T1550: Use Alternate Authentication Material
AI Answer
Adversaries may use alternate authentication material, such as password hashes, Kerberos tickets, and application access tokens, in order to move laterally within an environment and bypass normal system access controls. Authentication processes generally require a valid identity (e.g., username) along with one or more authentication factors (e.g., password, pin, physical smart card, token generator, etc.). (Source: MITRE ATT&CK T1550)
ATT&CK Mapping
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Technique ID | T1550 |
| Name | Use Alternate Authentication Material |
| Tactic | Lateral Movement (lateral-movement) |
| Platforms | Containers, IaaS, Identity Provider, Linux, Office Suite, SaaS, Windows |
| Sub-technique | No |
Why it matters
In the OpenTrojan knowledge graph, Use Alternate Authentication Material (T1550) is one of the highest-connectivity ATT&CK techniques: 2 MITRE STIX relationships reference this technique; 1 software families associated; 1 campaigns associated. These counts are derived from MITRE ATT&CK STIX relationships and are not an estimate of exploitation volume.
How attackers use it
Behavior described below is from the MITRE ATT&CK canonical definition (source: https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1550). Adversaries may use alternate authentication material, such as password hashes, Kerberos tickets, and application access tokens, in order to move laterally within an environment and bypass normal system access controls. Authentication processes generally require a valid identity (e.g., username) along with one or more authentication factors (e.g., password, pin, physical smart card, token generator, etc.). Alternate authentication material is legitimately generated by systems after a user or application successfully authenticates by providing a valid identity and the required authentication factor(s). Alternate authentication material may also be generated during the identity creation process. Caching alternate authentication material allows the system to verify an identity has successfully authenticated without asking the user to reenter authentication factor(s). Because the alternate authentication must be maintained by the system—either in memory or on disk—it may be at risk of being stolen through Credential Access techniques. By stealing alternate authentication material, adversaries are able to bypass system access controls and authenticate to systems without knowing the plaintext password or any additional authentication factors.
Detection
Not available — MITRE ATT&CK does not currently publish a structured detection strategy for this technique in the ingested dataset.
Mitigation
Not available — no MITRE course-of-action was found for this technique in the ingested dataset.
Related Software
- FoggyWeb
Software associations are from MITRE ATT&CK STIX relationships (observed usage, not attribution).
Related Campaigns
- SolarWinds Compromise
Campaign associations are from MITRE ATT&CK STIX relationships.
References
Source Attribution
Source: MITRE ATT&CK (MITRE ATT&CK) · Confidence: 0.9 · Reviewed: OpenTrojan - Human Review
Start Investigation
Move from reading to investigating T1550 Use Alternate Authentication Material. The workspace is a structured analysis surface — not a chat — organised as:
- Question — what do you need to know about T1550 Use Alternate Authentication Material?
- Evidence — assertions mapped to verifiable references.
- Timeline — events in chronological order.
- Related Entities — CVE, threat actor, campaign, malware links.
- Sources — NVD, CISA KEV, MITRE ATT&CK, vendor advisories.
- Notes — your own observations and working hypotheses.
AI assistance is limited to summarising, explaining, and suggesting related evidence. AI never completes your investigation, modifies entity relationships, or generates facts — all published analysis stays human-reviewed.