Learn Active Directory Pentesting for RedTea…

What's inside

Learning objectives

Learn the theory behind the attacks
Lab setup for ad pentesting
Unofficial prep for exams like oscp, pnpt, cpts, crtp, crto
Local enumeration
Local privilege escalation
Domain privilege escalation
Lateral movement
Domain enumeration
Post exploitation
Persistence techniques

Bloodhound
Powerview
Rubeus
Impacket tools
Mimikatz
File transfer techniques
Metasploit
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Learn the theory behind the attacks
Lab setup for ad pentesting
Unofficial prep for exams like oscp, pnpt, cpts, crtp, crto
Local enumeration
Local privilege escalation
Domain privilege escalation
Lateral movement
Domain enumeration
Post exploitation
Persistence techniques
Bloodhound
Powerview
Rubeus
Impacket tools
Mimikatz
File transfer techniques
Metasploit
Show more
Show less

Syllabus

Introduction

How to use this Course ?

Understanding Active Directory

What is Active Directory ?

Which of the initial attack vector we can do in OUTLOOK/GMAIL ?

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Covers persistence and lateral movement techniques, which are essential for simulating real-world attacks and understanding attacker behavior

Provides a lab setup for Active Directory pentesting, allowing learners to practice techniques in a safe and controlled environment

Explores Kerberos attacks like delegation, silver ticket, golden ticket, and diamond ticket, which are critical for advanced Active Directory exploitation

Offers unofficial preparation for exams like OSCP, PNPT, CPTS, CRTP, and CRTO, which can help learners validate their skills and knowledge

Requires installing VMWare Workstation, Kali Machine, DC - Domain Controller, and MS01 & MS02 - Client Machine, which may require specific hardware and software configurations

Focuses on tools like PowerView, Rubeus, Impacket, and Mimikatz, which may require learners to understand the legal and ethical implications of their use

Reviews summary

Active directory pentesting fundamentals

According to learners, this course provides a largely positive foundation in Active Directory pentesting and Red Teaming techniques. Many highlight the practical, hands-on nature of the content and labs as particularly valuable. Students appreciate the detailed coverage of specific attack methods and tools like Kerberos attacks, PowerView, and Impacket. While the course is advertised as beginner-friendly, some students noted challenges with the initial lab setup, suggesting some prior technical familiarity is helpful. The course is frequently mentioned as useful preparation for certifications like OSCP and PNPT, covering relevant topics and techniques. Overall, it's seen as a solid starting point for those new to the field or looking to deepen their AD security knowledge.

Theory behind attacks is explained well.

"The explanations of the theory behind the attacks were clear and insightful."

"I gained a solid understanding of why certain attacks work."

"The instructor does a good job explaining concepts like Kerberos authentication."

"Theory sections were necessary and well-presented before the practical parts."

Detailed coverage of key pentesting tools.

"The course covered essential tools like PowerView, Impacket, and BloodHound very well."

"I appreciated the depth given to tools used in AD environments."

"Learned how to effectively use various tools for enumeration and lateral movement."

"Good explanations on Mimikatz and Rubeus usage."

Provides a solid introduction for newcomers.

"This course is excellent for someone new to AD pentesting."

"As a beginner, I found the explanations clear and easy to follow."

"It's a great starting point to learn Red Teaming fundamentals in an AD environment."

"The course breaks down complex topics well for beginners."

Content is relevant for pentesting exams.

"This course is great for preparing for exams like OSCP or PNPT."

"It covers many techniques needed for penetration testing certifications."

"I felt the material was highly relevant to what's tested in real-world scenarios and exams."

"Helped me understand AD attacks for my certification studies."

Practical labs and demos are highly valued.

"The hands-on labs are the strongest part of the course, allowing me to practice techniques."

"I really liked the practical demonstrations and the step-by-step approach in the labs."

"The labs helped solidify my understanding of the attacks described."

"Very practical course with useful lab exercises to follow along."

Covers fundamentals, but is explicitly Part 1.

"Remember this is just Part 1, so it doesn't cover everything."

"It gives a strong foundation but leaves you wanting more advanced topics."

"Good introduction, looking forward to Part 2 for more advanced techniques."

"The course title makes it clear it's the first part, which is accurate."

Initial environment setup can be tricky for some.

"Setting up the lab environment was more difficult than expected."

"I struggled a bit with getting all the VMs configured correctly."

"Some initial issues with the lab setup took time to troubleshoot."

"Make sure you have some VM experience before starting the setup."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Learn Active Directory Pentesting for RedTeaming - Part 1 with these activities:

Review Active Directory Basics

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Solidify your understanding of Active Directory fundamentals to better grasp the pentesting concepts covered in the course.

Browse courses on Active Directory

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Review the concepts of domains and forests.
Understand users, groups, and organizational units.
Familiarize yourself with Group Policy Objects (GPOs).

Practice Nmap Scanning

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Sharpen your Nmap skills to effectively enumerate targets and identify potential vulnerabilities in the Active Directory environment.

Browse courses on Nmap

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Practice basic Nmap scans on a lab environment.
Experiment with different Nmap options and flags.
Analyze Nmap output to identify open ports and services.

Read 'Active Directory' by Brian Desmond

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Gain a deeper understanding of Active Directory architecture and administration to better identify vulnerabilities during pentesting.

View Active Directory: Designing, Deploying, and... on Amazon

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Read the chapters on Active Directory architecture.
Study the sections on user and group management.
Review the information on Group Policy Objects.

Five other activities

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Practice Kerberos Attacks with Peers

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Collaborate with peers to practice Kerberos attacks like AS-REP roasting and Kerberoasting, reinforcing your understanding through hands-on experience.

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Set up a shared lab environment.
Practice AS-REP roasting and Kerberoasting attacks.
Discuss challenges and solutions with your peers.

Build a Pentesting Lab

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Create a virtualized Active Directory environment to practice pentesting techniques in a safe and controlled setting.

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Install and configure a Windows Server domain controller.
Create users, groups, and organizational units.
Configure Group Policy Objects (GPOs).
Install client machines and join them to the domain.

Document Lateral Movement Techniques

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Create a detailed guide on lateral movement techniques in Active Directory, solidifying your understanding and providing a valuable resource for others.

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Research different lateral movement techniques.
Document each technique with clear explanations and examples.
Include screenshots and code snippets where appropriate.
Organize the guide in a logical and easy-to-follow manner.

Read 'Penetration Testing with Kali Linux' by Offensive Security

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Enhance your pentesting skills with a comprehensive guide covering various tools and techniques applicable to Active Directory environments.

View Melania on Amazon

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Review the chapters on information gathering and vulnerability scanning.
Study the sections on exploitation and post-exploitation.
Practice the exercises in a lab environment.

Contribute to BloodHound Documentation

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Improve your understanding of BloodHound by contributing to its documentation, helping others learn and use this powerful tool for Active Directory reconnaissance.

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Identify areas in the BloodHound documentation that need improvement.
Write clear and concise explanations of BloodHound features.
Submit your contributions to the BloodHound project.

Career center

Learners who complete Learn Active Directory Pentesting for RedTeaming - Part 1 will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Red Team Operator

Red team operators emulate real-world adversaries to test an organization's security posture. This course helps develop a solid understanding of how to approach Windows machines from a red team perspective. By learning persistence and lateral movement techniques in depth, a red team operator enhances their ability to simulate sophisticated attacks. The course addresses the knowledge gap in Active Directory security, providing valuable walkthroughs and explanations, especially regarding AD enumeration, privilege escalation, and Kerberos attacks. The techniques taught in the course are those malicious hackers typically follow in the real world, making this course ideal for a red team operator.

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Penetration Tester

A penetration tester simulates cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities in systems. This course is highly relevant to a penetration tester as it covers Windows pentesting from basic to advanced techniques. The course's emphasis on enumeration, privilege escalation, persistence, and Kerberos attacks like delegation, silver ticket, and golden ticket attacks will greatly enhance the skills of a penetration tester. Furthermore, knowledge of tools such as BloodHound, PowerView, Rubeus, Impacket Tools, and Mimikatz is very useful for penetration testing. The real-world attack simulations provide hands-on experience, crucial for success as a penetration tester.

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Vulnerability Analyst

A vulnerability analyst identifies and assesses security weaknesses in systems and applications. This course is directly applicable to the work of a vulnerability analyst, particularly in the context of Windows environments. The in-depth coverage of Active Directory enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques provides a comprehensive understanding of common attack vectors. A vulnerability analyst with knowledge of tools like BloodHound, PowerView, and Mimikatz, as covered in the course, enhances their ability to identify and assess vulnerabilities effectively. The real-world attack simulations offer practical experience in finding and exploiting weaknesses.

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Security Architect

A security architect designs and implements secure IT infrastructure for an organization. This course can help a security architect understand the attack landscape related to Windows environments and Active Directory. By learning about enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques, the security architect can design more robust and secure systems. The course sheds light on tools like BloodHound and Mimikatz, enabling the security architect to implement effective security measures against various attack vectors. The practical experience of simulating real-world attacks prepares them to proactively protect the organization's infrastructure.

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Security Engineer

A security engineer designs, implements, and manages security systems to protect an organization's infrastructure. This course can help a security engineer understand how to defend against attacks targeting Windows environments and Active Directory. Learning about enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques helps a security engineer design more robust security measures. Understanding tools like BloodHound and Mimikatz, as covered in this course, allows the security engineer to implement effective defenses against common attack vectors. The practical experience gained from simulating real-world attacks enhances the security engineer's ability to proactively protect systems.

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Cybersecurity Analyst

A cybersecurity analyst monitors and analyzes security events to protect an organization's digital assets. The knowledge gained from this course may aid a cybersecurity analyst in understanding attack vectors and vulnerabilities within Windows environments. The course's focus on Active Directory enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques offers insight into how attackers operate. Familiarity with tools like BloodHound, PowerView, and Mimikatz, covered in the course, may prove beneficial for a cybersecurity analyst when investigating security incidents and understanding potential threats. The course provides an unofficial prep for relevant cybersecurity exams.

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Network Security Engineer

A network security engineer secures an organization's network infrastructure. This course may help a network security engineer understand attack vectors targeting Windows-based networks and Active Directory. The course's coverage of Active Directory enumeration, lateral movement techniques, and Kerberos attacks gives insight into how attackers can compromise network security. Experience with tools like PowerView and Rubeus, may enable a network security engineer to implement stronger network security controls and detect malicious activity more effectively.

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Digital Forensics Analyst

A digital forensics analyst investigates security incidents and data breaches to determine the scope of the attack and identify the perpetrators. This course may improve a digital forensics analyst's understanding of attack methodologies used in Windows environments and Active Directory. The course's focus on enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques provides insights into how attackers gain access and maintain their presence within a system. The knowledge of tools like Mimikatz could be valuable for extracting and analyzing forensic evidence. The course provides an unofficial prep for forensics-adjacent cybersecurity exams.

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Security Consultant

A security consultant advises organizations on how to improve their cybersecurity posture. This course assists a security consultant in giving expert advice related to Windows security and Active Directory. The course teaches attacking Active Directory, enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques. This may allow the consultant to better assess vulnerabilities and recommend appropriate security controls. The course simulates real-world attacks allowing the security consultant to provide informed and relevant advice to clients.

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Cloud Security Engineer

A cloud security engineer protects cloud-based systems and data. This course may aid a cloud security engineer to understand potential vulnerabilities in cloud environments that integrate with Windows and Active Directory. The course's coverage of enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques may improve the engineer's ability to design secure cloud architectures and implement appropriate security controls. The techniques learned in the class may be useful when architecting defenses in cloud settings. Knowledge of tools like BloodHound and PowerView informs security decisions.

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Security Operations Center Analyst

A security operations center analyst monitors security systems and responds to alerts. This course may help a security operations center analyst recognize and respond to attacks targeting Windows environments and Active Directory. Understanding enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques aids the analyst in identifying suspicious activity. The course's coverage of tools such as PowerView and Rubeus may help the analyst improve their ability to detect and investigate security incidents. The knowledge gained can contribute to more effective monitoring and response within a security operations center.

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Information Security Consultant

An information security consultant advises organizations on how to improve their security posture. This course may assist an information security consultant in providing expertise related to Windows security and Active Directory. The course content on attacking Active Directory, enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques can help the consultant assess vulnerabilities and recommend appropriate security controls. The course's practical approach, simulating real-world attacks, allows the information security consultant to provide informed and relevant advice to clients. A consultant may find tools covered in the course useful.

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Incident Responder

An incident responder analyzes and contains security incidents to minimize damage. This course assists an incident responder in understanding attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures within Windows environments. Comprehending Active Directory enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques is crucial for identifying the scope and impact of an incident. The hands-on experience with tools like Mimikatz and PowerView improves an incident responder's ability to analyze compromised systems and contain the spread of an attack. Overall, this course may benefit an incident responder's comprehension of the attacks.

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IT Auditor

An IT auditor evaluates an organization's IT systems and processes to ensure they are secure and compliant with regulations. The concepts taught in this course may provide an IT auditor with valuable insights into potential security weaknesses within Windows environments and Active Directory. Understanding attack vectors, enumeration techniques, and privilege escalation methods allows the IT auditor to identify vulnerabilities and assess the effectiveness of existing security controls. The course offers practical knowledge that complements the IT auditor's understanding of security best practices and compliance requirements.

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Application Security Engineer

An application security engineer focuses on securing applications throughout their lifecycle. While the course focuses on Active Directory pentesting, the underlying security principles may be useful to an application security engineer. The course teaches enumeration, privilege escalation, and persistence techniques. The course's discussion of tools such as Mimikatz and Impacket Tools may be transferable to the application security field.

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Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Learn Active Directory Pentesting for RedTeaming - Part 1.

Active Directory

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Provides a comprehensive overview of Active Directory, covering its architecture, design, and management. It useful reference for understanding the underlying concepts and technologies used in Active Directory pentesting. While not directly focused on pentesting, it provides valuable background knowledge for understanding how Active Directory works, which is essential for identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities. This book is commonly used as a reference by IT professionals.

Active Directory: Designing, Deploying, and Running...

Paperback

Active Directory: Designing, Deploying, and Running...

Kindle Edition