Network Technique

Network technique

Goal: move from network signal to validated finding quickly, with reproducible triage and clear pivot logic.

When this technique applies

• Need to triage suspected network intrusion or anomalous traffic.
• Need to map exposed services before deeper testing.
• Need protocol-level reconstruction from PCAP or sensor logs.
• Need cross-source correlation (scan + metadata logs + packets).
• Need scenario-based tool selection instead of one-tool-for-all.

Boundary with offensive-tools

This skill defines workflow, triage decisions, and pivot strategy. Tool flags and command syntax belong in offensive-tools/* skills.

Initial triage

Before collecting deeply, classify the network problem and choose the smallest evidence set that can change the conclusion.

• Starting state: is the task about exposure mapping, traffic reconstruction, interception, pivoting, auth abuse, or wireless presence?
• First questions: what is the exact objective, what time window or target boundary matters, and which source will answer that first with the least noise?
• Immediate actions: define scope, assign the case to one primary workflow, and collect only the minimum high-value telemetry for that case before pivoting wider.
• Tool-family direction: use discovery families (masscan, rustscan, nmap) for exposure, metadata/packet families (zeek, tcpdump, wireshark) for traffic, proxy/MITM families for interception, and pivot/auth tool skills only after the path is justified.
• Escalation rule: do not mix case types prematurely; finish initial case classification before combining scan, packet, and auth evidence.

Agent operating model

The agent should keep this loop:

1. Scope objective and boundary.
2. Classify case type (exposure, traffic, interception, pivot, auth-abuse).
3. Collect minimum high-value evidence first.
4. Pivot and correlate across sources.
5. Validate with independent evidence.
6. Report findings with confidence and containment actions.

Do not increase depth before ensuring timeline/scope normalization and reproducible pivots.

Core network investigation lifecycle

1. Scope: define target boundary, timeframe, and objective.
2. Triage: classify the problem type (exposure, traffic anomaly, interception, pivot/tunnel).
3. Collect: choose minimum high-value telemetry first.
4. Pivot: correlate identities (IP/port/session UID/process/user where available).
5. Validate: confirm key claims with independent evidence.
6. Conclude: document facts, confidence, and containment/next actions.

Triage-first decision model

Case A: “What is exposed right now?”

Use scan-first workflow.

• Fast census for breadth, then deep service validation for precision.
• Separate discovery and validation phases; don’t jump to intrusive probing immediately.

Tool families:

• Discovery breadth: offensive-tools/network/masscan/, offensive-tools/network/rustscan/
• Validation depth: offensive-tools/network/nmap/

Case B: “What happened on the wire?”

Use metadata-first + packet drilldown workflow.

• Start from connection/protocol summaries.
• Pivot to packet-level only for sessions that materially change conclusions.
• For encrypted or opaque traffic, combine TLS JA3/JA4/JA4S, DNS behavior, flow timing, endpoint/process context, and certificate/SNI evidence before claiming C2.
• When evidence spans Zeek, firewall, proxy, DNS, endpoint, and packet logs, normalize into one schema before correlation.

Tool families:

• Metadata and protocol logs: offensive-tools/forensic/zeek/
• Packet capture or replay context: offensive-tools/forensic/tcpdump/
• Deep packet reconstruction: offensive-tools/network/wireshark/

For DNS-heavy anomalies, prioritize query entropy, subdomain depth, TXT/NULL record abuse, DoH/DoT indicators, and timing/volume baselines before packet drilldown. Use references/scenario-playbooks.md Playbook F for suspected DNS exfiltration or covert channels.

Use references/encrypted-traffic-and-c2-profiling.md for TLS/JA3/JA4, beacon jitter, DNS C2, and confidence gates. Use references/log-aggregation.md when joining multi-source evidence.

Case C: “Need controlled interception/modification for app-network behavior”

Use proxy/MITM workflow.

• Establish legal/scope approval first.
• Use interception to validate request/response behavior and trust boundaries.

Tool families:

• HTTP(S) interception and replay: offensive-tools/network/mitmproxy/
• L2/LAN interception scenarios: offensive-tools/network/bettercap/

Case D: “Need lateral/pivot path into segmented network”

Use tunnel/pivot workflow.

• Validate route assumptions before wide scanning through tunnel.
• Keep pivot traffic scoped to objective-defined targets.
• After tunnel is established, route arbitrary tools through it with proxychains — avoids rebuilding the pivot for each tool.

Tool families:

• HTTP tunnel + SOCKS pivoting: offensive-tools/network/chisel/
• Tool routing through SOCKS proxy: proxychains or equivalent OS routing tool (no dedicated repo skill yet)

Case E: “Suspected credential relay/poisoning or auth abuse”

Use auth-abuse workflow.

• Prioritize evidence of request origin, relay path, and affected protocol surfaces.
• Correlate timing with SMB/LDAP/Kerberos-related logs and host events.
• Cover the full modern vector set, not only LLMNR/NBT-NS: mDNS spoofing, WPAD (LLMNR + DHCP option 252), IPv6/DHCPv6 takeover (rogue RA + link-local DNS, mitm6-style), and coerced auth (PetitPotam / PrinterBug / DFSCoerce). See references/scenario-playbooks.md Playbook E.

Tool families:

• Poisoning/relay context: offensive-tools/network/responder/
• Supporting protocol evidence: offensive-tools/forensic/zeek/, offensive-tools/network/wireshark/

Case F: “Need lightweight socket probe, relay, or file transfer without a full tool”

Use netcat workflow.

• Banner grab, port probe, quick TCP/UDP listener, or pipe-based file transfer.
• Use when a full scanner or proxy tool is too heavy or unavailable.
• Keep sessions documented; netcat leaves no persistent state.

Tool families:

• offensive-tools/network/netcat/

Case H: “Windows/Active Directory network enumeration after credential capture”

Use credential-validation and lateral enumeration workflow.

• Validate captured credentials across all reachable Windows hosts before attempting exploitation.
• Enumerate shares, sessions, logged-on users, and local admin rights to identify high-value pivot targets.
• Correlate SMB signing status — unsigned hosts are relay targets; signed hosts require valid credentials.
• Use spray carefully: lockout policies are common in AD environments.

Tool families:

• offensive-tools/windows/crackmapexec/ — SMB/WinRM/LDAP credential validation, share enumeration, command execution, hash spraying

Case G: “Wireless/RF traffic capture or network presence on 802.11/BLE”

Use wireless investigation workflow.

• Passive monitoring first: capture beacon frames to inventory SSIDs and clients before active association.
• Identify relevant APs: channel, BSSID, encryption type (WPA2/WPA3/OPN).
• Capture four-way handshake or PMKID for offline analysis (pair with offensive-tools/cracking/).
• BLE enumeration uses a separate adapter and tool family.

Tool families:

• offensive-tools/wireless/kismet/ — passive 802.11/BLE survey and logging
• offensive-tools/wireless/aircrack-ng/ — capture, deauth, handshake collection
• offensive-tools/wireless/wifite/ — automated multi-target WPA handshake collection

Quality gates

• Scope, authorization, and time window are explicit.
• At least one finding is corroborated by two independent data sources.
• Any claim of exploitation is separated from exposure-only evidence.
• Output includes exact pivot chain used to reach each conclusion.

Anti-patterns

• Running deep packet analysis on everything before metadata triage.
• Treating fast scanner output as final truth without validation.
• Mixing data from unmatched time windows and calling it a single narrative.
• Reporting “likely compromised” without a clear evidence chain.

Required deliverables from the agent

1. Scope model and investigation objective.
2. Case classification and rationale.
3. Evidence chain with pivot sequence.
4. Key findings with confidence labels.
5. Follow-up actions linked to evidence.

Resources

• references/triage-and-flow.md — Load for first-pass case classification and minimum evidence collection flow.
• references/tool-selection-cases.md — Load when choosing the right tool family for exposure, traffic, interception, pivot, auth-abuse, or wireless cases.
• references/network-evidence-correlation.md — Load when joining scan, log, packet, endpoint, and identity evidence into one pivot chain.
• references/scenario-playbooks.md — Load for common investigation playbooks such as DNS exfiltration, beaconing, tunneling, and relay paths.
• references/encrypted-traffic-and-c2-profiling.md — Load for metadata-only C2 profiling, JA3/JA4 analysis, jitter, and confidence gates.
• references/log-aggregation.md — Load when evidence spans Zeek, firewall, proxy, DNS, endpoint, and packet sources that need one schema.