Active Directory Attack Paths

Active Directory Attack Paths

Identify and demonstrate Active Directory misconfigurations during authorized internal assessments.

When to Use

• You have a foothold (or credentials) inside an authorized internal network
• You need to map privilege-escalation paths to Domain Admin or Enterprise Admin

Methodology

1. Initial Enumeration

• whoami /all, domain trusts, nested groups
• BloodHound / SharpHound collection (small collection first: --collectionmethod All --exclude-dc if stealth matters)
• Look for: Kerberoastable SPNs, AS-REP roastable accounts (no preauth), unconstrained delegation, DCSync rights, GPO abuse

2. Credential Attacks

• Kerberoasting: request TGS for SPN accounts, crack offline (hashcat -m 13100)
• AS-REP Roasting: accounts with DONT_REQ_PREAUTH, crack offline (hashcat -m 18200)
• Password spraying only within RoE — respect lockout policies

3. Delegation Abuse

• Unconstrained delegation: capture TGTs via printer bug (SpoolSample) with Rubeus
• Constrained delegation: S4U2Proxy abuse to impersonate users
• Resource-based constrained delegation (RBCD): requires write rights over msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity

4. ACL Attacks

• GenericAll / GenericWrite / WriteDacl / WriteOwner on users, groups, or GPOs
• Force a password reset or ACL change, then re-run collection to confirm the new path

5. Domain Dominance

• DCSync (mimikatz lsadump::dcsync or secretsdump.py) — only with explicit authorization
• AD CS abuse: ESC1–ESC8 templates (Certipy), Golden/Silver certificates

Evidence to Capture

For each step: the command run, the output showing the escalation, and the accounts affected.

Cleanup

Remove created accounts, changed ACLs, and dropped tools; note every modification in the cleanup log.