Event Log Secrets Scanner (event6secrets)
The Event Log Secrets Scanner mines Windows Event Logs on each target host for entries that contain embedded secrets — credentials, tokens, keys — by reading the logs remotely via SMB (port 445). Internally it relies on the Event6 library to parse event-log records and extract secret material that Windows occasionally logs in plaintext, including:
- Scheduled task definitions where the credential was passed inline.
4688process-creation events with the password on the command line (-Password,/p,psexec -p, …).4624/4625logon events that captured cleartext passwords when WDigest or specific GPO settings were active.- Generic application logs that contain hard-coded credentials in error or audit messages.
Each result row contains the target IP, the raw event-log entry that matched and the extracted secret.
This is a post-exploitation reconnaissance technique: once you have authenticated access (typically local admin) to a host, mining its event logs frequently reveals additional credentials that enable lateral movement to other systems.
Combine with other secret-mining scanners
- smbpshistory — PSReadline command history files.
- smbregsession — local user SIDs from registry.
Parameters
Normal Parameters
credential
Specifies the ID of the credential to use for authentication. Local-admin privileges are typically required to read security event logs.
Enter the ID of the credential stored in the Credentials Window.
targets
Specifies the targets to scan.
A list of targets can be specified in the following formats:
- ID: ID of the target server from the targets window.
- IP: Single IP address (e.g.,
192.168.1.1). - CIDR: IP range in CIDR notation (e.g.,
192.168.1.0/24). - Hostname: Resolvable hostname.
- File: Path to a file containing targets (must be in OctoPwn’s
/browserefs/volatiledirectory). File lists need to be uploaded into OctoPwn and separated by newlines. - Control word: Use
allto scan all stored targets. - Single Group:
g:<groupname>(e.g.,g:test1). - Multiple Groups:
g:<groupname1>,g:<groupname2>(e.g.,g:test1,g:test2). - Port Group:
p:<port>(e.g.,p:445). - Port Group with Protocol:
p:<port>/<protocol>(e.g.,p:445/tcp).
Advanced Parameters
authtype
Specifies the authentication protocol.
Available protocols:
NTLMKerberos
dialect
Specifies the SMB connection dialect. Fixed to SMB2 for this scanner.
krbetypes
Specifies the Kerberos encryption types to use during the scan.
Provide a comma-separated list of encryption types (e.g., 23,17,18).
krbrealm
Specifies the Kerberos realm to use.
maxruntime
Specifies the maximum runtime per host (in seconds). Set to -1 to disable. Note: parsing every record on a busy server can be slow — bump this if scans get cancelled prematurely.
proxy
Specifies the proxy ID to use for the scan.
Enter the ID of the proxy to route the scan through. Proxies must be configured in the Proxy Window.
resultsfile
Specifies a file for saving the scan results.
The file will be saved in OctoPwn’s /browserefs/volatile directory.
showerrors
Determines whether errors encountered during the scan should be displayed.
timeout
Sets the timeout (in seconds) for each connection attempt.
triggerports
Ports which trigger an automated event6secrets scan when discovered by other scanners. Pre-populated with 445/TCP.
workercount
Specifies the number of parallel workers for the scan.
wsnetreuse
Internal parameter. Do not modify.