T1134.002sub-technique of T1134 Access Token Manipulation

Create Process with Token

Windowsnothing on this site yetT1134.002 on attack.mitre.org

Adversaries may create a new process with an existing token to escalate privileges and bypass access controls. Processes can be created with the token and resulting security context of another user using features such as `CreateProcessWithTokenW` and `runas`. Creating processes with a token not associated with the current user may require the credentials of the target user, specific privileges to impersonate that user, or access to the token to be used.

MITRE ATT&CK 19.2, retrieved 2026-09-12

If this is happening now

1

Checklists and playbooks to open while the alert is still live.

Playbook for this stage

Cloud account compromise

Impossible travel, an unrecognised inbox rule, or a reported invoice-fraud attempt.

how MITRE says to see it

Behavior-chain detection for T1134.002 Create Process with Token (Windows)

  • A process (often after stealing/creating a token) calls CreateProcessWithTokenW/CreateProcessAsUserW or uses runas to spawn a **new** process whose security context (SID/LogonId/IntegrityLevel) differs from its parent.

what reduces it

  • M1018 User Account Management. An adversary must already have administrator level access on the local system to make full use of this technique; be sure to restrict users and accounts to the least privileges they require.
  • M1026 Privileged Account Management. Limit permissions so that users and user groups cannot create tokens. This setting should be defined for the local system account only. GPO: Computer Configuration > [Policies] > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment: Create a token object.

the rest of T1134

The description, detection analytics and mitigations are reproduced from MITRE ATT&CK, version 19.2, under its terms of use. The checklists, hunts, labs and everything else linked here are this site’s.