Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of local system accounts. This information can help adversaries determine which local accounts exist on a system to aid in follow-on behavior.

Commands such as net user and net localgroup of the Net utility and id and groups on macOS and Linux can list local users and groups.^[1],[2],[3] On Linux, local users can also be enumerated through the use of the /etc/passwd file. On macOS, the dscl . list /Users command can be used to enumerate local accounts. On ESXi servers, the esxcli system account list command can list local user accounts.^[4]

References

1. Mandiant. (n.d.). APT1 Exposing One of China’s Cyber Espionage Units. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
2. MacKenzie, D. and Robbins, A. (n.d.). id(1) - Linux man page. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
3. MacKenzie, D. and Youngman, J. (n.d.). groups(1) - Linux man page. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
4. Michael Dawson. (2021, August 30). Hypervisor Jackpotting, Part 2: eCrime Actors Increase Targeting of ESXi Servers with Ransomware. Retrieved March 26, 2025.

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