Use of Service and Dormant Accounts. Sleeping Giants

The ‎exploitation‏ ‎of ‎service ‎and ‎dormant ‎accounts‏ ‎by ‎cyber‏ ‎actors‏ ‎represents ‎a ‎sophisticated‏ ‎and ‎often‏ ‎overlooked ‎vector ‎of ‎cyber-attacks.‏ ‎These‏ ‎accounts, ‎which‏ ‎are ‎created‏ ‎for ‎various ‎operational ‎purposes ‎within‏ ‎an‏ ‎organization's ‎cloud‏ ‎and ‎on-premises‏ ‎environments, ‎can ‎provide ‎attackers ‎with‏ ‎the‏ ‎access‏ ‎they ‎need‏ ‎to ‎carry‏ ‎out ‎their‏ ‎objectives‏ ‎if ‎not‏ ‎properly ‎managed ‎and ‎secured.

Understanding ‎Service‏ ‎and ‎Dormant‏ ‎Accounts

Service‏ ‎accounts ‎are ‎specialized‏ ‎accounts ‎used‏ ‎by ‎applications ‎or ‎services‏ ‎to‏ ‎interact ‎with‏ ‎the ‎operating‏ ‎system ‎or ‎other ‎services. ‎They‏ ‎often‏ ‎have ‎elevated‏ ‎privileges ‎to‏ ‎perform ‎specific ‎tasks ‎and ‎may‏ ‎not‏ ‎be‏ ‎tied ‎to‏ ‎an ‎individual‏ ‎user's ‎identity.‏ ‎Dormant‏ ‎accounts, ‎on‏ ‎the ‎other ‎hand, ‎are ‎user‏ ‎accounts ‎that‏ ‎are‏ ‎no ‎longer ‎actively‏ ‎used, ‎either‏ ‎because ‎the ‎user ‎has‏ ‎left‏ ‎the ‎organization‏ ‎or ‎the‏ ‎account's ‎purpose ‎has ‎been ‎fulfilled.‏ ‎These‏ ‎accounts ‎are‏ ‎particularly ‎risky‏ ‎because ‎they ‎are ‎frequently ‎forgotten,‏ ‎left‏ ‎with‏ ‎more ‎privileges‏ ‎than ‎necessary,‏ ‎and ‎not‏ ‎monitored‏ ‎as ‎closely‏ ‎as ‎active ‎user ‎accounts.

Why ‎Service‏ ‎and ‎Dormant‏ ‎Accounts‏ ‎Are ‎Targeted

📌Elevated ‎Privileges: Service‏ ‎accounts ‎often‏ ‎have ‎elevated ‎privileges ‎necessary‏ ‎for‏ ‎system ‎tasks,‏ ‎which ‎can‏ ‎be ‎exploited ‎to ‎gain ‎wide‏ ‎access‏ ‎to ‎an‏ ‎organization's ‎network.

📌Lack‏ ‎of ‎Monitoring: ‎Dormant ‎accounts ‎are‏ ‎not‏ ‎regularly‏ ‎used, ‎making‏ ‎them ‎less‏ ‎likely ‎to‏ ‎be‏ ‎monitored ‎for‏ ‎suspicious ‎activity, ‎and ‎thus ‎an‏ ‎attractive ‎target‏ ‎for‏ ‎attackers.

📌Weak ‎or ‎Default‏ ‎Credentials: ‎Service‏ ‎accounts ‎may ‎be ‎configured‏ ‎with‏ ‎weak ‎or‏ ‎default ‎credentials‏ ‎that ‎are ‎easier ‎for ‎attackers‏ ‎to‏ ‎guess ‎or‏ ‎find ‎through‏ ‎brute ‎force ‎attacks.

📌Bypassing ‎User ‎Behavior‏ ‎Analytics:‏ ‎Since‏ ‎service ‎accounts‏ ‎perform ‎automated‏ ‎tasks, ‎their‏ ‎behavior‏ ‎patterns ‎can‏ ‎be ‎predictable, ‎allowing ‎malicious ‎activities‏ ‎to ‎blend‏ ‎in‏ ‎with ‎normal ‎operations‏ ‎and ‎evade‏ ‎detection.

The ‎Threat ‎Posed ‎by‏ ‎Compromised‏ ‎Accounts

📌Move ‎Laterally: Use‏ ‎the ‎account's‏ ‎privileges ‎to ‎move ‎laterally ‎within‏ ‎the‏ ‎network, ‎accessing‏ ‎other ‎systems‏ ‎and ‎data.

📌Escalate ‎Privileges: Leverage ‎the ‎account‏ ‎to‏ ‎escalate‏ ‎privileges ‎and‏ ‎gain ‎administrative‏ ‎access ‎to‏ ‎critical‏ ‎systems.

📌Maintain ‎Persistence:‏ ‎Establish ‎a ‎persistent ‎presence ‎within‏ ‎the ‎network,‏ ‎making‏ ‎it ‎more ‎difficult‏ ‎to ‎detect‏ ‎and ‎remove ‎the ‎attacker.

📌Exfiltrate‏ ‎Data:‏ ‎Access ‎and‏ ‎exfiltrate ‎sensitive‏ ‎data, ‎leading ‎to ‎data ‎breaches‏ ‎and‏ ‎intellectual ‎property‏ ‎theft.

Mitigating ‎the‏ ‎Risks ‎Associated ‎with ‎Service ‎and‏ ‎Dormant‏ ‎Accounts

📌Regular‏ ‎Audits: ‎Conduct‏ ‎regular ‎audits‏ ‎of ‎all‏ ‎accounts‏ ‎to ‎identify‏ ‎and ‎deactivate ‎dormant ‎accounts ‎and‏ ‎ensure ‎that‏ ‎service‏ ‎accounts ‎have ‎the‏ ‎minimum ‎necessary‏ ‎privileges.

📌Strong ‎Authentication ‎Controls: ‎Enforce‏ ‎strong‏ ‎password ‎policies‏ ‎and ‎use‏ ‎multi-factor ‎authentication ‎(MFA) ‎for ‎service‏ ‎accounts‏ ‎where ‎possible.

📌Monitoring‏ ‎and ‎Alerting: Implement‏ ‎monitoring ‎and ‎alerting ‎mechanisms ‎to‏ ‎detect‏ ‎unusual‏ ‎activities ‎associated‏ ‎with ‎service‏ ‎and ‎dormant‏ ‎accounts.

📌Segregation‏ ‎of ‎Duties: Apply‏ ‎the ‎principle ‎of ‎segregation ‎of‏ ‎duties ‎to‏ ‎service‏ ‎accounts ‎to ‎limit‏ ‎the ‎scope‏ ‎of ‎access ‎and ‎reduce‏ ‎the‏ ‎risk ‎of‏ ‎misuse.

📌Automated ‎Management‏ ‎Tools: Utilize ‎automated ‎account ‎management ‎tools‏ ‎to‏ ‎keep ‎track‏ ‎of ‎account‏ ‎usage ‎and ‎lifecycle, ‎ensuring ‎that‏ ‎accounts‏ ‎are‏ ‎deactivated ‎when‏ ‎no ‎longer‏ ‎needed.