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

Chapter 15. Escalating Privileges

When we consider the penetration of any system—whether it's a computer system or physical access to a building, for example—no one is really the king of the castle when the initial compromise takes place. That's what makes real-world attacks so insidious and hard to detect; the attackers work their way up from such an insignificant position, no one sees them coming. Take the physical infiltration of a secure building, for example. After months of research, I'm finally able to swipe the janitor's key and copy it without him knowing. Now I can get into a janitor's closet at the periphery of the building. Do I own the building? No. Do I have a foothold that will likely allow me a perspective that wasn't possible before? Absolutely. Maybe there are pipes and wires passing through the closet. Maybe the closet is adjacent to a secure room.

The principle of privilege escalation involves leveraging what's available in our low-privilege position to increase our permissions...