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 explored Windows kernel attacks. First, we reviewed the theory behind how the kernel works and what attackers try to leverage to pull off these attacks. Included in this theoretical discussion was a review of the low-level management role of the kernel and the security implications of these tasks, including scheduling interrupts. We picked a vulnerability type, the NULL or invalid pointer dereference vulnerability, and studied it in detail to understand how exploiting the kernel in this way gives the attacker full control of the system. We started with a review of pointers in C code and then examined the compiled assembly instructions to understand how the processor deals with the pointer concept. This review prepared us to understand what NULL pointers are and how they can cause problems in software. We then introduced a specific kernel-mode driver, Win32k.sys, and did a low-level review of its pointer flaw. We wrapped up this discussion with a review of the...