Red Teaming & Adversary Simulation

Persistence & Post-Exploitation Techniques

  • May 8, 2025
  • 0

Sherlocked Security – Persistence & Post-Exploitation Techniques

Maintain Access and Further Exploit Systems After Initial Compromise

1. Statement of Work (SOW)

Service Name: Persistence & Post-Exploitation Testing
Client Type: Enterprises, Government, Financial Institutions, Healthcare
Service Model: Manual Testing of Techniques for Maintaining Access and Escalating Impact After Initial Compromise
Compliance Coverage: NIST 800-53, SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA

Testing Types:

  • Establishing Persistence Mechanisms on Target Systems
  • Exploiting Backdoors and Exploited Services for Extended Access
  • Creating and Maintaining Remote Access Channels
  • Persistence with Windows/Linux-based Backdoors
  • Post-Exploitation Data Exfiltration Techniques
  • Privilege Escalation After Initial Access
  • Bypassing Detection Systems and Hiding Activities
  • Post-Exploitation via Web and Database Applications

2. Our Approach

[Pre-engagement] → [Persistence Mechanism Identification] → [Exploiting Post-Exploitation Vectors] → [Escalate Impact and Maintain Control] → [Simulate Long-Term Access] → [Test for Detection and Evasion] → [Reporting & Remediation Planning] → [Retesting & Validation]

3. Methodology

[Kickoff & Scope Agreement] → [Persistence Vector Identification] → [Post-Exploitation Setup and Testing] → [Data Exfiltration Simulation] → [Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement] → [Detection Evasion Techniques] → [Analysis & Reporting of Findings] → [Remediation Recommendations & Retesting]

4. Deliverables to the Client

  1. Persistence & Post-Exploitation Report: A comprehensive report on persistence techniques used and their impact on the environment.
  2. Access Persistence PoCs: Proof-of-concept demonstrations for successful persistence mechanisms.
  3. Data Exfiltration Techniques: Detailed analysis of data extraction methods tested during the engagement.
  4. Privilege Escalation Findings: Documentation of escalation paths after initial compromise.
  5. Detection & Evasion Insights: Evaluation of existing detection measures against persistence and post-exploitation activity.
  6. Remediation Recommendations: Steps to mitigate persistence vectors and post-exploitation risks.
  7. Retesting & Validation: Post-remediation testing to verify the elimination of identified risks.

5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)

  • Access to internal systems and accounts (including low-privilege and high-privilege accounts).
  • Permission for testing persistence methods on target systems (with prior coordination for testing scope).
  • Collaboration with IT security staff to enable persistence testing and avoid unnecessary disruption.
  • Knowledge of existing detection tools and monitoring systems to evaluate evasion techniques.
  • Information about key assets, sensitive data, and critical systems to focus on during the engagement.
  • Access to network segments or systems that could be leveraged for lateral movement.

6. Tools & Technology Stack

  • Cobalt Strike for persistence, lateral movement, and exploitation.
  • Empire Framework for PowerShell-based post-exploitation tasks.
  • Metasploit Framework for creating and exploiting backdoors.
  • Netcat and Socat for creating remote access channels.
  • Mimikatz for credential harvesting and maintaining access via pass-the-hash techniques.
  • Metasploit’s Meterpreter for maintaining access and pivoting through networks.
  • RATs (Remote Access Trojans) for establishing long-term access.
  • Impacket for SMB and network-based post-exploitation.
  • Linux-based Post-Exploitation Tools for maintaining access via rootkits or backdoors.
  • Timestomp for evading detection and modifying file timestamps.

7. Engagement Lifecycle

1. Discovery Call → 2. Scope Definition & Testing Setup → 3. Persistence & Post-Exploitation Testing → 4. Data Exfiltration and Privilege Escalation → 5. Detection Evasion Testing → 6. Draft Report Delivery → 7. Final Report & Remediation Steps → 8. Retesting & Certification

8. Why Sherlocked Security?

Feature Sherlocked Advantage
Manual Testing of Persistence Vectors Hands-on testing for establishing and maintaining access in Windows and Linux environments.
Data Exfiltration Techniques Test and demonstrate various methods of data exfiltration without triggering alerts.
Bypassing Detection Mechanisms Evaluate and evade SIEM, IDS/IPS, and endpoint security systems during post-exploitation.
Long-Term Access Simulation Simulate long-term access persistence without detection to assess the risk of prolonged exploitation.
Custom Exploits & Tools Tailored scripts and tools to establish and maintain persistence in the target environment.
Free Retesting Post-fix retesting to ensure identified vulnerabilities are remediated and persistence mechanisms are closed.

9. Real-World Case Studies

Persistence via Backdoors in a Financial Institution

Client: Regional Bank
Scenario: Persistence mechanisms were tested on internal workstations, with access achieved using a custom backdoor.
Findings: Attackers created hidden admin accounts, and used scheduled tasks to maintain access.
Fix: Admin accounts were removed, and scheduled tasks reviewed. A full audit of user permissions was performed to close unnecessary backdoor channels.

Post-Exploitation in a Government Agency

Client: Government Agency
Scenario: After initial access via spear phishing, attackers used Mimikatz to harvest credentials and maintain a foothold.
Findings: Lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA) and weak password policies enabled persistent access.
Fix: MFA was implemented, password policies were enforced, and detected backdoors were closed.

10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

  1. Discovery call and scoping discussion.
  2. Identify and map persistence techniques.
  3. Establish and maintain access using various persistence vectors.
  4. Exploit post-exploitation pathways for data exfiltration and lateral movement.
  5. Evaluate detection and response measures for persistent access attempts.
  6. Document findings and provide PoCs for successful persistence methods.
  7. Develop remediation recommendations for closing persistence channels.
  8. Conduct retesting post-fix to verify effectiveness of remediation.

11. Persistence & Post-Exploitation Checklist

1. Persistence Techniques

  • Windows-based Persistence:

    • Registry Keys: Test for persistence through registry key modifications for auto-starting malware (T1547).
    • Scheduled Tasks: Check for tasks scheduled to run malicious payloads persistently (T1053).
    • Windows Services: Manipulate Windows services to maintain access with elevated privileges (T1050).
    • Backdoor Accounts: Create hidden or backdoor accounts with persistent access (T1071).
    • DLL Hijacking: Exploit DLL hijacking for maintaining access to critical applications (T1071).

  • Linux-based Persistence:

    • Cron Jobs: Test for cron jobs configured to persistently run malicious payloads (T1053).
    • Sudo Permissions: Modify sudoers file to allow privilege escalation (T1071).
    • Backdoor User Accounts: Create hidden user accounts for persistent access (T1071).

  • Remote Access Channels:

    • Netcat/Socat: Create remote access channels using Netcat or Socat (T1071).
    • RATs (Remote Access Trojans): Test the installation of RATs to maintain long-term access (T1071).

2. Post-Exploitation Techniques

  • Data Exfiltration:

    • Credential Dumping: Dump credentials using tools like Mimikatz to extract user credentials (T1003).
    • File Transfers: Exfiltrate sensitive files using FTP, HTTP, or SMB (T1041).
    • Cloud Storage: Upload sensitive data to cloud services for exfiltration (T1071).

  • Privilege Escalation:

    • Token Impersonation: Use token impersonation to escalate privileges (T1134).
    • Lateral Movement: Pivot to other systems using escalated privileges (T1071).

  • Detection Evasion:

    • Timestomping: Modify timestamps to evade detection by security tools (T1071).
    • Log Clearing: Clear event logs to erase traces of exploitation (T1071).

3. Detection and Remediation

  • Detection of Post-Exploitation Activity:

    • Ensure SIEM systems are configured to detect abnormal activities related to persistence and lateral movement.
    • Implement behavioral analysis to detect unusual login patterns or unauthorized privilege escalation attempts.

  • Remediation of Persistence Risks:

    • Review and enforce the least privilege principle across all systems.
    • Regularly audit and remove unused accounts and hidden user accounts.
    • Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to prevent unauthorized access.
    • Conduct patching and updates to close any vulnerabilities used for establishing persistence.
Physical Access Red Team
Lateral Movement Simulation