Sherlocked Security – Lateral Movement Simulation
Simulate the Lateral Movement of Attackers Within Your Network to Identify Weaknesses
1. Statement of Work (SOW)
Service Name: Lateral Movement Simulation
Client Type: Enterprises, Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Government Agencies
Service Model: Simulating Attacker Movement Across Network Systems to Evaluate Internal Defenses
Compliance Coverage: NIST 800-53, SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS
Simulation Types:
- Network-based Lateral Movement Simulation
- Active Directory Privilege Escalation & Lateral Movement
- Credential Dumping & Pass-the-Hash Simulation
- Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Exploitation
- SMB & Lateral Movement Simulation
- Kerberos Ticketing Exploitation
- Lateral Movement Using PowerShell, WMI, and Other Tools
- Simulated Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Movement
2. Our Approach
[Pre-engagement & Scope Definition] → [Lateral Movement Simulation Setup] → [Privilege Escalation Testing] → [Credential Dumping & Pass-the-Hash Attacks] → [Simulated Lateral Movement via SMB/RDP] → [Post-Exploitation & Lateral Movement Techniques] → [Detection & Response Testing] → [Reporting & Remediation Recommendations] → [Retesting & Validation]
3. Methodology
[Kickoff & Scope Agreement] → [Lateral Movement Path Mapping] → [Privilege Escalation & SMB/RDP Testing] → [Exploitation of Active Directory] → [Simulate Lateral Movement Using PowerShell & WMI] → [Test for Detection & Mitigation] → [Reporting & Remediation Plan]
4. Deliverables to the Client
- Lateral Movement Simulation Report: Overview of lateral movement scenarios and test results
- Privilege Escalation Findings: Detailed analysis of privilege escalation vectors and lateral movement paths
- Credential Dumping & Pass-the-Hash Report: Findings from simulated credential dumping and hash-based attacks
- SMB/RDP Exploitation Report: Results from exploiting SMB and RDP protocols for lateral movement
- Post-Exploitation Assessment: Insights into post-exploitation techniques used by attackers to move laterally
- Detection & Response Evaluation: Evaluation of how your internal security tools detect lateral movement attempts
- Remediation Recommendations: Actionable guidance to reduce lateral movement risk and improve internal defense systems
- Retesting & Certification: Validation of improvements and post-remediation testing
5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)
- Access to network topology and key systems for simulation
- List of critical assets and systems to include in testing
- Collaboration with IT/Network and Security teams for setting up test scenarios
- Access to Active Directory or relevant directory services for privilege escalation testing
- Information on current endpoint security and network monitoring solutions
- Access to necessary logs for analysis (e.g., Active Directory logs, endpoint security logs)
- Access to firewall and network configuration details for testing SMB, RDP, and other protocols
- A list of relevant user roles for privilege escalation testing (admins, power users, etc.)
6. Tools & Technology Stack
- Custom Tools / Scripts for lateral movement simulations
- Cobalt Strike for post-exploitation and lateral movement emulation
- Mimikatz for credential dumping and pass-the-hash attacks
- BloodHound for Active Directory privilege escalation mapping
- Metasploit Framework for exploiting network protocols and privilege escalation
- PowerShell Empire for PowerShell-based lateral movement and exploitation
- Impacket for SMB and RDP exploitation tools
- Responder for LLMNR and NetBIOS poisoning to capture hashes
- Wireshark for network traffic analysis during lateral movement activities
- Nmap for scanning and identifying vulnerable systems and open ports
- Kali Linux for attack simulation and exploitation tools
7. Engagement Lifecycle
1. Discovery Call → 2. Scope Definition & Strategy → 3. Lateral Movement Path Mapping → 4. Privilege Escalation Testing → 5. Simulated Lateral Movement Using SMB/RDP → 6. Detection & Response Testing → 7. Draft Report → 8. Final Report & Remediation Recommendations → 9. Retesting & Certification
8. Why Sherlocked Security?
Feature | Sherlocked Advantage |
---|---|
Realistic Lateral Movement Simulation | Test for lateral movement techniques within your internal network |
Privilege Escalation Testing | Simulate and identify privilege escalation vectors within Active Directory and other systems |
SMB/RDP Exploitation | Evaluate the vulnerability of SMB and RDP protocols in your network environment |
Advanced Post-Exploitation Techniques | Simulate advanced post-exploitation tactics used by APTs and other threat actors |
Detection & Response Testing | Evaluate your network and endpoint detection systems for lateral movement detection capabilities |
Custom Attack Tools | Tailored tools and scripts to simulate lateral movement with precision |
9. Real-World Case Studies
Lateral Movement in a Healthcare Organization
Client: Global Healthcare Provider
Scenario: Attackers used SMB and RDP exploitation to move laterally between network segments.
Findings: Inadequate endpoint monitoring and detection allowed attackers to spread without detection.
Fix: Enhanced endpoint detection tools, blocked unnecessary SMB/RDP ports, and improved user role management for internal systems.
Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement in a Financial Institution
Client: Investment Bank
Scenario: A simulated attack escalated privileges through Active Directory and moved laterally using PowerShell.
Findings: Weak privilege separation and unmonitored privilege escalation paths were discovered.
Fix: Reconfigured Active Directory permissions, implemented least-privilege access, and deployed stricter monitoring on lateral movement.
10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
- Discovery call and scope agreement
- Mapping of lateral movement paths and critical assets
- Testing of privilege escalation vectors and lateral movement techniques (SMB, RDP, PowerShell)
- Post-exploitation testing using Mimikatz and BloodHound
- Evaluate detection capabilities for lateral movement via network tools (Wireshark, Nmap)
- Draft report and conduct review call with stakeholders
- Final report delivery with remediation steps
- Retesting and post-fix validation
11. Lateral Movement Simulation Checklist
1. Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement Simulation
- Test for unnecessary privileged access in Active Directory (AD) accounts.
- Privilege escalation through Active Directory misconfigurations (T1071, T1087).
- Simulate Pass-the-Hash attacks across the internal network (T1075).
- Token impersonation to gain unauthorized access (T1134).
- Test for Kerberos ticket stealing (T1558) and Golden Ticket attacks (T1558).
- Escalate privileges using PowerShell Remoting or WMI (T1021).
- Simulate AD ACL (Access Control List) attacks to elevate privileges (T1484).
- Identify and exploit weak permissions in Active Directory and Group Policy Objects (T1484).
- Test Group Policy vulnerabilities for lateral movement (T1484).
- Escalate privileges using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) (T1021).
- Test for improper network segmentation between internal network segments.
2. SMB and RDP Exploitation
- Exploit SMB for lateral movement (T1021).
- Test for RDP vulnerabilities and weak configurations that allow lateral movement (T1071).
- Simulate SMB relay attacks (T1557) and test SMB signing (T1071).
- Exploit RDP misconfigurations (weak passwords, unencrypted sessions).
- Brute-force RDP credentials (T1071) using dictionary or password spraying.
- Use stolen credentials to move laterally via SMB or RDP (T1071, T1021).
- Map SMB shares and attempt lateral movement between systems (T1071).
3. PowerShell and WMI for Lateral Movement
- Move laterally using PowerShell scripts (T1071, T1021).
- Simulate WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) attacks for lateral movement (T1047).
- Abuse WMI for remote code execution and lateral movement (T1047).
- Test for PowerShell-based exploits for internal network traversal (T1071).
- Check PowerShell logging and event logs to detect suspicious activity (T1071).
- Test for PowerShell Remoting access that could be exploited by attackers.
4. Credential Dumping and Network Scanning
- Dump credentials from memory using tools like Mimikatz (T1003).
- Simulate credential dumping via LSASS (T1003).
- Scan internal networks for vulnerable systems and weak passwords (T1087).
- Attempt password spraying and brute-force attacks on internal systems.
- Test SMB signing and encryption enforcement to reduce risk of SMB-based lateral movement (T1071).
- Scan and identify SMB shares with open permissions or accessible to unauthorized users.
- Test for unprotected credentials stored in plaintext or insecure locations (e.g., registry, file shares).
5. Post-Exploitation Lateral Movement
- Simulate lateral movement using stolen credentials (Pass-the-Hash, Pass-the-Ticket).
- Compromise multiple systems using the same credentials to see how far attackers can move.
- Monitor and map lateral movement paths through network shares, unpatched systems, or software vulnerabilities.
- Simulate APT-like behaviors such as establishing persistence or escalating privileges after lateral movement.
6. Detection and Response Testing
- Evaluate internal detection systems for lateral movement attempts (e.g., SIEM, EDR, IDS/IPS).
- Test network segmentation and verify if unauthorized lateral movement is detected.
- Evaluate logging mechanisms on endpoints and servers for lateral movement activities.
- Test if your firewall and IDS/IPS detect SMB/RDP traffic anomalies.
- Evaluate if unusual authentication attempts (multiple failed logins, logins from suspicious locations) trigger alerts.
- Test for endpoint protection (EPP) to detect lateral movement using PowerShell and other tools.
- Simulate network traffic analysis and monitor if lateral movement is detected by intrusion detection systems (IDS).
7. Network Access Control Testing
- Test Active Directory security and configurations (e.g., password policies, group memberships, delegation).
- Verify restrictions on lateral movement using firewalls or network segmentation.
- Test for unused network services that may allow lateral movement (e.g., unnecessary RDP/SMB access).
- Evaluate VLAN segmentation to prevent lateral movement between sensitive networks.
- Test internal DNS configuration to prevent attackers from abusing it to navigate through the network.
- Test access controls on SMB shares, file systems, and critical services to ensure attackers can’t exploit them.
8. Privilege Escalation Detection and Countermeasures
- Verify detection mechanisms for privilege escalation techniques such as exploiting Sudo, Sudo Caching, and Privilege Abuse.
- Test internal detection of escalation using WMI, PowerShell, or Kerberos manipulation.
- Test alerts for unauthorized admin privileges and credential changes.
- Verify endpoint detection for tools like Mimikatz, BloodHound, and other post-exploitation tools.
9. Access Review and Remediation Recommendations
- Review access controls and ensure the principle of least privilege is enforced.
- Block SMB and RDP access to sensitive systems, or use VPN-based access to mitigate lateral movement risks.
- Recommendations for segmenting network environments and enforcing strict access rules to limit the ability of attackers to move across the network.
- Patch and update internal systems to mitigate exploitation opportunities.
- Implement multifactor authentication (MFA) for RDP and other critical services to reduce the risk of lateral movement.