What happens when I type getsystem?
Meterpreter’s getsystem command is taken for granted. Type getsystem and magically Meterpreter elevates you from a local administrator to the SYSTEM user. What’s really happening
Listeners: Cobalt Strike’s Glue Feature
Listeners are Cobalt Strike’s abstraction in front of the Metasploit Framework’s payload handlers. A handler is the exploit/multi/handler module. This module sets up a server that
User Account Control – What Penetration Testers Should Know
UAC is User Account Control. Introduced in Windows Vista, UAC is a collection of technologies that make it convenient possible to use Windows without administrator
CCDC Red Teams: Ten Tips to Maximize Success
The CCDC season is upon us. This is the time of year when professionals with many years of industry experience “volunteer” to hack against college
Modifying Metasploit’s Stager Shellcode
If you’ve ever had to change a module in the Metasploit Framework, you know the go to place is the modules/ directory off of the
Why I give all of my training material away—for free
I’m the developer of a commercial penetration testing product, Cobalt Strike. People are often amazed that I have a free 9-part Penetration Testing course on
Four Levels of Hacking Sophistication with Beacon
Beacon is Cobalt Strike’s payload for red team actions. Beacon is a stable lifeline that can serve as a communication layer. Meterpreter is a fantastic post-exploitation agent
Obituary: Java Self-Signed Applet (Age: 1.7u51)
The Java Signed Applet Attack is a staple social engineering option. This attack presents the user with a signed Java Applet. If the user allows
Cloud-based Redirectors for Distributed Hacking
A common trait among persistent attackers is their distributed infrastructure. A serious attacker doesn’t use one system to launch attacks and catch shells from. Rather,
Stealthy Peer-to-peer C&C over SMB pipes
Beacon is my payload for low and slow control of a compromised system. Recently, I added peer-to-peer communication to Beacon. When two Beacons are linked,