Sigma rule: Password Spraying via Explicit Credentials

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-ee7910536159, updated 2023-02-24T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Password Spraying via Explicit Credentials
Status
unsupported
Level
medium
Author
Mauricio Velazco, Zach Mathis
Date
2021/06/01
Modified
2023/02/24
File
unsupported/windows/win_security_susp_failed_logons_explicit_credentials.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects a single user failing to authenticate to multiple users using explicit credentials.

Log source

product
windows
service
security

Detection

selection:
    EventID: 4648
filter:
    SubjectUserName|endswith: '$' # There will be much noise from computer accounts to UMFD-0, DWM-1, etc...
timeframe: 1h
condition: selection and not filter | count(TargetUserName) by SubjectUserName > 10

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Terminal servers
  • Jump servers
  • Other multiuser systems like Citrix server farms
  • Workstations with frequently changing users

Tags

  • attack.t1110.003
  • attack.initial_access
  • attack.privilege_escalation

MITRE ATT&CK ids this rule names

References

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/unsupported/windows/win_security_susp_failed_logons_explicit_credentials.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Password Spraying via Explicit Credentials" by Mauricio Velazco, Zach Mathis (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/unsupported/windows/win_security_susp_failed_logons_explicit_credentials.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: Password Spraying via Explicit Credentials",
entity page, dataset version ref-ee7910536159, updated 2023-02-24T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/196a29c2-e378-48d8-ba07-8a9e61f7fab9 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule 196a29c2-e378-48d8-ba07-8a9e61f7fab9, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.