Network Exploitation

Active Directory (AD) serves as a foundational technology for managing domains, users, and network resources. It has a scalable structure consisting of domains, trees, and forests, where each domain contains objects, trees group these domains, and forests connect multiple trees. Key components include Directory, Object, Domain, Tree, Forest, and several services such as AD Domain Services (AD DS), Certificate Services, and Lightweight Directory Services which are essential for centralized management and communication. Understanding Kerberos authentication is vital for security professionals engaging with AD environments. Pentesting methodologies include network scanning, SMB enumeration, and LDAP enumeration primarily to discover vulnerabilities and extract credentials. Techniques like Kerberoasting and ASREPRoasting target user accounts for password cracking. Privilege escalation methods through Active Directory ACLs, Kerberos tickets, and persistence strategies are also critical for security assessments. Tools such as BloodHound, PowerView, and various command-line techniques assist in the enumeration and exploitation of AD environments. Best practices for securing AD include limiting Domain Admin logins and implementing protections against common attack vectors.

Source synthétisée — 6/4/2026