T1556.005: Reversible Encryption
Essential information
- MITRE technique ID
T1556.005- Confidence
- 100/100
- Revoked
- No
- Published
- 13/01/2022 21:02
- Modified
- 27/03/2026 01:12
- Author / Source
- The MITRE Corporation
Platforms
windows
Description
An adversary may abuse Active Directory authentication encryption properties to gain access to credentials on Windows systems. The `AllowReversiblePasswordEncryption` property specifies whether reversible password encryption for an account is enabled or disabled. By default this property is disabled (instead storing user credentials as the output of one-way hashing functions) and should not be enabled unless legacy or other software require it.(Citation: store_pwd_rev_enc)
If the property is enabled and/or a user changes their password after it is enabled, an adversary may be able to obtain the plaintext of passwords created/changed after the property was enabled. To decrypt the passwords, an adversary needs four components:
1. Encrypted password (`G$RADIUSCHAP`) from the Active Directory user-structure `userParameters`
2. 16 byte randomly-generated value (`G$RADIUSCHAPKEY`) also from `userParameters`
3. Global LSA secret (`G$MSRADIUSCHAPKEY`)
4. Static key hardcoded in the Remote Access Subauthentication DLL (`RASSFM.DLL`)
With this information, an adversary may be able to reproduce the encryption key and subsequently decrypt the encrypted password value.(Citation: how_pwd_rev_enc_1)(Citation: how_pwd_rev_enc_2)
An adversary may set this property at various scopes through Local Group Policy Editor, user properties, Fine-Grained Password Policy (FGPP), or via the ActiveDirectory [PowerShell](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059/001) module. For example, an adversary may implement and apply a FGPP to users or groups if the Domain Functional Level is set to "Windows Server 2008" or higher.(Citation: dump_pwd_dcsync) In PowerShell, an adversary may make associated changes to user settings using commands similar to `Set-ADUser -AllowReversiblePasswordEncryption $true`.
Kill chain phases
| Kill chain | Phase |
|---|---|
| mitre-attack | credential-access |
| mitre-attack | defense-evasion |
| mitre-attack | persistence |
Marking (TLP)
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