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Input Capture: GUI Input Capture

ID Name
T1056.001 Keylogging
T1056.002 GUI Input Capture
T1056.003 Web Portal Capture
T1056.004 Credential API Hooking

Adversaries may mimic common operating system GUI components to prompt users for credentials with a seemingly legitimate prompt. When programs are executed that need additional privileges than are present in the current user context, it is common for the operating system to prompt the user for proper credentials to authorize the elevated privileges for the task (ex: Bypass User Account Control).

Adversaries may mimic this functionality to prompt users for credentials with a seemingly legitimate prompt for a number of reasons that mimic normal usage, such as a fake installer requiring additional access or a fake malware removal suite.[1] This type of prompt can be used to collect credentials via various languages such as AppleScript[2][3][4] and PowerShell.[2][5][4] On Linux systems adversaries may launch dialog boxes prompting users for credentials from malicious shell scripts or the command line (i.e. Unix Shell).[4]

Adversaries may also mimic common software authentication requests, such as those from browsers or email clients. This may also be paired with user activity monitoring (i.e., Browser Information Discovery and/or Application Window Discovery) to spoof prompts when users are naturally accessing sensitive sites/data.

ID: T1056.002
Sub-technique of:  T1056
ⓘ
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS
Contributors: Matthew Molyett, @s1air, Cisco Talos
Version: 1.3
Created: 11 February 2020
Last Modified: 24 October 2025
Version Permalink

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
S0482 Bundlore

Bundlore prompts the user for their credentials.[6]
S0274 Calisto

Calisto presents an input prompt asking for the user's login and password.[7]
S1153 Cuckoo Stealer

Cuckoo Stealer has captured passwords by prompting victims with a "macOS needs to access System Settings" GUI window.[8]
S0281 Dok

Dok prompts the user for credentials.[9]
G0085 FIN4

FIN4 has presented victims with spoofed Windows Authentication prompts to collect their credentials.[10][11]
S0278 iKitten

iKitten prompts the user for their credentials.[9]
S0276 Keydnap

Keydnap prompts the users for credentials.[12]
S0455 Metamorfo

Metamorfo has displayed fake forms on top of banking sites to intercept credentials from victims.[13]

S1122 Mispadu

Mispadu can monitor browser activity for online banking actions and display full-screen overlay images to block user access to the intended site or present additional data fields.[14][15]
S0279 Proton

Proton prompts users for their credentials.[9]
G1039 RedCurl

RedCurl prompts the user for credentials through a Microsoft Outlook pop-up.[16][17]
S0692 SILENTTRINITY

SILENTTRINITY's credphisher.py module can prompt a current user for their credentials.[18]
S0658 XCSSET

XCSSET prompts the user to input credentials using a native macOS dialog box leveraging the system process /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/SafariForWebKitDevelopment.[19]

Mitigations

ID Mitigation Description
M1017 User Training

Use user training as a way to bring awareness and raise suspicion for potentially malicious events and dialog boxes (ex: Office documents prompting for credentials).

Detection Strategy

ID Name Analytic ID Analytic Description
DET0521 Behavioral Detection of Spoofed GUI Credential Prompts AN1440

Detects suspicious use of PowerShell, .NET, or script interpreters to spawn processes that mimic UAC prompts, often with credential capture dialogue boxes invoked from non-standard parent processes.
AN1441

Detects GUI-based credential prompts invoked via zenity/kdialog/dialog or X11 APIs from non-user-facing scripts or background shell sessions, often with authentication-related text.
AN1442

Detects AppleScript or Objective-C usage to generate fake authentication windows (e.g., using display dialog or NSAlert) from user-launched or persistence-related processes.

References

  1. Sergei Shevchenko. (2015, June 4). New Mac OS Malware Exploits Mackeeper. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  2. Foss, G. (2014, October 3). Do You Trust Your Computer?. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  3. Marc-Etienne M.Leveille. (2016, July 6). New OSX/Keydnap malware is hungry for credentials. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  4. Johann Rehberger. (2021, April 18). Spoofing credential dialogs on macOS Linux and Windows. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  5. Nelson, M. (2015, January 21). Phishing for Credentials: If you want it, just ask!. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  6. Sushko, O. (2019, April 17). macOS Bundlore: Mac Virus Bypassing macOS Security Features. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  7. Pantig, J. (2018, July 30). OSX.Calisto. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  8. Kohler, A. and Lopez, C. (2024, April 30). Malware: Cuckoo Behaves Like Cross Between Infostealer and Spyware. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. Patrick Wardle. (n.d.). Mac Malware of 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  10. Vengerik, B. et al.. (2014, December 5). Hacking the Street? FIN4 Likely Playing the Market. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  1. Vengerik, B. & Dennesen, K.. (2014, December 5). Hacking the Street? FIN4 Likely Playing the Market. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  2. Patrick Wardle. (2017, January 1). Mac Malware of 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  3. Sierra, E., Iglesias, G.. (2018, April 24). Metamorfo Campaigns Targeting Brazilian Users. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. Pedro Tavares (Segurança Informática). (2020, September 15). Threat analysis: The emergent URSA trojan impacts many countries using a sophisticated loader. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  5. SCILabs. (2021, December 23). Cyber Threat Profile Malteiro. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  6. Group-IB. (2020, August). RedCurl: The Pentest You Didn’t Know About. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  7. Group-IB. (2021, November). RedCurl: The Awakening. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  8. Salvati, M. (2019, August 6). SILENTTRINITY Modules. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. Mac Threat Response, Mobile Research Team. (2020, August 13). The XCSSET Malware: Inserts Malicious Code Into Xcode Projects, Performs UXSS Backdoor Planting in Safari, and Leverages Two Zero-day Exploits. Retrieved October 5, 2021.