Navigating the Active Directory Maze: Unveiling Hacking Strategies
Active Directory from enumeration to domain admin: Kerberos, NTLM, credential theft and lateral movement with PowerShell, Mimikatz and BloodHound.
- Chapters
- 15 chapters
- Total reading time
- 3 h of reading
- Written
- 2023–2024
0 of 15 read
Chapters, in order
- 1 Initiating the Active Directory Odyssey: Unveiling Key Concepts and Building the Foundations Introduction to the series Embark on a journey through the first post of this blog, where we unravel the intricacies of Active Directory. This topic, a personal favorite and a recurrent element in offensive security projects, takes center stage in our exploration. A year ago, I initiated the Igri...
- 2 Unveiling the Secrets of Domain Controllers: A Journey into Active Directory Security Introduction In this journey through Active Directory security, we immerse ourselves in the pivotal role of Domain Controllers (DC). Positioned as central servers housing Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), DCs play a fundamental role in maintaining the New Technologies Directory Services (...
- 3 Mastering Windows Remote Secrets: Techniques and Tools for Unveiling Hidden Realms Explore Windows machines in Active Directory: From LDAP insights to SMB mastery, remote access tools like PsExec, Python's pypsexec, and WinRM empower seamless control and discovery within the Windows domain landscape
- 4 Windows Authentication Deep Dive: Unveiling Protocols, Credential Storage, and Extraction Techniques This chapter explores Windows authentication, SSO, and credential extraction. It covers protocols like Kerberos, NTLM, and Mimikatz for retrieving credentials. LSA and SAM play vital roles, and PowerShell history can reveal digital footprints. LaZagne is a tool for credential recovery.
- 5 User-Centric Pentesting: Unveiling Secrets with PowerView and PowerSploit Explore Active Directory in-depth: Learn to identify key user accounts, decrypt secrets with NT/LM hashes and Kerberos keys, understand computer accounts, and strategically manage user groups for effective penetration testing.
- 6 Mastering NTLM: Exploring Authentication, Vulnerabilities, and Exploits In this guide on NTLM, Microsoft's authentication protocol, we explore its three-step process and delve into various attacks like 'Pass the Hash' and NTLM Relay. Techniques like reconnaissance, credential validation, and hash retrieval are examined, highlighting NTLM's role in network security.
- 7 Decoding Kerberos: Understanding the Authentication Process and Main Attacks Explore Kerberos' mechanics and key attacks in a lab setting. Learn authentication steps, and master techniques like Kerberoast and Golden Ticket for practical cybersecurity skills
- 8 Mastering Active Directory Pivoting: Advanced Techniques and Tools In this chapter, we explore advanced network pivoting techniques, using tools like Chisel and SSH in a lab setup. We focus on local and remote port forwarding and dynamic port forwarding for practical cybersecurity skills development.
- 9 Active Directory Enumeration: Automated and Manual Techniques for Privilege Escalation Explore Active Directory enumeration and privilege escalation techniques, using tools like BloodHound for automatic insights and PowerView for stealthy, manual analysis in complex network environments
- 10 DLL Hijacking: Understanding, Detecting, and Exploiting Privilege Escalation on Windows In this guide, we explore DLL hijacking for privilege escalation in Windows. It covers detecting vulnerabilities using Winpeas, creating a malicious DLL, and overcoming User Account Control (UAC) obstacles, demonstrating real-world implications.
- 11 Path to Power: Unleashing Windows Privileges through Unquoted Service Paths Explore Unquoted Service Path, a Windows privilege escalation vulnerability. Learn to set up labs, use detection tools, and execute attacks for hands-on understanding and defense.
- 12 Time to Rise: Privilege Escalation Chronicles – Unveiling Windows Scheduled Task Exploits Explore how misconfigured Windows scheduled tasks can lead to privilege escalation. Learn to set up a lab, identify vulnerabilities, and execute an attack for comprehensive understanding.
- 13 Navigating SeImpersonatePrivilege and Unleashing Remote Code Execution Explore the intrigue of Windows privilege escalation in Chapter 13 of #ActiveDirectory Chronicles. Join SeImpersonatePrivilege and JuicyPotato on a journey of ethical hacking, hands-on labs, and real-world exploits in the dynamic realm of cybersecurity.
- 14 Three Keys to the Kingdom: Uncovering the Roles of Account Operators, Backup Operators, and Event Log Readers in Offensive Security Discover the roles of Account Operators, Backup Operators, and Event Log Readers in Active Directory security. Learn about their privileges, vulnerabilities, and ethical ways to manage and mitigate risks in our comprehensive series.
- 15 Active Directory Pentesting Methodology: Crafting Strategies for Success In this series, we delved into Active Directory fundamentals, covering essential concepts, advanced reconnaissance, privilege escalation, lateral movement, and domain dominance. We explored techniques like Pass the Hash, Pass the Ticket, and Golden Ticket for comprehensive network penetration.