Unknown Process Using The Kerberos Protocol
The following analytic identifies a non-lsass.exe process making an outbound connection on port 88, which is typically used by the Kerberos authentication protocol. This detection leverages data from Endpoint…
Description
The following analytic identifies a non-lsass.exe process making an outbound connection on port 88, which is typically used by the Kerberos authentication protocol. This detection leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on process and network traffic logs. This activity is significant because, under normal circumstances, only the lsass.exe process should interact with the Kerberos Distribution Center. If confirmed malicious, this behavior could indicate an adversary attempting to abuse the Kerberos protocol, potentially leading to unauthorized access or lateral movement within the network.
Detection logic
Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxOffice SuiteSaaSWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the ATT&CK technique it maps to.
- Log source category
- sysmon_eventid_1_and_sysmon_eventid_3
Known benign triggers
- Custom applications may leverage the Kerberos protocol. Filter as needed.
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 |
|---|---|
| stealthbits.com/blog/how-to-detect-overpass-the-hash-attacks/ | 2 |
| www.thehacker.recipes/ad/movement/kerberos/ptk | 2 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- c91a0852-9fbb-11ec-af44-acde48001122
- Tagged by the source as
- Active Directory Kerberos AttacksBlackSuit RansomwareEndpointendpointSplunk CloudSplunk EnterpriseSplunk Enterprise Securityendpoint
Licence
- Published under
- Apache License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
- Obtained under
- Apache-2.0Read the origin licence
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Aug 26, 2026
- Version
- 1