Boot or Logon Autostart Execution: Authentication Package
- ID
- T1547.002
- Tactics
- TA0003 Persistence, TA0004 Privilege Escalation
- Sub-technique of
- T1547 Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
- Platforms
- Windows
- Data sources
- Windows Registry Key Modification, Module Load
- Source
- attack.mitre.org
- MITRE last modified
- 25 Oct 2025
Adversaries may abuse authentication packages to execute DLLs when the system boots. Windows authentication package DLLs are loaded by the Local Security Authority (LSA) process at system start. They provide support for multiple logon processes and multiple security protocols to the operating system.[3]
Adversaries can use the autostart mechanism provided by LSA authentication packages for persistence by placing a reference to a binary in the Windows Registry location HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\ with the key value of "Authentication Packages"=<target binary>. The binary will then be executed by the system when the authentication packages are loaded.
Detection
- DET0207 Detect LSA Authentication Package Persistence via Registry and LSASS DLL Load
Data components: Windows Registry Key Modification, Module Load
Mitigations (1)
- M1025 Privileged Process Integrity
Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and later versions, may make LSA run as a Protected Process Light (PPL) by setting the Registry key
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\RunAsPPL, which requires all DLLs loaded by LSA to be signed by Microsoft. [1] [2]