Book Image

Hands-On Penetration Testing on Windows

By : Phil Bramwell
Book Image

Hands-On Penetration Testing on Windows

By: Phil Bramwell

Overview of this book

Windows has always been the go-to platform for users around the globe to perform administration and ad hoc tasks, in settings that range from small offices to global enterprises, and this massive footprint makes securing Windows a unique challenge. This book will enable you to distinguish yourself to your clients. In this book, you'll learn advanced techniques to attack Windows environments from the indispensable toolkit that is Kali Linux. We'll work through core network hacking concepts and advanced Windows exploitation techniques, such as stack and heap overflows, precision heap spraying, and kernel exploitation, using coding principles that allow you to leverage powerful Python scripts and shellcode. We'll wrap up with post-exploitation strategies that enable you to go deeper and keep your access. Finally, we'll introduce kernel hacking fundamentals and fuzzing testing, so you can discover vulnerabilities and write custom exploits. By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed in identifying vulnerabilities within the Windows OS and developing the desired solutions for them.
Table of Contents (25 chapters)
Title Page
Dedication
Packt Upsell
Contributors
Preface
Index

Power to the shell – PowerShell fundamentals


PowerShell is a command-line and scripting language framework for task automation and configuration management. I didn't specify for Windows as, for a couple years now, PowerShell is cross-platform; however, it's a Microsoft product. These days it's built in to Windows, and despite its powerful potential for an attacker, it isn't going to be fully blocked. For the Windows pen tester of today, it's a comprehensive and powerful tool in your arsenal that just so happens to be installed on all of your victim PCs.

What is PowerShell?

PowerShell can be a little overwhelming to understand when you first meet it, but ultimately it's just a fancy interface. PowerShell interfaces with providers, which allow for access to functionality that isn't easily leveraged at the command line. In a way, they're like hardware drivers: code that provides a way for software and hardware to communicate. Providers allow us to communicate with functionality and components...