Elastic Security Detection Rules

ESXi Local Account Created

Last updated 2 days ago on 2026-09-30
Created 2 days ago on 2026-09-30

About

Detects creation of a local ESXi account. A new account is a separate login that remains after the session that created it. It has no rights until a role is assigned, and it is the first step toward a persistent login on the host.
Tags
Domain: EndpointData Source: VMware vSphereUse Case: Threat DetectionTactic: PersistenceRule Type: Custom Query (KQL)Platform: VMware ESXiThreat: RansomwareLanguage: kuery
Severity
medium
Risk Score
47
MITRE ATT&CK™

Persistence (TA0003)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

↳ Create Account (T1136)(external, opens in a new tab or window)

False Positive Examples
Administrators create local accounts during onboarding or break-glass setup. Confirm the account name and whether it was then granted the Admin role.
License
Elastic License v2(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Definition

Rule Type
Query (Kibana Query Language)
Integration Pack
Prebuilt Security Detection Rules
Index Patterns
logs-vsphere.log-*
Related Integrations

vsphere(external, opens in a new tab or window)

Query
text code block:
data_stream.dataset:vsphere.log and event.module:vsphere and message:("esxcli system account add" or Account and "was created")

Install detection rules in Elastic Security

Detect ESXi Local Account Created in the Elastic Security detection engine by installing this rule into your Elastic Stack.

To setup this rule, check out the installation guide for Prebuilt Security Detection Rules(external, opens in a new tab or window).