Account Discovery
- ID
- T1087
- Tactics
- TA0007 Discovery
- Platforms
- ESXi, IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, macOS, Office Suite, SaaS, Windows
- Data sources
- Process Creation, Group Enumeration, File Access, User Account Metadata, Cloud Service Enumeration, Command Execution, Script Execution
- Source
- attack.mitre.org
- MITRE last modified
- 12 May 2026
Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of valid accounts, usernames, or email addresses on a system or within a compromised environment. This information can help adversaries determine which accounts exist, which can aid in follow-on behavior such as brute-forcing, spear-phishing attacks, or account takeovers (e.g., Valid Accounts).
Adversaries may use several methods to enumerate accounts, including abuse of existing tools, built-in commands, and potential misconfigurations that leak account names and roles or permissions in the targeted environment.
For examples, cloud environments typically provide easily accessible interfaces to obtain user lists.[2][3] On hosts, adversaries can use default PowerShell and other command line functionality to identify accounts. Information about email addresses and accounts may also be extracted by searching an infected system’s files.
Sub-techniques (4)
Detection
- DET0587 Enumeration of User or Account Information Across Platforms
Data components: Process Creation, Group Enumeration, File Access, User Account Metadata, Cloud Service Enumeration, Command Execution, Script Execution
Mitigations (2)
- M1018 User Account Management
Manage the creation, modification, use, and permissions associated to user accounts.
- M1028 Operating System Configuration
Prevent administrator accounts from being enumerated when an application is elevating through UAC since it can lead to the disclosure of account names. The Registry key is located
HKLM\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\CredUI\EnumerateAdministrators. It can be disabled through GPO: Computer Configuration > [Policies] > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Credential User Interface: E numerate administrator accounts on elevation. [1]
Groups (3)
Software (5)
References
- UCF STIG Elevation Account Enumeration
- AWS List Users
- Google Cloud - IAM Servie Accounts List API