110/002/
- https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA18-106A
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_cracking
- https://hashcat.net/wiki/doku.php?id=hashcat
- https://www.openwall.com/john/
- https://github.com/byt3bl33d3r/CrackMapExec
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1110.002/T1110.002.md
- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2016/04/fin6-cybercrime-gang.html
- https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa18-074a
- https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/tree/master/rules/windows/process_creation
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