Certutil exe certificate extraction
The following analytic identifies the use of certutil.exe with arguments indicating the manipulation or extraction of certificates. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on…
Description
The following analytic identifies the use of certutil.exe with arguments indicating the manipulation or extraction of certificates. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process names and command-line arguments. This activity is significant because extracting certificates can allow attackers to sign new authentication tokens, particularly in federated environments like Windows ADFS. If confirmed malicious, this could enable attackers to forge authentication tokens, potentially leading to unauthorized access and privilege escalation within the network.
Detection logic
Detection requirements
- Platform
- Identity ProviderLinuxmacOSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.
- Log source category
- crowdstrike_processrollup2sysmon_eventid_1windows_event_log_security_4688
Known benign triggers
- Unless there are specific use cases, manipulating or exporting certificates using certutil is uncommon. Extraction of certificate has been observed during attacks such as Golden SAML and other campaigns targeting Federated services.
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 |
|---|---|
| blog.sygnia.co/detection-and-hunting-of-golden-saml-attack | Only this detection cites it |
| strontic.github.io/xcyclopedia/library/certutil.exe-09A8A29BAA3A451713FD3D07943B4A43.html | Only this detection cites it |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 337a46be-600f-11eb-ae93-0242ac130002
- Tagged by the source as
- Cloud Federated Credential AbuseCompromised Windows HostLiving Off The LandStorm-2460 CLFS Zero Day ExploitationWindows Certificate ServicesWindows Persistence TechniquesEndpointendpointSplunk CloudSplunk EnterpriseSplunk Enterprise Securityendpoint
Licence
- Published under
- Apache License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
- Obtained under
- Apache-2.0Read the origin licence
Authorship
- Published
- Aug 26, 2026
- Version
- 1