Why is notepad.exe connecting to the internet?
To the observant network defender, notepad.exe connecting to the internet is a key indicator of compromise. In this blog post, I’d like to explain why
Situational Awareness for Meterpreter Users
Hacking involves managing a lot of contextual factors at one time. Most times, the default situation works and a tool will perform beautifully for you.
The Origin of Armitage’s Hail Mary Mass Exploitation Feature
Several times now, an author has introduced Armitage, and the main value add to the hacking process that they emphasize is the “devastating” Hail Mary attack.
Hacking through a Straw (Pivoting over DNS)
Last month, I announced Beacon’s ability to control a host over DNS. I see Beacon as a low and slow lifeline to get an active session,
Staged Payloads – What Pen Testers Should Know
The Metasploit Framework decouples exploits from the stuff that gets executed after successful exploitation (the payload). Payloads in the Metasploit Framework are also divided into
That’ll never work–we don’t allow port 53 out
One of my favorite Cobalt Strike features is its ability to quietly manage a compromised system with DNS. Being rather proud of this feature, I
Red Team Data Collection
In 2011, I participated in an exercise. The exercise ran for 60 hours straight, forcing the red team to work in shifts. The event was
DNS Command and Control Added to Cobalt Strike
Many networks are like sieves. A reverse TCP payload or an HTTP/S connection is all it takes to get out. Once in a while, you
Telling the Offensive Story at CCDC
The 2013 National CCDC season ended in April 2013. One topic that I’ve sat on since this year’s CCDC season ended is feedback. Providing meaningful and
Goading Around Firewalls
Last weekend, I was enjoying the HackMiami conference in beautiful Miami Beach, FL. On Sunday, they hosted several hacking challenges in their CTF room. One