Mimikatz
Table of Contents
Overview
Mimikatz (cataloged across security vendors and threat intelligence databases under signatures including HackTool:Win32/Mimikatz, Tool:Win32/Mimikatz, and Hacktool.Mimikatz) is arguably the most famous and influential post-exploitation credential extraction tool in cybersecurity history. Developed in 2011 by French researcher Benjamin Delpy to demonstrate vulnerabilities in Windows authentication architecture, Mimikatz is widely abused by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups, ransomware cartels, and penetration testers worldwide. Operating with administrative or SYSTEM privileges, Mimikatz extracts plaintext passwords, NTLM password hashes, Kerberos tickets, and PINs directly from the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process memory. Furthermore, Mimikatz can forge Kerberos Golden and Silver Tickets, perform Pass-the-Hash / Pass-the-Ticket attacks, and export certificates from Windows CryptoAPI.
Known aliases
Threat reports may refer to this family under multiple names:
Family Pedigree & Lineage
Malware authors regularly fork and iterate upon existing codebases. Observed upstream lineage and downstream variants for this family include:
Known Derivatives & Downstream Variants: Hacktool:Win32/Mimikatz.A · Hacktool:Win64/Mimikatz · Invoke-Mimikatz
MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
This family has been observed using the following ATT&CK techniques: T1003.001 · T1558.001 · T1558.002 · T1550.002 · T1550.003 · T1134 · T1082
Tactical Mitigations
Based on the techniques used by this family, consider the following defensive strategies:
- T1003.001: Monitor for LSASS memory dumping or registry SAM extraction. Enable Credential Guard on Windows systems.
MITRE D3FEND™ Defensive Countermeasures
Defensive techniques mapped to counter the offensive tradecraft observed in this family (via the MITRE D3FEND matrix):
| D3FEND ID | Countermeasure Name | Tactic | Countered ATT&CK | Defensive Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
D3-LSA | LSA Protection & Credential Guard | Harden | T1003.001 | Enable Windows LSA RunAsPPL (Protected Process Light) and Credential Guard to prevent memory dumping of lsass.exe. |
D3-SDA | System Discovery Analysis | Detect | T1082 | Alert on rapid enumerations of systeminfo, hostname, and registry hardware trees in short intervals. |
Tiered Detection Rules (Cisco CAIRN Model)
Modern threat detection requires multi-layered rule engineering. We classify detections into three operational tiers based on signal fidelity:
Tier 1 Primitive Artifact Rule (Fast Triage)
Matches raw strings and file markers. Vulnerable to binary repacking and simple obfuscation.
rule MALWARE_WIN_MIMIKATZ_T1_ARTIFACT {
meta:
description = "Tier 1 Primitive Artifact: Raw string matches for Mimikatz"
tier = "T1 - Primitive Artifact"
confidence = "Low-Medium (Fast Triage)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
$s1 = "mimikatz" ascii wide nocase
$s2 = "hacktool:win32/mimikatz" ascii wide nocase
$s3 = "tool:win32/mimikatz" ascii wide nocase
$s4 = "hacktool.mimikatz" ascii wide nocase
$s5 = "win32/mimikatz" ascii wide nocase
$s6 = "mimikatz credential dumper" ascii wide nocase
condition:
uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and any of them
}Tier 2 Behavioral Context Rule (Process Chains & Sigma)
Tracks parent-child process anomalies and suspicious scripting telemetry. Resilient against file renames.
title: SystemHelpDesk Detection - Mimikatz (Credential Dumper) Execution & Triage
id: bb133c7c-bf9d-5bc7-b2d4-49b6cd7ba219
status: production
description: Detects execution, defense evasion, and persistence behaviors associated
with the Mimikatz malware family. Detects suspicious execution from temporary user
directories with hidden window flags and background transfer utilities.
references:
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/families/mimikatz
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/defensive/ransomware-protection
- https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/
author: Ricky Jordan, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst, SystemHelpDesk MSP
date: '2026-10-14'
modified: '2026-10-14'
tags:
- attack.credential-dumper
- author.ricky-jordan
- source.systemhelpdesk-mfc
- attack.t1003_001
- attack.t1558_001
- attack.t1558_002
- attack.t1550_002
- attack.t1550_003
logsource:
category: process_creation
product: windows
detection:
selection_process:
Image|endswith:
- \cmd.exe
- \powershell.exe
- \cscript.exe
- \wscript.exe
CommandLine|contains:
- AppData\Local\Temp
- -WindowStyle Hidden
- /e:jscript
- bitsadmin /transfer
condition: selection_process
falsepositives:
- Legitimate enterprise administrative scripts during approved change windows
- Authorized IT software deployment utilities and backup management agents
level: mediumTier 3 Attribution Fingerprint Rule (High Fidelity)
Deep signature matching distinctive operational fingerprints and payload characteristics.
rule MALWARE_WIN_MIMIKATZ_T3_ATTRIBUTION {
meta:
description = "Tier 3 Attribution Fingerprint: Heuristic detection for Mimikatz tradecraft"
tier = "T3 - Attribution Fingerprint"
confidence = "High (Confirmed Family Signature)"
author = "SystemHelpdesk Threat Research Desk"
date = "2026-10-14"
strings:
// Core family identifier & heuristic payload signatures
$attrib_str = "mimikatz" ascii wide nocase
$pe_magic = "MZ" ascii
$net_marker = "http" ascii nocase
condition:
uint16(0) == 0x5a4d and ($attrib_str and $net_marker) and filesize < 15MB
}References & External Analysis
- Microsoft Defender Threat Encyclopedia - HackTool:Win32/Mimikatz
- MITRE ATT&CK Software Profile - Mimikatz (S0002)
- Search "mimikatz" on VirusTotal (External Analysis)
- Search "mimikatz" on Any.Run (Sandbox Sandbox)
- Search "mimikatz" on MalwareBazaar (Malware Samples)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HackTool:Win32/Mimikatz?
Mimikatz is a landmark open-source post-exploitation tool that dumps plaintext passwords and Kerberos tickets from LSASS memory.
Who originally created Mimikatz and why?
It was created in 2011 by security researcher Benjamin Delpy as a proof-of-concept to show security flaws in Windows authentication.
How does Mimikatz extract credentials from LSASS?
It leverages administrative debugging privileges (SeDebugPrivilege) to read security provider memory inside lsass.exe.
What are Kerberos Golden and Silver Tickets in Mimikatz?
They are forged Kerberos ticket-granting tickets that give attackers persistent, unrestricted access across an Active Directory domain.
How can enterprise defenders protect against Mimikatz credential dumping?
Enable Windows Defender Credential Guard, configure LSASS as a Protected Process Light (PPL), and restrict SeDebugPrivilege.
How do I remove the Mimikatz Credential_Dumper from Windows?
Manual removal of Mimikatz is highly discouraged as it may leave persistence mechanisms intact. We recommend disconnecting the device from the internet and utilizing a professional incident response service or enterprise-grade EDR software to conduct a full forensic sweep.
Is Mimikatz a virus or a Credential_Dumper?
Mimikatz is classified as a Credential_Dumper. Unlike traditional viruses that infect files, modern malware like Mimikatz typically operates as a standalone payload designed to compromise systems, steal data, or deploy secondary stage implants.
What are the main symptoms of a Mimikatz infection?
Symptoms of Mimikatz can include unexpected system slowness, unauthorized outbound network traffic to unknown IP addresses, disabled security software, and suspicious background processes running from AppData or Temp directories.
Protect Your Network Against Credential_Dumpers
Want to prevent Mimikatz and similar threats from compromising your organization? Read our comprehensive defensive guide: Think You've Been Hacked? What To Do First.
📣 Threat Intel Correction or Update?
Notice an outdated IOC, unlisted alias, or disputed attribution? Threat researchers are invited to propose an update on GitHub or contact the SystemHelpDesk research desk. All community revisions are credited in our public CHANGELOG.
Machine-readable
Get this profile as JSON: https://malware-families-catalog.systemhelpdesk.com/api/mimikatz.json
Ecosystem & Interactive Environments
This profile is part of the Malware Families Catalog, a public dataset of 2,899 malware families. The catalog is also published across our ecosystem: Hugging Face, Kaggle, Zenodo, Replit, StackBlitz, CodeSandbox, and CodePen.