Book Image

Windows and Linux Penetration Testing from Scratch - Second Edition

By : Phil Bramwell
Book Image

Windows and Linux Penetration Testing from Scratch - Second Edition

By: Phil Bramwell

Overview of this book

Let’s be honest—security testing can get repetitive. If you’re ready to break out of the routine and embrace the art of penetration testing, this book will help you to distinguish yourself to your clients. This pen testing book is your guide to learning advanced techniques to attack Windows and Linux environments from the indispensable platform, Kali Linux. You'll work through core network hacking concepts and advanced exploitation techniques that leverage both technical and human factors to maximize success. You’ll also explore how to leverage public resources to learn more about your target, discover potential targets, analyze them, and gain a foothold using a variety of exploitation techniques while dodging defenses like antivirus and firewalls. The book focuses on leveraging target resources, such as PowerShell, to execute powerful and difficult-to-detect attacks. Along the way, you’ll enjoy reading about how these methods work so that you walk away with the necessary knowledge to explain your findings to clients from all backgrounds. Wrapping up with post-exploitation strategies, you’ll be able to go deeper and keep your access. By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed in identifying vulnerabilities within your clients’ environments and providing the necessary insight for proper remediation.
Table of Contents (23 chapters)
1
Part 1: Recon and Exploitation
9
Part 2: Vulnerability Fundamentals
17
Part 3: Post-Exploitation

Let it rip – cracking Windows hashes

Password cracking was always one of my favorite parts of any assessment. It’s not just the thrill of watching tens of thousands of accounts succumb to the sheer power of even a modest PC – it is among the most useful things you can do for a client. Sure, you can conduct a pen test and hand over a really nice-looking report, but it’s the impact of the results that can mean the difference between bare-minimum compliance and an actual effort to effect some change in the organization. Nothing says “impact” quite like showing the executives of a bank their personal passwords.

There are some fundamentals we need to understand before we look at the tools. We need to understand what the hash cracking effort really is and apply some human psychology to our strategy. This is another aspect of password cracking that makes it so fun: the science and art of understanding how people think.

The two philosophies...