Suspicious Lateral Movement Detection - Based on "special Groups" Feature (via security)
- Product
- windows
- Service
- security
- Author
- HuntRule
- Published
- 2026-08-14
- Updated
- 2026-08-28
ATT&CK techniques
Initial Access → Lateral MovementRecon
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 scenarios where a user of a predefined set of group(s) logs on a target machine.
Reporting behind it
- attack.mitre.orghttps://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1078/
- attack.mitre.orghttps://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1021/002/
- docs.microsoft.comhttps://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-4964
- docs.microsoft.comhttps://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/auditing/event-4908
- docs.microsoft.comhttps://docs.microsoft.com/fr-fr/archive/blogs/jepayne/tracking-lateral-movement-part-one-special-groups-and-specific-service-accounts
- techcommunity.microsoft.comhttps://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/ask-the-directory-services-team/special-groups-auditing-via-group-policy-preferences/ba-p/395095
- i.blackhat.comhttps://i.blackhat.com/us-18/Wed-August-8/us-18-Metcalf-From-Workstation-To-Domain-Admin-Why-Secure-Administration-Isnt-Secure.pdf
- ultimatewindowssecurity.comhttps://www.ultimatewindowssecurity.com/securitylog/encyclopedia/event.aspx?eventID=4964
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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