What is Mimikatz?
Mimikatz is a popular yet notorious security tool that was originally developed by Benjamin Delpy. It is mainly used to extract credentials such as passwords and Kerberos tickets from the memory of a Windows system.
Although Mimikatz was primarily developed as a security assessment and penetration testing tool, it is today also one of the preferred tools of cybercriminals for malicious attacks.
### Features and Capabilities of Mimikatz
Mimikatz offers a variety of functions that allow both security experts and attackers to exploit various aspects of a Windows system:
- Password Extraction: Mimikatz can extract stored passwords in plain text directly from memory.
- Kerberos Ticket Theft: It can extract and forge Kerberos tickets to gain unauthorized access to networks.
- Golden Ticket: By accessing Kerberos tickets across the network, Mimikatz can create Golden Tickets that allow unlimited access.
- LSASS Dumping: Mimikatz accesses the LSASS process to extract sensitive data.
### Typical Attack Scenarios with Mimikatz
Attackers often use Mimikatz in various phases of a cyber attack:
1. Initial Access: An attacker gains initial access to a system through phishing or exploits.
2. Credential Extraction: Use of Mimikatz to extract passwords and Kerberos tickets from the compromised system.
3. Lateral Movement: With the extracted credentials, the attacker moves laterally through the network.
4. Persistent Access: Creation of Golden Tickets to gain ongoing access and evade detection.
### Protective Measures Against Mimikatz
Organizations should implement multiple layers of protection to minimize the effectiveness of Mimikatz:
- Security Awareness: Train your employees to recognize and report phishing attempts.
- Hardening of LSASS: Make LSASS inaccessible to non-administrative users.
- Regular Security Updates: Keep systems and software up to date to close vulnerabilities that can be exploited by Mimikatz.
- Use of Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): Implement solutions that can detect and respond to unusual activities.
- Network Segmentation: Reduce the risk of lateral movement by segmenting your network.
### Conclusion
Mimikatz is undoubtedly a powerful tool that provides valuable insights for pentesters as well as significant threats for IT security teams. Understanding how it works and implementing appropriate protective measures is crucial to securing networks against the threats posed by this tool.
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📌 Related Topics: Kerberos Attacks, Pass-the-Hash
