detecting-mimikatz-execution-patterns

name	detecting-mimikatz-execution-patterns
description	Detect Mimikatz credential-dumping activity via command-line pattern matching, LSASS access signatures, binary/hash indicators, and in-memory detection of known Mimikatz modules. Use when threat hunting for T1003 credential access, triaging EDR/SIEM alerts on LSASS access, scoping compromise during incident response, or validating detection coverage in a purple team exercise.
domain	cybersecurity
subdomain	threat-hunting
tags	["threat-hunting","mitre-attack","mimikatz","credential-dumping","edr","t1003","proactive-detection"]
version	1.0
author	mahipal
license	Apache-2.0
d3fend_techniques	["Execution Isolation","Process Termination","Hardware-based Process Isolation","Web Session Access Mediation","Process Suspension"]
nist_csf	["DE.CM-01","DE.AE-02","DE.AE-07","ID.RA-05"]
mitre_attack	["T1046","T1057","T1082","T1083","T1003"]

Detecting Mimikatz Execution Patterns

When to Use

• When proactively hunting for indicators of detecting mimikatz execution patterns in the environment
• After threat intelligence indicates active campaigns using these techniques
• During incident response to scope compromise related to these techniques
• When EDR or SIEM alerts trigger on related indicators
• During periodic security assessments and purple team exercises

Prerequisites

• EDR platform with process and network telemetry (CrowdStrike, MDE, SentinelOne)
• SIEM with relevant log data ingested (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel)
• Sysmon deployed with comprehensive configuration
• Windows Security Event Log forwarding enabled
• Threat intelligence feeds for IOC correlation

Workflow

1. Formulate Hypothesis: Define a testable hypothesis based on threat intelligence or ATT&CK gap analysis.
2. Identify Data Sources: Determine which logs and telemetry are needed to validate or refute the hypothesis.
3. Execute Queries: Run detection queries against SIEM and EDR platforms to collect relevant events.
4. Analyze Results: Examine query results for anomalies, correlating across multiple data sources.
5. Validate Findings: Distinguish true positives from false positives through contextual analysis.
6. Correlate Activity: Link findings to broader attack chains and threat actor TTPs.
7. Document and Report: Record findings, update detection rules, and recommend response actions.

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
T1003.001	LSASS Memory
T1003.006	DCSync
T1558.003	Kerberoasting
T1558.001	Golden Ticket

Tools & Systems

Tool	Purpose
CrowdStrike Falcon	EDR telemetry and threat detection
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint	Advanced hunting with KQL
Splunk Enterprise	SIEM log analysis with SPL queries
Elastic Security