Behavioral Detection of Local Group Enumeration Across OS Platforms

Technique Detected:  Local Groups | T1069.001

ID: DET0114
Domains: Enterprise
Analytics: AN0317, AN0318, AN0319
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 October 2025
Last Modified: 21 October 2025

Analytics

AN0317

Detects attempts to enumerate local groups via Net.exe, PowerShell, or native API calls that precede lateral movement or privilege abuse.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) WinEventLog:Security EventCode=4688
Mutable Elements
Field Description
TimeWindow Time window between group enumeration and lateral movement or privilege escalation activity.
UserContext Whether the process was executed by a privileged or low-privilege account.

AN0318

Detects enumeration of local groups using common binaries (groups, getent, cat /etc/group) or scripting with suspicious lineage.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) auditd:SYSCALL execve
Mutable Elements
Field Description
ProcessName Detection tuning for binaries like `groups`, `getent`, `awk`, or `cut` that may be used in pipelines.
ParentProcess Used to determine whether enumeration was triggered by a script or terminal.

AN0319

Detects use of dscl or id/group commands to enumerate local system groups, often by post-exploitation tools or persistence checks.

Log Sources
Data Component Name Channel
Process Creation (DC0032) macos:unifiedlog process:exec
Mutable Elements
Field Description
CommandLineContains Match on specific dscl paths like '/Groups' or known enumeration options.
InteractiveSession Used to scope out enumeration from user terminals versus background utilities.