Local Accounts Discovery — Sigma Rule

Rule metadata and linked tags

Author: Timur Zinniatullin, Daniil Yugoslavskiy, oscd.community. Source status: test; severity: low. Source dates: 2019-10-21 / 2025-10-20.

{
  "category": "process_creation",
  "product": "windows"
}

Pinned original Sigma rule · Detection Rule License 1.1

Source SHA-256: ddb20029d804c7a434cc6600659aaac2b646b67cd150470e9b1ef4be47c16e06

Detection logic

Original source YAML. Source-tag agreement is not proof of complete semantic coverage. This rule has not been compiled for a SIEM backend or validated against live telemetry here.

title: Local Accounts Discovery
id: 502b42de-4306-40b4-9596-6f590c81f073
status: test
related:
    - id: e28a5a99-da44-436d-b7a0-2afc20a5f413 # Whoami Utility Execution
      type: obsolete
description: Local accounts, System Owner/User discovery using operating systems utilities
references:
    - https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1033/T1033.md
author: Timur Zinniatullin, Daniil Yugoslavskiy, oscd.community
date: 2019-10-21
modified: 2025-10-20
tags:
    - attack.discovery
    - attack.t1033
    - attack.t1087.001
logsource:
    category: process_creation
    product: windows
detection:
    selection_other_img:
        - Image|endswith:
              - '\whoami.exe'
              - '\quser.exe'
              - '\qwinsta.exe'
        - OriginalFileName:
              - 'whoami.exe'
              - 'quser.exe'
              - 'qwinsta.exe'
    selection_other_wmi:
        Image|endswith: '\wmic.exe'
        CommandLine|contains|all:
            - 'useraccount'
            - 'get'
    selection_other_cmdkey:
        Image|endswith: '\cmdkey.exe'
        CommandLine|contains: ' /l'
    selection_cmd:
        Image|endswith: '\cmd.exe'
        CommandLine|contains|all:
            - ' /c'
            - 'dir '
            - '\Users\'
    filter_cmd:
        CommandLine|contains: ' rmdir ' # don't match on 'dir'   "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe" /q /c rmdir /s /q "C:\Users\XX\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\19.232.1124.0005"
    selection_net:
        Image|endswith:
            - '\net.exe'
            - '\net1.exe'
        CommandLine|contains: 'user'
    filter_net:
        CommandLine|contains:
            - '/domain'       # local account discovery only
            - '/add'          # discovery only
            - '/delete'       # discovery only
            - '/active'       # discovery only
            - '/expires'      # discovery only
            - '/passwordreq'  # discovery only
            - '/scriptpath'   # discovery only
            - '/times'        # discovery only
            - '/workstations' # discovery only
    condition: (selection_cmd and not filter_cmd) or (selection_net and not filter_net) or 1 of selection_other_*
falsepositives:
    - Legitimate administrator or user enumerates local users for legitimate reason
level: low
simulation:
    - type: atomic-red-team
      name: WMI Reconnaissance Users
      technique: T1047
      atomic_guid: c107778c-dcf5-47c5-af2e-1d058a3df3ea
regression_tests_path: regression_data/rules/windows/process_creation/proc_creation_win_susp_local_system_owner_account_discovery/info.yml

Original YAML and metadata in JSON

False positives

• Legitimate administrator or user enumerates local users for legitimate reason

Source references

• https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/f339e7da7d05f6057fdfcdd3742bfcf365fee2a9/atomics/T1033/T1033.md