Suspicious Credential Enumeration via cmdkey List

PremiumReviewedSigma · Medium · v1
Product
windows
Category
process_creation
Author
HuntRule
Published
2026-09-30
Updated
2026-09-30

ATT&CK techniques

Discovery
  1. Recon

  2. Resource Dev

  3. Initial Access

  4. Execution

  5. Persistence

  6. Priv Esc

  7. Defense Evasion

  8. Cred Access

  9. Lateral Movement

  10. Collection

  11. C2

  12. Exfiltration

  13. Impact

What it detects

This rule detects execution of cmdkey with the /list argument, used to enumerate stored Windows credentials and RDP secrets. It was seen during post-VPN hands-on-keyboard activity in a Huntress-investigated intrusion where the actor enumerated saved credentials before lateral movement. Interactive credential store enumeration shortly after remote access is a strong indicator of an operator surveying the compromised host.

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Suspicious Credential Enumeration via cmdkey List
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Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.