title: Default Accounts (T1078.001)
id: df00tech-t1078-001
status: experimental
description: "Adversaries may obtain and abuse credentials of a default account as a means of gaining Initial Access, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, or Defense Evasion. Default accounts are those built into an OS (e.g., Guest or Administrator on Windows, root on Linux), preset on network devices/appliances, or created automatically by software integrations (e.g., vpxuser on ESXi when joined to vCenter). Adversaries exploit organizations that fail to disable, rename, or change the passwords of these accounts post-installation."
references:
  - https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1078/001/
  - https://df00tech.com/detections/T1078.001
author: df00tech
date: 2026/04/13
tags:
  - attack.t1078.001
# NOTE: logsource is auto-derived and may need adjustment for your environment
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  # This detection logic could not be auto-translated; see the KQL/SPL query on df00tech.
  selection:
    EventID: '*'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - "Legitimate administrator accounts named 'Administrator' used by IT staff for maintenance tasks in environments without privileged access workstations (PAWs)"
  - "Automated deployment or imaging systems that authenticate with the built-in Administrator account during machine provisioning (SCCM OSD, MDT)"
  - Legacy applications or services running under the built-in Guest or Administrator context that have not been migrated to service accounts
  - Penetration testing or red team exercises explicitly testing default credential scenarios
  - "Database administrators legitimately connecting via 'sa' account to SQL Server instances in older environments"
level: high