Windows Steal Authentication Certificates CertUtil Backup
The following analytic detects CertUtil.exe performing a backup of the Certificate Store. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on specific command-line executions involving…
Description
The following analytic detects CertUtil.exe performing a backup of the Certificate Store. It leverages data from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) agents, focusing on specific command-line executions involving CertUtil with backup parameters. This activity is significant because it may indicate an attempt to steal authentication certificates, which are critical for secure communications. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could use the stolen certificates to impersonate users, decrypt sensitive data, or gain unauthorized access to systems, leading to severe security breaches.
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
- False positives will be generated based on normal certificate store backups. Leave enabled to generate Risk, as this is meant to be an anomaly analytic. If CS backups are not normal, enable as TTP.
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 |
|---|---|
| specterops.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/06/Certified_Pre-Owned.pdf | 8 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- bac85b56-0b65-4ce5-aad5-d94880df0967
- Tagged by the source as
- Storm-2460 CLFS Zero Day ExploitationWindows Certificate ServicesEndpointendpointSplunk 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