DPAPI Backup Keys and Certificate Export Activity

SigmaHQ Detections@sigmaHQ

•updated Jun 4, 2025•0•20

This rule detects the creation of files with specific naming conventions and extensions that are indicative of exported or stolen DPAPI backup keys and certificates. These patterns are commonly associated with tools like Mimikatz and DSInternals, which adversaries use to extract credentials and cryptographic material from Windows systems. The rule looks for filenames containing "ntds_capi_", "ntds_legacy_", or "ntds_unknown_" and ending with ".cer", ".key", ".pfx", or ".pvk".