Chapter 2
Obtaining Password Hashes for Cracking
Windows Server active Directory has several ways in which it can authenticate users. These authentication protocols include NTLM and Kerberos. Let’s begin by talking about both briefly.
Simplified View of Windows NTLM and Kerberos Security
NTLM (NT LAN Manager) protocol plays a pivotal role in authentication processes within Windows environments, acting as a key mechanism to verify the identity of users and systems. As a legacy protocol, NTLM has been a stalwart component since the early versions of Windows, although its prominence has diminished with the advent of more advanced authentication protocols, like Kerberos.
Unlike Kerberos, NTLM primarily functions through a challenge-response mechanism. When a user attempts to access a resource, the server generates a random challenge that is sent to the client. The client then encrypts this challenge using the user's credentials and sends the encrypted response back to the server...