Windows Export Certificate

name: Windows Export Certificate
id: d8ddfa9b-b724-4df9-9dbe-f34cc0936714
version: 9
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Michael Haag, Splunk
status: production
type: Anomaly
description: The following analytic detects the export of a certificate from the Windows Certificate Store. It leverages the Certificates Lifecycle log channel, specifically event ID 1007, to identify this activity. Monitoring certificate exports is crucial as certificates can be used for authentication to VPNs or private resources. If malicious actors export certificates, they could potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems or data, leading to significant security breaches.
data_source:
    - Windows Event Log CertificateServicesClient 1007
search: |-
    `certificateservices_lifecycle` EventCode=1007
      | xmlkv UserData_Xml
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY Computer, SubjectName, UserData_Xml
      | rename Computer as dest
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `windows_export_certificate_filter`
how_to_implement: To implement this analytic, you must collect Microsoft-Windows-CertificateServicesClient-Lifecycle-System/Operational or Microsoft-Windows-CertificateServicesClient-Lifecycle-User/Operational.
known_false_positives: False positives may be generated based on an automated process or service that exports certificates on the regular. Review is required before setting to alert. Monitor for abnormal processes performing an export.
references:
    - https://atomicredteam.io/defense-evasion/T1553.004/#atomic-test-4---install-root-ca-on-windows
drilldown_searches:
    - name: View the detection results for - "$dest$"
      search: '%original_detection_search% | search  dest = "$dest$"'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
    - name: View risk events for the last 7 days for - "$dest$"
      search: '| from datamodel Risk.All_Risk | search normalized_risk_object IN ("$dest$") starthoursago=168  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime values(search_name) as "Search Name" values(risk_message) as "Risk Message" values(analyticstories) as "Analytic Stories" values(annotations._all) as "Annotations" values(annotations.mitre_attack.mitre_tactic) as "ATT&CK Tactics" by normalized_risk_object | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)` | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`'
      earliest_offset: $info_min_time$
      latest_offset: $info_max_time$
rba:
    message: An certificate was exported on $dest$ from the Windows Certificate Store.
    risk_objects:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 20
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - Windows Certificate Services
    asset_type: Endpoint
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1552.004
        - T1649
    product:
        - Splunk Enterprise
        - Splunk Enterprise Security
        - Splunk Cloud
    security_domain: endpoint
tests:
    - name: True Positive Test
      attack_data:
        - data: https://media.githubusercontent.com/media/splunk/attack_data/master/datasets/attack_techniques/T1649/atomic_red_team/certificateservices-lifecycle.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Microsoft-Windows-CertificateServicesClient-Lifecycle-System/Operational
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog