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MITRE ATT&CK® Technique

T1136.002: Domain Account

Adversaries may create a domain account to maintain access to victim systems. Domain accounts are those managed by Active Directory Domain Services where access and permissions are configured across systems and services that are part of that domain. Domain accounts can cover user, administrator, and service accounts. With a sufficient level of access, the net user /add /domain command can be used to create a domain account.[1]

Such accounts may be used to establish secondary credentialed access that do not require persistent remote access tools to be deployed on the system.

EnterpriseT1136.002Sub-techniqueObject v1.1Modified
Glexia's Take · Automated analysis

Security context for executives and security teams

Automation confidenceHigh

Domain account creation is a persistence risk because a new Active Directory-managed user, admin, or service account can give an intruder credentialed access without keeping malware or a remote-access tool running. For leaders, the key issue is identity control: can the organization quickly prove who is allowed to create domain accounts, detect unauthorized creations, and disable them during an incident?

Executive priority

Prioritize this as an identity governance and incident-response readiness issue. Unauthorized domain accounts can undermine business continuity by preserving access across many systems and services in the domain. Evidence of account creation is also important for audit, compliance, and post-incident scoping. The supplied relationships include use in Ukraine electric power attack campaigns, so organizations with cyber-physical operations should ensure domain account governance is included in resilience planning.

Technical view

Validate monitoring around Active Directory Domain Services account creation across Windows, Linux, and macOS environments where domain administration or tooling may be used. ATT&CK provides no official detection text, but the supplied references identify Microsoft event 4720, “A user account was created,” and the technique description notes domain account creation using Windows net.exe capabilities when sufficient access exists. SOC and IR teams should correlate new domain users, administrators, and service accounts with the actor that created them, source host, command-line/process evidence, group membership changes, and approved change tickets. Relationship context also links PsExec, Net, Pupy, and Empire, so review whether legitimate administration and post-exploitation-style tooling can be separated by user, host, timing, and change context.

Likely telemetry

  • Active Directory domain controller security audit logs for user account creation, including Microsoft event 4720 where available
  • Directory service account-management records showing creator account, target account, timestamps, and attributes
  • Process creation and command-line telemetry for administrative utilities such as Net and remote execution tooling such as PsExec
  • Endpoint telemetry from Windows, Linux, and macOS systems used for domain administration
  • Group membership, privilege assignment, and service account change logs

Detection direction

  • Confirm domain account creation events are collected from domain controllers and retained long enough for incident scoping.
  • Alert on domain accounts created by unusual users, from unusual hosts, outside approved provisioning windows, or without matching IAM/change records.
  • Tune detections to reduce false positives from help desk, IAM automation, and normal service-account provisioning while preserving accountability for the creating principal.
  • Correlate new account creation with subsequent privilege changes, remote execution, or use of administrative tools.
  • Treat missing creator, source host, or command-line context as a coverage gap rather than assuming the activity is benign.

Mitigation priorities

  • Restrict who can create domain accounts using privileged account management, RBAC, and least privilege.
  • Require strong authentication, including MFA where applicable, for privileged and account-provisioning workflows.
  • Harden operating system and administrative configurations to limit abuse of built-in account-management functions.
  • Segment networks and administrative paths so domain administration is not broadly reachable from standard user or workstation segments.
  • Regularly review domain users, administrator accounts, and service accounts for ownership, business justification, and stale or unauthorized entries.
Additional notes and limits

This technique is a sub-technique of Create Account and is mapped to the persistence tactic. The supplied relationship set shows relevance across espionage, ransomware, public post-exploitation tools, and cyber-physical campaign reporting, but those relationships should be used for defensive prioritization rather than attribution. Local identity architecture, domain controller logging, IAM workflow design, and administrative operating model determine actual exposure and detection quality.

ATT&CK does not provide official detection guidance for this object. The object describes Active Directory domain accounts, while the platform list includes Linux, macOS, and Windows; local validation is required to determine where domain administration can occur and where telemetry is available. This summary does not establish active exploitation or organization-specific risk.

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Official MITRE ATT&CK definition

Domain Account

Adversaries may create a domain account to maintain access to victim systems. Domain accounts are those managed by Active Directory Domain Services where access and permissions are configured across systems and services that are part of that domain. Domain accounts can cover user, administrator, and service accounts. With a sufficient level of access, the net user /add /domain command can be used to create a domain account.[1]

Such accounts may be used to establish secondary credentialed access that do not require persistent remote access tools to be deployed on the system.

View the same entry on attack.mitre.org (MITRE-hosted reference; in-page links above use the Glexia ATT&CK library.)

Glexia analysis

How security teams should use this page

Treat this object as behavior context, not an attribution claim. Validate the related groups, software, data sources, and mitigations against official ATT&CK relationships and your own telemetry before making control-coverage decisions.

ATT&CK relationship table

Related techniques

This mirrors the MITRE pattern of making group, software, campaign, and technique relationships scannable. Relationship notes come from mirrored ATT&CK relationship text when available.

1 rows
DomainIDNameRelationship / procedure
EnterpriseT1136Create AccountThis object subtechnique of Create Account.
Associated objects

Groups, software, and campaigns

GroupEnterprise

G0093: GALLIUM

GALLIUM is a cyberespionage group that has been active since at least 2012, primarily targeting telecommunications companies, financial institutions, and government entities in Afghanistan, Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mozambique, the Philippines, Russia, and Vietnam. This group is particularly known for launching Operation Soft Cell, a long-term campaign targeting telecommunications providers.[1] Security researchers have identified GALLIUM as a likely Chinese state-sponsored group, based in part on tools used and TTPs commonly associated with Chinese threat actors.[1][2][3]

GroupEnterprise

G1043: BlackByte

BlackByte is a ransomware threat actor operating since at least 2021. BlackByte is associated with several versions of ransomware also labeled BlackByte Ransomware. BlackByte ransomware operations initially used a common encryption key allowing for the development of a universal decryptor, but subsequent versions such as BlackByte 2.0 Ransomware use more robust encryption mechanisms. BlackByte is notable for operations targeting critical infrastructure entities among other targets across North America.[1][2][3][4][5]

GroupEnterprise

G0102: Wizard Spider

Wizard Spider is a Russia-based financially motivated threat group originally known for the creation and deployment of TrickBot since at least 2016. Wizard Spider possesses a diverse arsenal of tools and has conducted ransomware campaigns against a variety of organizations, ranging from major corporations to hospitals.[1][2][3]

GroupEnterprise

G1051: Medusa Group

Medusa Group has been active since at least 2021 and was initially operated as a closed ransomware group before evolving into a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) operation. Some reporting indicates that certain attacks may still be conducted directly by the ransomware’s core developers. Public sources have also referred to the group as “Spearwing” or “Medusa Actors.” [1] [2] Medusa Group employs living-off-the-land techniques, frequently leveraging publicly available tools and common remote management software to conduct operations. The group engages in double extortion tactics, exfiltrating data prior to encryption and threatening to publish stolen information if ransom demands are not met. [3] For initial access, Medusa Group has exploited publicly known vulnerabilities, conducted phishing campaigns, and used credentials or access purchased from Initial Access Brokers (IABs). The group is opportunistic and has targeted a wide range of sectors globally. [4]

GroupEnterprise

G0125: HAFNIUM

HAFNIUM is a likely state-sponsored cyber espionage group operating out of China that has been active since at least January 2021. HAFNIUM primarily targets entities in the US across a number of industry sectors, including infectious disease researchers, law firms, higher education institutions, defense contractors, policy think tanks, and NGOs. HAFNIUM has targeted remote management tools and cloud software for intial access and has demonstrated an ability to quickly operationalize exploits for identified vulnerabilities in edge devices.[1][2][3]

ToolEnterprise

S0192: Pupy

Pupy is an open source, cross-platform (Windows, Linux, OSX, Android) remote administration and post-exploitation tool. [1] It is written in Python and can be generated as a payload in several different ways (Windows exe, Python file, PowerShell oneliner/file, Linux elf, APK, Rubber Ducky, etc.). [1] Pupy is publicly available on GitHub. [1]

LinuxWindowsmacOS
ToolEnterprise

S0029: PsExec

PsExec is a free Microsoft tool that can be used to execute a program on another computer. It is used by IT administrators and attackers.[1][2]

Windows
ToolEnterprise

S0039: Net

The Net utility is a component of the Windows operating system. It is used in command-line operations for control of users, groups, services, and network connections. [1]

Net has a great deal of functionality, [2] much of which is useful for an adversary, such as gathering system and network information for Discovery, moving laterally through SMB/Windows Admin Shares using net use commands, and interacting with services. The net1.exe utility is executed for certain functionality when net.exe is run and can be used directly in commands such as net1 user.

Windows
ToolEnterprise

S0363: Empire

Empire is an open-source, cross-platform remote administration and post-exploitation framework that is publicly available on GitHub. While the tool itself is primarily written in Python, the post-exploitation agents are written in pure PowerShell for Windows and Python for Linux/macOS. Empire was one of five tools singled out by a joint report on public hacking tools being widely used by adversaries.[1][2][3]

LinuxmacOSWindows
Relationship explorer

All related ATT&CK context

Mitigations

Mitigation direction

Change history

Object version and sync metadata

The fields below describe the current mirrored snapshot. When Glexia retains multiple ATT&CK source imports, you can open the table to compare the same object across releases (hashes and MITRE timestamps). For MITRE’s own release notes and roadmap, see ATT&CK resources — Updates.

ATT&CK release
19.1
Object version
1.1
Created
Modified
Raw hash
a3913df746a837c5...
Imported snapshots across ATT&CK releases(1)
ReleaseBundle importedObject versionModifiedStatusRaw hash
19.11.1Current bundlea3913df746a8…
Raw source

Mirrored ATT&CK source object

The raw object is retained through the mirrored ATT&CK source bundle and object hash. The raw endpoint returns the exact object from the mirrored bundle when available.

Source references

External references and citations

MITRE external references are preserved separately from Glexia analysis so citations remain traceable to their original source records.

  1. [1]
    Savill 1999

    Savill, J. (1999, March 4). Net.exe reference. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

    Open source URL
  2. [2]
    GitHub Pupy

    Nicolas Verdier. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2018.

    Open source URL
  3. [3]
    Cybereason Soft Cell June 2019

    Cybereason Nocturnus. (2019, June 25). Operation Soft Cell: A Worldwide Campaign Against Telecommunications Providers. Retrieved July 18, 2019.

    Open source URL
  4. [4]
    Microsoft GALLIUM December 2019

    MSTIC. (2019, December 12). GALLIUM: Targeting global telecom. Retrieved January 13, 2021.

    Open source URL
  5. [5]
    Cisco BlackByte 2024

    James Nutland, Craig Jackson, Terryn Valikodath, & Brennan Evans. (2024, August 28). BlackByte blends tried-and-true tradecraft with newly disclosed vulnerabilities to support ongoing attacks. Retrieved December 16, 2024.

    Open source URL
  6. [6]
    Booz Allen Hamilton

    Booz Allen Hamilton. (2016). When The Lights Went Out. Retrieved December 18, 2024.

    Open source URL
  7. [7]
    Mandiant FIN12 Oct 2021

    Shilko, J., et al. (2021, October 7). FIN12: The Prolific Ransomware Intrusion Threat Actor That Has Aggressively Pursued Healthcare Targets. Retrieved June 15, 2023.

    Open source URL
  8. [8]
    CISA Medusa Group Medusa Ransomware March 2025

    Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2025, March 12). AA25-071A #StopRansomware: Medusa Ransomware. Retrieved October 15, 2025.

    Open source URL
  9. [9]
    NCC Group Fivehands June 2021

    Matthews, M. and Backhouse, W. (2021, June 15). Handy guide to a new Fivehands ransomware variant. Retrieved June 24, 2021.

    Open source URL
  10. [10]
    Dragos Crashoverride 2018

    Joe Slowik. (2018, October 12). Anatomy of an Attack: Detecting and Defeating CRASHOVERRIDE. Retrieved December 18, 2020.

    Open source URL
  11. [11]
    Volexity Exchange Marauder March 2021

    Gruzweig, J. et al. (2021, March 2). Operation Exchange Marauder: Active Exploitation of Multiple Zero-Day Microsoft Exchange Vulnerabilities. Retrieved March 3, 2021.

    Open source URL
  12. [12]
    Microsoft Silk Typhoon MAR 2025

    Microsoft Threat Intelligence . (2025, March 5). Silk Typhoon targeting IT supply chain. Retrieved March 20, 2025.

    Open source URL
  13. [13]
    Github PowerShell Empire

    Schroeder, W., Warner, J., Nelson, M. (n.d.). Github PowerShellEmpire. Retrieved April 28, 2016.

    Open source URL
  14. [14]
    Microsoft User Creation Event

    Lich, B., Miroshnikov, A. (2017, April 5). 4720(S): A user account was created. Retrieved June 30, 2017.

    Open source URL
  15. [15]
    Microsoft User Creation Event

    Lich, B., Miroshnikov, A. (2017, April 5). 4720(S): A user account was created. Retrieved June 30, 2017.

    Open source URL
  16. [16]
    Microsoft User Creation Event

    Lich, B., Miroshnikov, A. (2017, April 5). 4720(S): A user account was created. Retrieved June 30, 2017.

    Open source URL
  17. [17]
    Savill 1999

    Savill, J. (1999, March 4). Net.exe reference. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

    Open source URL
  18. [18]
    Savill 1999

    Savill, J. (1999, March 4). Net.exe reference. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

    Open source URL
  19. [19]
    mitre-attackT1136.002
    Open source URL
  20. [20]
    mitre-attackT1136.002
    Open source URL
  21. [21]
    mitre-attackT1136.002
    Open source URL
  22. [22]
    GitHub Pupy

    Nicolas Verdier. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2018.

    Open source URL
  23. [23]
    Cybereason Soft Cell June 2019

    Cybereason Nocturnus. (2019, June 25). Operation Soft Cell: A Worldwide Campaign Against Telecommunications Providers. Retrieved July 18, 2019.

    Open source URL
  24. [24]
    Microsoft GALLIUM December 2019

    MSTIC. (2019, December 12). GALLIUM: Targeting global telecom. Retrieved January 13, 2021.

    Open source URL
  25. [25]
    Cisco BlackByte 2024

    James Nutland, Craig Jackson, Terryn Valikodath, & Brennan Evans. (2024, August 28). BlackByte blends tried-and-true tradecraft with newly disclosed vulnerabilities to support ongoing attacks. Retrieved December 16, 2024.

    Open source URL
  26. [26]
    Booz Allen Hamilton

    Booz Allen Hamilton. (2016). When The Lights Went Out. Retrieved December 18, 2024.

    Open source URL
  27. [27]
    Mandiant FIN12 Oct 2021

    Shilko, J., et al. (2021, October 7). FIN12: The Prolific Ransomware Intrusion Threat Actor That Has Aggressively Pursued Healthcare Targets. Retrieved June 15, 2023.

    Open source URL
  28. [28]
    CISA Medusa Group Medusa Ransomware March 2025

    Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2025, March 12). AA25-071A #StopRansomware: Medusa Ransomware. Retrieved October 15, 2025.

    Open source URL
  29. [29]
    NCC Group Fivehands June 2021

    Matthews, M. and Backhouse, W. (2021, June 15). Handy guide to a new Fivehands ransomware variant. Retrieved June 24, 2021.

    Open source URL
  30. [30]
    Savill 1999

    Savill, J. (1999, March 4). Net.exe reference. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

    Open source URL
  31. [31]
    Savill 1999

    Savill, J. (1999, March 4). Net.exe reference. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

    Open source URL
  32. [32]
    Dragos Crashoverride 2018

    Joe Slowik. (2018, October 12). Anatomy of an Attack: Detecting and Defeating CRASHOVERRIDE. Retrieved December 18, 2020.

    Open source URL
  33. [33]
    Microsoft Silk Typhoon MAR 2025

    Microsoft Threat Intelligence . (2025, March 5). Silk Typhoon targeting IT supply chain. Retrieved March 20, 2025.

    Open source URL
  34. [34]
    Volexity Exchange Marauder March 2021

    Gruzweig, J. et al. (2021, March 2). Operation Exchange Marauder: Active Exploitation of Multiple Zero-Day Microsoft Exchange Vulnerabilities. Retrieved March 3, 2021.

    Open source URL
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