ExtraHop named a Leader in the 2025 Forrester Wave™: Network Analysis And Visibility Solutions

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DETECTION OVERVIEW

AD Database File Transfer over SMB

Risk Factors

Active Directory (AD) database files are a common target after an attacker has a foothold in an AD environment. An attacker can leverage legitimate binary files or attack tools to copy and decrypt these files. With AD information, an attacker can compromise any AD account.

Category

Actions on Objective
Detection diagram
Next in Actions on Objective: BITS Download

Attack Background

In a Windows AD environment, directory information is stored in a database called the Windows NT Directory Services file (ntds.dit). A domain controller (DC) has a ntds.dit file that stores password hashes, user information, and other secrets. Typically, ntds.dit is inaccessible to users, but this file can be copied by built-in Windows utilities. For example, ntdsutil.exe is a Windows binary file that is available by default in a DC. An attacker with access to a DC can run an ntdsutil command to copy content from the ntds.dit file and registry hives, which are system files that contain secret information needed to decrypt ntds.dit. The attacker transfers the copied data to a file share over the SMB file sharing protocol. Later, the attacker can download this data and run cracking tools to retrieve passwords from the hashes.

Mitigation Options

Strictly manage the users and groups who have domain permissions that allow them to replicate information from a domain controller (DC)

Strengthen the security on Windows devices by enforcing strong authentication policies and creating a list of approved applications

MITRE ATT&CK ID

Associated content

Announcing The Forrester Wave™: Network Analysis And Visibility Solutions, Q4 2025

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The 2025 ExtraHop Global Threat Landscape Report: The Alarming Reality of Threat Actor Dwell Time and Deeper Network Access — ExtraHop

This analysis exposes the critical link between an organization's lack of internal visibility and the escalating cost of compromise, demanding an urgent re-evaluation of how core business assets are protected.

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ExtraHop RevealX MITRE ATT&CK Coverage 2024 — ExtraHop

Learn why you need to be wary of the claims certain network detection and response providers make about their coverage against the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

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MITRE ATT&CK - Network Detection & Response with RevealX — ExtraHop

Learn how NDR from RevealX helps security teams detect and investigate more adversary TTPs in the MITRE ATT&CK framework than rule-based tools.

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