Potential Privileged Escalation via SamAccountName Spoofing
Identifies a suspicious computer account name rename event, which may indicate an attempt to exploit CVE-2021-42278 to elevate privileges from a standard domain user to a user with domain admin privileges.…
Description
Identifies a suspicious computer account name rename event, which may indicate an attempt to exploit CVE-2021-42278 to elevate privileges from a standard domain user to a user with domain admin privileges. CVE-2021-42278 is a security vulnerability that allows potential attackers to impersonate a domain controller via samAccountName attribute spoofing.
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.
Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersESXiIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 4 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
- Log source category
- event_index
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| cloudbrothers.info/en/exploit-kerberos-samaccountname-spoofing/ | Only this detection cites it |
| exploit.ph/cve-2021-42287-cve-2021-42278-weaponisation.html | 4from 2 sources |
| github.com/cube0x0/noPac | Only this detection cites it |
| support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5008102-active-directory-security-accounts-manager-hardening-changes-cve-2021-42278-5975b463-4c95-45e1-831a-d120004e258e | Only this detection cites it |
| twitter.com/exploitph/status/1469157138928914432 | Only this detection cites it |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- bdcf646b-08d4-492c-870a-6c04e3700034
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Active DirectoryData Source: Windows Security Event LogsDomain: EndpointNoise: LowOS: WindowsPerformance: NormalPlatform: WindowsProfile: RecommendedResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: Event Correlation (EQL)Tactic: Privilege EscalationThreat: Vulnerability ExploitUse Case: Active Directory MonitoringUse Case: Threat DetectionUse Case: VulnerabilityVuln: CVE-2021-42278
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3