Malicious NTDS Extraction via Ntdsutil IFM
- Product
- windows
- Category
- process_creation
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-10-04
- Updated
- 2026-10-04
ATT&CK techniques
Cred AccessRecon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact
What it detects
This rule detects ntdsutil creating an Install-From-Media snapshot, an technique the profiled APT actors use to dump the NTDS.dit domain database from a domain controller. The IFM path copies every domain credential hash in a single operation. Ntdsutil IFM runs are rare and high-value outside of documented backup jobs.
Reporting behind it
Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.
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