Getting Data In

Audit Windows Cleartext passwords

Joels
New Member

Is there a search I can execute that will show me all the passwords that have been sent across the network in cleartext in my windows environment? LDAP, HTTP, etc? I have tried several combinations of Event ID 540 Logon Type 8 from my windows security log, but it does not seem accurate.

Tags (2)
0 Karma

BunnyHop
Contributor

Windows authentication itself is not passthru as cleartext, with a few exceptions (IIS basic authentication, Telnet, etc etc). If these are the items you're looking for, you might find this on different logs than from the Security event log, as that stores actual Windows logon, and are therefore, not going to be cleartext. My understanding is that Telnet is sent in the clear, and therefore you will see the password when you perform network sniffing, but I'm not sure if it ends up clear on the server. Eitherway, you might be looking at a different eventID than 540.

BTW, only because I'm a security geek, be careful looking for cleartext password.

Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Defend at Machine Speed: Your Guide to Security Sessions at .conf26

Splunk .conf26   With threats moving at machine speed and attack surfaces expanding across hybrid ...

Where Innovation Takes Flight: The Splunk4Aviation Flight Sim Lands at .conf26

If you hear someone at .conf26 shouting "gear down, GEAR DOWN" across the show floor, you have found us.  The ...

Turn Cisco Telemetry Into Action with Cisco Data Fabric, powered by the Splunk ...

The surge in machine data is already hitting enterprise budgets, and the agentic era will only intensify it. ...