splunk_escuTTP

PetitPotam Suspicious Kerberos TGT Request

The following analytic detects a suspicious Kerberos Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) request, identified by Event Code 4768. This detection leverages Windows Security Event Logs to identify TGT requests with unusual fields, which may indicate the use of tools like Rubeus following the exploitation of CVE-2021-36942 (PetitPotam). This activity is significant as it can signal an attacker leveraging a compromised certificate to request Kerberos tickets, potentially leading to unauthorized access. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to escalate privileges and persist within the environment, posing a severe security risk.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1003

credential-access

Detection Query

`wineventlog_security` EventCode=4768 src!="::1" TargetUserName=*$ CertThumbprint!=""
  | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
    BY dest, TargetUserName, src,
       action
  | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
  | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
  | `petitpotam_suspicious_kerberos_tgt_request_filter`

Author

Michael Haag, Mauricio Velazco, Splunk

Created

2026-03-10

Data Sources

Windows Event Log Security 4768

References

Tags

PetitPotam NTLM Relay on Active Directory Certificate ServicesActive Directory Kerberos Attacks

Raw Content

name: PetitPotam Suspicious Kerberos TGT Request
id: e3ef244e-0a67-11ec-abf2-acde48001122
version: 8
date: '2026-03-10'
author: Michael Haag, Mauricio Velazco, Splunk
status: production
type: TTP
description: The following analytic detects a suspicious Kerberos Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) request, identified by Event Code 4768. This detection leverages Windows Security Event Logs to identify TGT requests with unusual fields, which may indicate the use of tools like Rubeus following the exploitation of CVE-2021-36942 (PetitPotam). This activity is significant as it can signal an attacker leveraging a compromised certificate to request Kerberos tickets, potentially leading to unauthorized access. If confirmed malicious, this could allow attackers to escalate privileges and persist within the environment, posing a severe security risk.
data_source:
    - Windows Event Log Security 4768
search: |-
    `wineventlog_security` EventCode=4768 src!="::1" TargetUserName=*$ CertThumbprint!=""
      | stats count min(_time) as firstTime max(_time) as lastTime
        BY dest, TargetUserName, src,
           action
      | `security_content_ctime(firstTime)`
      | `security_content_ctime(lastTime)`
      | `petitpotam_suspicious_kerberos_tgt_request_filter`
how_to_implement: The following analytic requires Event Code 4768. Ensure that it is logging no Domain Controllers and appearing in Splunk.
known_false_positives: False positives are possible if the environment is using certificates for authentication.
references:
    - https://www.ultimatewindowssecurity.com/securitylog/encyclopedia/event.aspx?eventid=4768
    - https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Active+Directory+Certificate+Services+ADCS+PKI+domain+admin+vulnerability/27668/
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: A Kerberos TGT was requested in a non-standard manner against $dest$, potentially related to CVE-2021-36942, PetitPotam.
    risk_objects:
        - field: dest
          type: system
          score: 50
    threat_objects: []
tags:
    analytic_story:
        - PetitPotam NTLM Relay on Active Directory Certificate Services
        - Active Directory Kerberos Attacks
    asset_type: Endpoint
    cve:
        - CVE-2021-36942
    mitre_attack_id:
        - T1003
    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/T1187/petitpotam/windows-xml-1.log
          source: XmlWinEventLog:Security
          sourcetype: XmlWinEventLog