T1056.001: T1056.001

216.73.217.22

View on MITRE ATT&CK The MITRE Corporation · Published 16/12/2025 19:37 · Modified 27/03/2026 01:08

Essential information

MITRE technique ID: T1056.001
Confidence: 100/100
Revoked: No
Published: 16/12/2025 19:37
Modified: 27/03/2026 01:08
Author / Source: The MITRE Corporation

Aliases

Keylogging

Platforms

windows macos linux Network Devices

Description

Adversaries may log user keystrokes to intercept credentials as the user types them. Keylogging is likely to be used to acquire credentials for new access opportunities when [OS Credential Dumping](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1003) efforts are not effective, and may require an adversary to intercept keystrokes on a system for a substantial period of time before credentials can be successfully captured. In order to increase the likelihood of capturing credentials quickly, an adversary may also perform actions such as clearing browser cookies to force users to reauthenticate to systems.(Citation: Talos Kimsuky Nov 2021) Keylogging is the most prevalent type of input capture, with many different ways of intercepting keystrokes.(Citation: Adventures of a Keystroke) Some methods include: * Hooking API callbacks used for processing keystrokes. Unlike [Credential API Hooking](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1056/004), this focuses solely on API functions intended for processing keystroke data. * Reading raw keystroke data from the hardware buffer. * Windows Registry modifications. * Custom drivers. * [Modify System Image](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1601) may provide adversaries with hooks into the operating system of network devices to read raw keystrokes for login sessions.(Citation: Cisco Blog Legacy Device Attacks)

Kill chain phases

Kill chain	Phase
mitre-attack	collection
mitre-attack	credential-access