7.5 Post-Exploitation Explained

Key Concepts

1. Maintaining Access

Maintaining Access refers to the techniques used by attackers to ensure they can continue to control a compromised system after the initial exploitation. This often involves installing backdoors or persistence mechanisms.

2. Privilege Escalation

Privilege Escalation is the process of gaining higher-level permissions on a system than initially granted. This can be achieved by exploiting vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or weak permissions.

3. Data Exfiltration

Data Exfiltration involves extracting sensitive data from a compromised system. Attackers use various methods to transfer data out of the target network without detection.

4. Covering Tracks

Covering Tracks refers to the actions taken by attackers to hide their presence on a compromised system. This includes deleting logs, modifying timestamps, and obfuscating activities.

5. Lateral Movement

Lateral Movement involves moving through a network after gaining initial access. The goal is to locate and access valuable assets by exploiting vulnerabilities and leveraging compromised credentials.

Explanation of Concepts

Maintaining Access

Maintaining Access is crucial for attackers to retain control over a compromised system. Techniques include installing backdoors, creating scheduled tasks, and modifying system files to ensure the attacker can reconnect to the system even after a reboot.

Privilege Escalation

Privilege Escalation allows attackers to perform actions that would otherwise be restricted. For example, an attacker might exploit a buffer overflow in a service running as SYSTEM to gain SYSTEM-level access, enabling them to install malware or modify system settings.

Data Exfiltration

Data Exfiltration involves extracting sensitive data from a compromised system. Methods include using encrypted channels, compressing data, and transferring it in small chunks to avoid detection. Attackers might also use steganography to hide data within seemingly harmless files.

Covering Tracks

Covering Tracks is essential for attackers to avoid detection. Techniques include deleting logs, modifying timestamps, and obfuscating activities. For example, an attacker might use tools like Meterpreter to automatically clean up logs and remove traces of their activities.

Lateral Movement

Lateral Movement allows attackers to expand their control within a network. Techniques include using compromised credentials to access other systems, exploiting vulnerabilities in remote services, and using tools like PsExec to execute commands on remote machines.

Examples and Analogies

Maintaining Access

Consider Maintaining Access as leaving a spare key under the doormat. Even if the homeowner changes the locks, the attacker can still gain entry using the spare key.

Privilege Escalation

Think of Privilege Escalation as a janitor finding a master key that opens all doors in a building. The janitor can now access restricted areas and perform actions that were previously off-limits.

Data Exfiltration

Data Exfiltration can be compared to smuggling goods out of a country. The smuggler uses various methods to hide the goods and avoid detection, such as hiding them in everyday items or sending them in small, unnoticeable packages.

Covering Tracks

Covering Tracks is like erasing footprints in the sand. The attacker removes all evidence of their presence, making it difficult for anyone to trace their steps.

Lateral Movement

Lateral Movement can be likened to a thief who gains access to a house and then uses the same key to unlock other houses in the neighborhood. The thief moves from one house to another, searching for valuable items.