?? PowerShell Security Testing: Overview and Pentesting Details

PowerShell is a powerful scripting language and shell used in Windows environments. It offers deep access to the operating system, making it highly useful for penetration testers, but also a significant security risk if misused by attackers.

??? Key PowerShell Pentesting Tools

Here’s a breakdown of the tools you’ve listed along with their functionalities, use cases, and common questions that might arise.

?? 1. PowerSploit

? What is PowerSploit?

• PowerSploit is a post-exploitation framework written in PowerShell that contains a collection of modules for penetration testing.
• It is widely used by ethical hackers to perform reconnaissance, privilege escalation, persistence, and more.
• Source: PowerSploit GitHub

? PowerSploit Modules:

• Recon: Gathers information about the target (network and system reconnaissance).
• Exfiltration: Steals or exfiltrates data.
• Persistence: Creates backdoors or maintains access.
• Privesc (Privilege Escalation): Escalates privileges on the compromised system.
• Code Execution: Executes custom scripts on the victim machine.

? Pentesting Use Cases:

• Credential Harvesting: Use Invoke-Mimikatz to extract plaintext passwords from memory.
• Persistence: Use Invoke-BackdoorLNK to create malicious LNK files for persistent access.
• Exploitation: Invoke-Shellcode injects shellcode into the running process memory.

? Defensive Measures:

• Use PowerShell Script Block Logging to monitor suspicious activity.
• Implement AMSI (Antimalware Scan Interface) to detect malicious PowerShell scripts.

? Common Questions:

1. How is PowerSploit detected by AV? Many AVs detect PowerSploit due to its popularity in red teaming. Obfuscation techniques or AMSI bypasses are often used to evade detection.
2. Can PowerSploit be used on Linux? No, PowerSploit is designed for Windows environments only.

?? 2. PowerView

? What is PowerView?

• PowerView is a PowerShell tool used for Windows domain enumeration.
• It is part of PowerSploit but can also be used as a standalone tool.
• Source: PowerView GitHub

? PowerView Capabilities:

• Domain Enumeration: Lists domain users, groups, computers, and policies.
• Trust Mapping: Shows domain trust relationships.
• Privilege Escalation: Identifies misconfigurations for privesc opportunities.

? PowerView Commands:

Get-NetDomain           # Retrieves domain information
Get-NetUser             # Lists domain users
Get-NetGroupMember      # Enumerates members of a group
Get-NetSession          # Lists active sessions
Get-NetComputer         # Enumerates computers in the domain
        

? Pentesting Use Cases:

• Credential Theft: Find users with weak permissions or misconfigurations.
• Trust Exploitation: Identify cross-domain trusts that can be abused.
• User Hunting: Locate users logged into machines using Invoke-UserHunter.

? Defensive Measures:

• Monitor for PowerShell execution policy bypass attempts.
• Use host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to detect unusual PowerShell commands.

? Common Questions:

1. How does PowerView bypass PowerShell execution policies? PowerView can be executed in-memory, avoiding execution policy restrictions.
2. How to prevent PowerView enumeration? Implement Least Privilege Access and disable anonymous LDAP queries.

?? 3. Empire

? What is Empire?

• Empire is a post-exploitation framework for Windows and Linux environments.
• It uses PowerShell and Python agents to establish and maintain access.
• Empire supports multiple modules for persistence, privilege escalation, and exfiltration.
• Source: Empire GitHub

? Empire Capabilities:

• Agent Management: Deploys agents to compromised machines.
• Post-Exploitation: Executes PowerShell scripts on compromised systems.
• Credential Dumping: Extracts credentials using Mimikatz.
• C2 Communication: Communicates over HTTP, HTTPS, or SMB.

? Empire Commands:

listeners               # Display available listeners
uselistener http        # Create an HTTP listener
interact <AgentName>    # Interact with an agent
usemodule privesc/bypassuac_eventvwr  # Bypass UAC
        

? Pentesting Use Cases:

• C2 Channel: Establish a command and control (C2) channel to control compromised systems.
• Credential Dumping: Steal plaintext credentials.
• Privilege Escalation: Bypass UAC and escalate privileges.

? Defensive Measures:

• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect C2 communication.
• Monitor PowerShell event logs for suspicious activity.

? Common Questions:

1. How does Empire establish persistence? Through scheduled tasks, registry modifications, or WMI events.
2. How to detect Empire agents? Monitor for unusual network traffic and PowerShell script execution.

??? 4. PowerUpSQL

? What is PowerUpSQL?

• PowerUpSQL is a collection of PowerShell scripts to target SQL databases.
• It is used for SQL enumeration, privilege escalation, and exploitation.
• Source: PowerUpSQL GitHub

? PowerUpSQL Capabilities:

• Enumeration: Identifies SQL servers and their configurations.
• Brute-Force: Attempts to brute-force SQL login credentials.
• Exploitation: Executes SQL commands to extract or modify data.
• Privilege Escalation: Leverages misconfigurations to escalate privileges.

? PowerUpSQL Commands:

Get-SQLInstanceDomain           # List SQL instances in the domain
Get-SQLServerLinkCrawl          # Crawls linked SQL servers
Invoke-SQLOSCmd                 # Executes OS commands via SQL
        

? Pentesting Use Cases:

• SQL Server Enumeration: Identify vulnerable SQL instances.
• Data Extraction: Retrieve sensitive information from databases.
• Lateral Movement: Move laterally by exploiting linked SQL servers.

? Defensive Measures:

• Limit SQL service account privileges.
• Enable SQL Server auditing to detect suspicious activity.

? Common Questions:

1. Can PowerUpSQL be used remotely? Yes, it can target remote SQL servers.
2. How to protect against PowerUpSQL attacks? Use strong authentication and disable unused SQL features.

?? 5. ADSearch

? What is ADSearch?

• ADSearch is a PowerShell-based LDAP enumeration tool used to query Active Directory.
• It extracts detailed information about users, groups, and machines.
• Source: No official GitHub, but similar tools exist (e.g., BloodHound uses LDAP queries).

? ADSearch Capabilities:

• LDAP Queries: Retrieves detailed Active Directory information.
• User Enumeration: Lists all AD users, their groups, and permissions.
• Group Enumeration: Shows all groups and their memberships.

? Pentesting Use Cases:

• User Hunting: Identify privileged AD users.
• Domain Enumeration: Map out the entire AD structure.
• Lateral Movement: Identify paths for privilege escalation.

? Defensive Measures:

• Monitor LDAP queries for unusual patterns.
• Use AD access controls to prevent enumeration.

? Common Questions:

1. What makes LDAP enumeration dangerous? It reveals sensitive AD details, such as group memberships and privileges.
2. How to prevent LDAP enumeration? Restrict LDAP query access to privileged accounts only.