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

Summary


In this chapter, we covered the fundamental theory behind Windows passwords and their hashed representations. We looked at both raw hashes as they're stored in the SAM and encrypted network hashes. We then reviewed the fundamental design flaws that make Windows hashes such a lucrative target for the pen tester. The Metasploit Framework was introduced for the first time to demonstrate auxiliary modules; we used the SMB listener module to capture authentication attempts from misled Windows targets on the network. We then demonstrated a type of link-local name service spoofing that can trick a target into authenticating against our machine as well. With the captured credentials from our demonstration, we moved on to practical password cracking with John the Ripper. We covered the two primary methodologies of password cracking with John and demonstrated ways to fine-tune the attack depending on human factors.  

In the next chapter, we will move on to more sophisticated network attacks...