T1555.003
Credentials from Web Browsers
Adversaries may acquire credentials from web browsers by reading files specific to the target browser. Web browsers commonly save credentials such as website usernames and passwords in encrypted format within credential stores. On Windows, encrypted credentials may be obtained from Chrome by reading the Login Data SQLite database and decrypting via CryptUnprotectData. Firefox stores credentials in key3.db/key4.db and logins.json. Edge and Internet Explorer credentials are managed by Windows Credential Manager. Adversaries may also search browser process memory for credential patterns using tools like mimikittenz.
Microsoft Sentinel / Defender
kusto
let BrowserCredFiles = dynamic(["Login Data", "logins.json", "key3.db", "key4.db", "signons.sqlite", "Web Data", "Cookies", "Local State"]);
let BrowserCredPaths = dynamic(["Google\\Chrome\\User Data", "Mozilla\\Firefox\\Profiles", "Microsoft\\Edge\\User Data", "BraveSoftware\\Brave-Browser", "Opera Software"]);
let CredTheftTools = dynamic(["browserpassview", "webbrowserpassview", "chromepass", "mimikittenz", "browserghost", "sharpchromium", "hackbrowserdata", "lazagne"]);
DeviceFileEvents
| where Timestamp > ago(24h)
| where (FileName has_any (BrowserCredFiles) and FolderPath has_any (BrowserCredPaths))
| where InitiatingProcessFileName !in~ ("chrome.exe", "firefox.exe", "msedge.exe", "brave.exe", "opera.exe", "iexplore.exe", "SearchProtocolHost.exe", "SearchIndexer.exe")
| project Timestamp, DeviceName, AccountName, FileName, FolderPath,
InitiatingProcessFileName, InitiatingProcessCommandLine, ActionType
| sort by Timestamp desc high severity
high confidence
Data Sources
File: File Access Process: Process Creation Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
Required Tables
DeviceFileEvents
False Positives
- Browser update processes that may access credential files during migration between versions
- Antivirus/EDR agents scanning browser credential directories during scheduled scans
- Backup software (Acronis, Veeam, Windows Backup) that reads browser profile directories
- Browser extension installers and sync services that access profile data
Last updated: 2026-04-13 Research depth: deep
References (7)
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1555/003/
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/api/dpapi/nf-dpapi-cryptunprotectdata
- https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2018/02/olympic-destroyer.html
- https://github.com/putterpanda/mimikittenz
- https://github.com/AlessandroZ/LaZagne
- https://github.com/nicehash/HackBrowserData
- https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1555.003/T1555.003.md
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