Windows: Suspicious LSASS handle access via svchost.exe call trace to seclogon.dll

Flags svchost.exe attempting LSASS access (granted access 0x14c0) with seclogon.dll in the call trace.

FreeReviewedSigma · High · v2

Product: windows
Category: process_access
Author: Samir Bousseaden (original elastic rule), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ), DRL 1.1
Published: 2022-06-29
Updated: 2026-07-31

ATT&CK techniques

Cred Access

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
- T1003.001LSASS Memory
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

Identifies process access events where svchost.exe requests a specific granted access right to lsass.exe and the call trace includes seclogon.dll. Attackers may use this path to obtain a handle to LSASS in order to access credentials from memory. The rule relies on Windows process access telemetry that provides TargetImage, SourceImage, GrantedAccess, and CallTrace.

Reporting behind it

Related detections9 linkedT1003.001 — drag to rearrange

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Suspicious LSASS Credential Access via PowerShell (via process_creation)

Suspicious LSASS Memory Dump via Task Manager After Ivanti Exploitation

Suspicious ProcDump LSASS Memory Dump via process_creation

Malicious Mimikatz Credential Dump Log File Creation (via file_event)

Malicious WDigest UseLogonCredential Enabled for Cleartext Credential Theft (via registry_set)

Suspicious LSASS Memory Dump via Procdump Process Creation

Windows: Suspicious LSASS handle access via svchost.exe call trace to seclogon.dll

Pivot detection · T1003.001 · 9 related

Changelog

v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v1
No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

suspicious-lsass-handle-access-from-svchost-exe-via-seclogon-dll-windows-process-472159c5

title: "Windows: Suspicious LSASS handle access via svchost.exe call trace to seclogon.dll"
id: b1ad0e7c-7195-4444-b4f2-3d8dd80e339c
status: test
description: Identifies process access events where svchost.exe requests a specific granted access right to lsass.exe and the call trace includes seclogon.dll. Attackers may use this path to obtain a handle to LSASS in order to access credentials from memory. The rule relies on Windows process access telemetry that provides TargetImage, SourceImage, GrantedAccess, and CallTrace.
references:
  - https://twitter.com/SBousseaden/status/1541920424635912196
  - https://github.com/elastic/detection-rules/blob/2bc1795f3d7bcc3946452eb4f07ae799a756d94e/rules/windows/credential_access_lsass_handle_via_malseclogon.toml
  - https://splintercod3.blogspot.com/p/the-hidden-side-of-seclogon-part-3.html
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/process_access/proc_access_win_lsass_seclogon_access.yml
author: Samir Bousseaden (original elastic rule), Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2022-06-29
tags:
  - attack.credential-access
  - attack.t1003.001
logsource:
  category: process_access
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    TargetImage|endswith: \lsass.exe
    SourceImage|endswith: \svchost.exe
    GrantedAccess: "0x14c0"
    CallTrace|contains: seclogon.dll
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Unknown
level: high
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 472159c5-31b9-4f56-b794-b766faa8b0a7
    type: derived

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