Applied Cybernetics Group
T1134 Access Token Manipulation
- Technique
T1134- Tactics
- Defense Evasion, Privilege Escalation
- Research, 90 days
- 2
- KEV CVEs mapped
- 0
- SigmaHQ rules
- 2
- Elastic, Splunk
- 25
- thrunt rules
- 0
- Upstream
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1134
MITRE description
Adversaries may modify access tokens to operate under a different user or system security context to perform actions and bypass access controls. Windows uses access tokens to determine the ownership of a running process. A user can manipulate access tokens to make a running process appear as though it is the child of a different process or belongs to someone other than the user that started the process. When this occurs, the process also takes on the security context associated with the new token. An adversary can use built-in Windows API functions to copy access tokens from existing processes; this is known as token stealing. These tokens can then be applied to an existing process (i.e. [Token Impersonation/Theft](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1134/001)) or used to spawn a new process (i.e. [Create Process with Token](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1134/002)). An adversary must already be in a privileged user context (i.e. administrator) to steal a token. However, adversaries commonly use token stealing to elevate their security context from the administrator level to the SYSTEM level. An adversary can then use a token to authenticate to a remote system as the account for that token if the account has appropriate permissions on the remote system.(Citation: Pentestlab Token Manipulation) Any standard user can use the <code>runas</code> command, and the Windows API functions, to create impersonation tokens; it does not require access to an administrator account. There are also other mechanisms, such as Active Directory fields, that can be used to modify access tokens.
Research citing this technique
Reports and advisories from the last 90 days that cite this technique.
-
2026-10-22Group-IB: Inside SiriusQT: A Seriously Skilled RAT -
2026-10-14Group-IB: KGB RAT: A Fully Undetectable Windows Trojan Built to Spy, Steal, and Terrorize
Detection coverage
SigmaHQ community rules
Elastic and Splunk rules
- AWS EKS API Request Impersonating Privileged Identity (elastic)
- GKE API Request Impersonating Privileged Identity (elastic)
- Kubernetes API Request Impersonating Privileged Identity (elastic)
- Spike in Special Privilege Use Events (elastic)
- Credential Manipulation - Detected - Elastic Endgame (elastic)
- Credential Manipulation - Prevented - Elastic Endgame (elastic)
- Permission Theft - Detected - Elastic Endgame (elastic)
- Permission Theft - Prevented - Elastic Endgame (elastic)
- Parent Process PID Spoofing (elastic)
- Potential PowerShell HackTool Script by Function Names (elastic)
- Process Creation via Secondary Logon (elastic)
- Process Created with a Duplicated Token (elastic)
- Interactive Logon by an Unusual Process (elastic)
- Privilege Escalation via Named Pipe Impersonation (elastic)
- First Time Seen NewCredentials Logon Process (elastic)
- PowerShell Script with Token Impersonation Capabilities (elastic)
- Suspicious SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege Use (elastic)
- SeDebugPrivilege Enabled by a Suspicious Process (elastic)
- Unusual Parent-Child Relationship (elastic)
- Privileges Elevation via Parent Process PID Spoofing (elastic)
- Privilege Escalation via Rogue Named Pipe Impersonation (elastic)
- Process Created with an Elevated Token (elastic)
- Windows Privilege Escalation Suspicious Process Elevation (splunk)
- Windows Privilege Escalation System Process Without System Parent (splunk)
- Windows Privilege Escalation User Process Spawn System Process (splunk)