CSbyGB - Pentips
Buy me a tea
  • CS By GB - PenTips
    • Welcome to CSbyGB's Pentips
  • Networking, Protocols and Network pentest
    • Basics
    • DNS
    • FTP
    • HTTP & HTTPS
    • IMAP
    • IPMI
    • MSSQL
    • MYSQL
    • NFS
    • Oracle TNS
    • POP3
    • RDP
    • RPC
    • Rservices
    • Rsync
    • SMB
    • SMTP
    • SNMP
    • SSH
    • VOIP and related protocols
    • Winrm
    • WMI
    • Useful tips when you find unknown ports
  • Ethical Hacking - General Methodology
    • Introduction
    • Information Gathering
    • Scanning & Enumeration
    • Exploitation (basics)
    • Password Attacks
    • Post Exploitation
    • Lateral Movement
    • Proof-of-Concept
    • Post-Engagement
    • MITRE ATT&CK
  • External Pentest
    • External Pentest
  • Web Pentesting
    • Introduction to HTTP and web
    • Enumeration
    • OWASP Top 10
    • General Methodo & Misc Tips
    • Web Services and API
    • Vunerabilities and attacks
      • Clickjacking
      • CORS (Misconfigurations)
      • CSRF
      • SSRF
      • Bypass captcha
      • Template Injection (client and server side)
      • MFA bypass
      • XXE
    • Exposed git folder
    • Docker exploitation and Docker vulnerabilities
    • Websockets
  • Mobile App Pentest
    • Android
    • IOS
  • Wireless Pentest
    • Wireless pentest
  • Cloud Pentest
    • Cloud Pentest
    • Google Cloud Platform
    • AWS
  • Thick Client Pentest
    • Thick Client
  • Hardware Pentest
    • ATM
    • IoT
  • Secure Code Review
    • Secure code review
    • Java notes for Secure Code Review
  • AI & AI Pentest
    • MITRE ATLAS
    • OWASP ML and LLM
    • Hugging face
    • AI Python
    • Gemini
    • Ollama
  • Checklist
    • Web Application and API Pentest Checklist
    • Linux Privesc Checklist
    • Mobile App Pentest Checklist
  • Tools
    • Burpsuite
    • Android Studio
    • Frida
    • CrackMapExec
    • Netcat and alternatives
    • Nmap
    • Nuclei
    • Evil Winrm
    • Metasploit
    • Covenant
    • Mimikatz
    • Passwords, Hashes and wordlist tools
    • WFuzz
    • WPScan
    • Powershell Empire
    • Curl
    • Vulnerability Scanning tools
    • Payload Tools
    • Out of band Servers
    • STEWS
    • Webcrawlers
    • Websocat
  • VM and Labs
    • General tips
    • Setup your pentest lab
  • Linux
    • Initial Foothold
    • Useful commands and tools for pentest on Linux
    • Privilege Escalation
      • Kernel Exploits
      • Password and file permission
      • Sudo
      • SUID
      • Capabilities
      • Scheduled tasks
      • NFS Root Squashing
      • Services
      • PATH Abuse
      • Wildcard Abuse
      • Privileged groups
      • Exploit codes Cheat Sheet
  • Windows
    • Offensive windows
    • Enumeration and general Win tips
    • Privilege Escalation
    • Active Directory
    • Attacking Active Directory
      • LLMNR Poisoning
      • SMB Relay Attacks
      • Shell Access
      • IPv6 Attacks
      • Passback Attacks
      • Abusing ZeroLogon
    • Post-Compromise Enumeration
      • Powerview or SharpView (.NET equivalent)
      • AD Manual Enumeration
      • Bloodhound
      • Post Compromise Enumeration - Resources
    • Post Compromise Attacks
      • Pass the Password / Hash
      • Token Impersonation - Potato attacks
      • Kerberos
      • GPP/cPassword Attacks
      • URL File Attack
      • PrintNightmare
      • Printer Bug
      • AutoLogon exploitation
      • Always Installed Elevated exploitation
      • UAC Bypass
      • Abusing ACL
      • Unconstrained Delegation
    • Persistence
    • AV Evasion
    • Weaponization
    • Useful commands in Powershell, CMD and Sysinternals
    • Windows Internals
  • Programming
    • Python programming
    • My scripts
    • Kotlin
  • Binary Exploitation
    • Assembly
    • Buffer Overflow - Stack based - Winx86
    • Buffer Overflow - Stack based - Linux x86
  • OSINT
    • OSINT
    • Create an OSINT lab
    • Sock Puppets
    • Search engines
    • OSINT Images
    • OSINT Email
    • OSINT Password
    • OSINT Usernames
    • OSINT People
    • OSINT Social Media
    • OSINT Websites
    • OSINT Business
    • OSINT Wireless
    • OSINT Tools
    • Write an OSINT report
  • Pentester hardware toolbox
    • Flipper Zero
    • OMG cables
    • Rubber ducky
  • Post Exploitation
    • File transfers between target and attacking machine
    • Maintaining Access
    • Pivoting
    • Cleaning up
  • Reporting
    • How to report your findings
  • Red Team
    • Red Team
    • Defenses Enumeration
    • AV Evasion
  • Writeups
    • Hackthebox Tracks
      • Hackthebox - Introduction to Android Exploitation - Track
    • Hackthebox Writeups
      • Hackthebox - Academy
      • Hackthebox - Access
      • Hackthebox - Active
      • Hackthebox - Ambassador
      • Hackthebox - Arctic
      • Hackthebox - Awkward
      • Hackthebox - Backend
      • Hackthebox - BackendTwo
      • Hackthebox - Bastard
      • Hackthebox - Bastion
      • Hackthebox - Chatterbox
      • Hackthebox - Devel
      • Hackthebox - Driver
      • Hackthebox - Explore
      • Hackthebox - Forest
      • Hackthebox - Good games
      • Hackthebox - Grandpa
      • Hackthebox - Granny
      • Hackthebox - Inject
      • Hackthebox - Jeeves
      • Hackthebox - Jerry
      • Hackthebox - Lame
      • Hackthebox - Late
      • Hackthebox - Love
      • Hackthebox - Mentor
      • Hackthebox - MetaTwo
      • Hackthebox - Monteverde
      • Hackthebox - Nibbles
      • Hackthebox - Optimum
      • Hackthebox - Paper
      • Hackthebox - Photobomb
      • Hackthebox - Poison
      • Hackthebox - Precious
      • Hackthebox - Querier
      • Hackthebox - Resolute
      • Hackthebox - RouterSpace
      • Hackthebox - Sauna
      • Hackthebox - SecNotes
      • Hackthebox - Shoppy
      • Hackthebox - Soccer
      • Hackthebox - Steamcloud
      • Hackthebox - Toolbox
      • Hackthebox - Vault
      • Hackthebox - Updown
    • TryHackme Writeups
      • TryHackMe - Anonymous
      • TryHackMe - Blaster
      • TryHackMe - CMesS
      • TryHackMe - ConvertMyVideo
      • TryHackMe - Corridor
      • TryHackMe - LazyAdmin
      • TryHackMe - Looking Glass
      • TryHackMe - Nahamstore
      • TryHackMe - Overpass3
      • TryHackMe - OWASP Top 10 2021
      • TryHackMe - SimpleCTF
      • TryHackMe - SQL Injection Lab
      • TryHackMe - Sudo Security Bypass
      • TryHackMe - Tomghost
      • TryHackMe - Ultratech
      • TryHackMe - Vulnversity
      • TryHackMe - Wonderland
    • Vulnmachines Writeups
      • Web Labs Basic
      • Web Labs Intermediate
      • Cloud Labs
    • Mobile Hacking Lab
      • Mobile Hacking Lab - Lab - Config Editor
      • Mobile Hacking Lab - Lab - Strings
    • Portswigger Web Security Academy Writeups
      • PS - DomXSS
      • PS - Exploiting vulnerabilities in LLM APIs
    • OWASP projects and challenges writeups
      • OWASP MAS Crackmes
    • Vulnerable APIs
      • Vampi
      • Damn Vulnerable Web Service
      • Damn Vulnerable RESTaurant
    • Various Platforms
      • flAWS 1&2
  • Digital skills
    • How to make a gitbook
    • Marp
    • Linux Tips
    • Docker
    • VSCodium
    • Git Tips
    • Obsidian
  • Durable skills
    • Durable skills wheel/Roue des compétences durables
  • Projects
    • Projects
      • Technical Projects
      • General Projects
  • Talks
    • My Talks about Web Pentest
    • My talks about Android Application hacking
    • Other of my talks and Podcast
  • Resources
    • A list of random resources
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • Possible paths after this step
  • Resources
  1. Ethical Hacking - General Methodology

Post Exploitation

PreviousPassword AttacksNextLateral Movement

Last updated 2 years ago

In most cases, when we exploit certain services for our purposes to gain access to the system, we usually do not obtain the highest possible privileges. Because services are typically configured in a certain way "isolated" to stop potential attackers, bypassing these restrictions is the next step we take in this stage. However, it is not always easy to escalate the privileges. After gaining in-depth knowledge about how these operating systems function, we must adapt our techniques to the particular operating system and carefully study how Linux Privilege Escalation and Windows Privilege Escalation work.

At this stage of the penetration test, we already have access to the exploited machine and ensure that we still have access to it even if modifications and changes are made. During this phase, we may try to escalate our privileges to obtain the highest possible rights and hunt for sensitive data such as credentials or other data that the client is concerned with protecting (pillaging). Sometimes we perform post-exploitation to demonstrate to a client the impact of our access. Other times we perform post-exploitation as an input to the lateral movement process described next.

Source HTB Academy

Possible paths after this step

Path
Description

Information Gathering / Pillaging

Before we can begin escalating privileges, we must first get an overview of the inner workings of the exploited system. After all, we do not know which users are on the system and what options are available to us up to this point. This step is also known as Pillaging. This path is not optional, as with the others, but essential. Again, entering the Information Gathering stage puts us in this perspective. This inevitably takes us to the vulnerability assessment stage, where we analyze and evaluate the information we find.

Exploitation

Suppose we have found sensitive information about the system and its' contents. In that case, we can use it to exploit local applications or services with higher privileges to execute commands with those privileges.

Lateral Movement

From here, we can also skip directly over to Lateral Movement. This can come under different conditions. If we have achieved the highest privileges on a dual-homed system used to connect two networks, we can likely use this host to start enumerating hosts that were not previously available to us.

Proof-of-Concept

We can take the last path after gaining the highest privileges by exploiting an internal system. Of course, we do not necessarily have to have taken over all systems. However, if we have gained the Domain Admin privileges in an Active Directory environment, we can likely move freely across the entire network and perform any actions we can imagine. So we can create the Proof-of-Concept from our notes to detail and potentially automate the paths and activities and make them available to the technical department.

Source HTB Academy

Resources

HTB Academy : Cyber Security Training
Hackthebox Academy Penetration Tester Job Path
Logo