Cross-source coverage
T1078.001 / ATT&CK
Valid Accounts: Default Accounts
13 rules across 4 sources.
From MITRE ATT&CK 19.2
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 that are built-into an OS, such as the Guest or Administrator accounts on Windows systems. Default accounts also include default factory/provider set accounts on other types of systems, software, or devices, including the root user account in AWS, the root user account in ESXi, and the default service account in Kubernetes.
Default accounts are not limited to client machines; rather, they also include accounts that are preset for equipment such as network devices and computer applications, whether they are internal, open source, or commercial. Appliances that come preset with a username and password combination pose a serious threat to organizations that do not change it post installation, as they are easy targets for an adversary. Similarly, adversaries may also utilize publicly disclosed or stolen Private Keys or credential materials to legitimately connect to remote environments via Remote Services.
Default accounts may be created on a system after initial setup by connecting or integrating it with another application. For example, when an ESXi server is connected to a vCenter server, a default privileged account called vpxuser is created on the ESXi server. If a threat actor is able to compromise this account’s credentials (for example, via Exploitation for Credential Access on the vCenter host), they will then have access to the ESXi server.
- Tactics
- Stealth · Persistence · Privilege Escalation · Initial Access
- Platforms
- Containers · ESXi · IaaS · Identity Provider · Linux · macOS · Network Devices · Office Suite · SaaS · Windows
- Telemetry
-
WinEventLog:Securityauditd:USER_LOGINAWS:CloudTrailesxi:authnetworkdevice:syslog
How MITRE says to detect it DET0465
Detection of Default Account Abuse Across Platforms
Windows Analytic 1283
Detection of default account usage such as Guest or Administrator performing interactive or remote logons on systems outside of installation or maintenance windows.
WinEventLog:SecurityEventCode=4624, 4648
Linux Analytic 1284
Monitoring for SSH logins from default accounts such as 'root', especially when login is via password and not key-based authentication.
auditd:USER_LOGINUSER_LOGIN
Identity Provider Analytic 1285
Use of known default service accounts or root-level cloud accounts performing authentication or changes to IAM policy.
AWS:CloudTrailConsoleLogin or AssumeRole
ESXi Analytic 1286
Abuse of system-generated or default privileged accounts such as 'root' or 'vpxuser' logging into ESXi hosts.
esxi:auth/var/log/auth.log
Network Devices Analytic 1287
Login activity from default admin credentials (e.g., 'admin', 'cisco') on routers, firewalls, and switches.
networkdevice:syslogauthentication logs
SigmaHQ/sigma
4 rules| Detection | Severity | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Commvault QLogin with PublicSharingUser and GUID Password (CVE-2025-57788) | Medium | Sigma |
| Root Account Enable Via Dsenableroot | Medium | Sigma |
| Admin User Remote Logon | Low | Sigma |
| Guest Account Enabled Via Sysadminctl | Low | Sigma |
elastic/detection-rules
4 rules| Detection | Severity | Format |
|---|---|---|
| GKE Anonymous Request Authorized by Unusual User Agent | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| GKE Suspicious Assignment of Controller Service Account | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| Kubernetes Anonymous Request Authorized by Unusual User Agent | Medium | Elastic TOML |
| Kubernetes Suspicious Assignment of Controller Service Account | Medium | Elastic TOML |
splunk/security_content
4 rules| Detection | Severity | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Okta New API Token Created | Undefined | SPL |
| Okta Phishing Detection with FastPass Origin Check | Undefined | SPL |
| Okta Suspicious Activity Reported | Undefined | SPL |
| Windows Guest Account Enabled Via Net.EXE | Undefined | SPL |
panther-labs/panther-analysis
1 rule| Detection | Severity | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Snowflake Grant to Public Role | Medium | Panther Python |