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It is an open source **alternative** to Microsoft Windows **Active****Directory**, primarily used as an integrated management solution for **Unix** environments. Similar to Active Directory, FreeIPA implements a full **LDAP directory** infrastructure backed by an MIT **Kerberos** Key Distribution Center. It uses the Dogtag **Certificate System** for CA & RA certificate management, giving it the ability to handle **multi-factor** authentication, including smartcards. SSSD is used to integrate FreeIPA into the standard Unix authentication process.
## Fingerprints
### Files & Env Vars
* **`/etc/krb5.conf`:** The `krb5.conf` file contains the Kerberos client information required to be **enrolled in the domain**. This includes the **locations of KDCs and admin** servers for the Kerberos realms of interest, defaults for the current realm and for Kerberos applications, and mappings of hostnames onto Kerberos realms.
* **`/etc/ipa/default.conf`:** This is the **default configuration file for IPA servers**, it is used to set system-wide defaults to be applied when running IPA clients and servers.
* **`/etc/krb5.keytab`:** The `krb5.keytab` file is **required** on all hosts inside of the **domain**. It is required as part of the **authentication** process to the KDC.
* **`KRB5CCNAME`:** If set, this variable points to the **location of the CCACHE Ticket** to be used for authentication.
* **`KRB5_KTNAME`:** If set, this variable points to the **location** of the **Keytab** file to be used for authentication.
* **`KRB5_CONFIG`:** If set, this variable points to the **location** of the **Kerberos configuration** file.
* **`KRB5_KDC_PROFILE`:** If set, this variable points to the **location of the KDC configuration** file, which contains additional configuration directives for the Key Distribution Center daemon.
* **`KRB5RCACHETYPE`:** This variable specifies the **default type of replay cache** to use for servers.
* **`KRB5RCACHEDIR`:** This variable specifies the **default directory for replay caches** used by servers.
* **`KRB5_TRACE`:** This variable specifies a **filename to write trace log output to**. Trace logs can help illuminate decisions made internally by the Kerberos libraries.
* **`KRB5_CLIENT_KTNAME`:** This variable sets the **default client keytab** file name.
* **`KPROP_PORT`:** This variable sets the **default port for kprop** to use.
### Binaries
* **ipa:** This binary is the standard for **managing a FreeIPA domain**. It can be used to manage hosts, users, sudo rules, and much more.
* **kdestroy:** The kdestroy binary is used to **destroy** any current **Kerberos****tickets** in the users session.
* **kinit:** The kinit binary is used to **establish**, or **renew****Kerberos tickets**.
* **klist:** The klist binary **lists** any current **Kerberos tickets in use**, and which principals the tickets provide access to.
* **kpasswd:** The kpasswd command is used to **change a Kerberos principal’s password**. kpasswd first prompts for the current Kerberos password, then prompts the user twice for the new password, and the password is changed.
* **ksu:** Ksu can be used as an **alternative to the su binary**, to switch the current **user context**.
* **kswitch:** The kswitch command will **switch** the current **credential cache in use**.
* **kvno:** The kvno binary acquires a **service ticket** for the **specified Kerberos** principals and prints out the key version numbers of each.
Since FreeIPA uses **Kerberos for authentication**, this process is very similar to **authentication** in **Active Directory**. In order to **access** resources on the domain, a user must have a v**alid Kerberos ticket** for that resource. These tickets can be stored in a number of different locations based on the configuration of the FreeIPA domain.
### **CCACHE Ticket Files**
When tickets are set to be **stored** as a **file** on **disk**, the standard format and type is a **CCACHE** file. This is a simple binary file format to store Kerberos credentials. These files are typically stored in **`/tmp`** and scoped with **600** permissions. From an attackers perspective this is important for the following reasons:
1. Valid tickets can be **utilized to authenticate**, **without** the need of the respective users plaintext **password**.
2.**CCACHE** tickets are highly **portable**. They can be downloaded and loaded onto another host without the need to renew, or validate the ticket.
**Parsing** a CCACHE Ticket is easily accomplished a number of different ways. The simplest method is parsing it with the klist binary.
For an attacker re-using a CCACHE Ticket is very easy. To **re-use** a valid CCACHE Ticket, **export****KRB5CCNAME** to the **path** of the valid ticket file. The system should recognize the environment variable and will attempt to use that credential material when interacting with the domain.
CCACHE Tickets \*\*\*\* can also be **stored** in \*\*\*\* the Linux **keyring**. The keyring lives inside of the **kernel**, and gives administrators **more control over the retrieval and use of stored tickets**. Tickets can be scoped in the following different ways:
* **`KEYRING:name`:** Tickets are scoped to a specific named Keyring.
* **`KEYRING:process:name`:** Tickets are scoped to a specific process id.
* **`KEYRING:thread:name`:** Tickets are scoped to a specific thread.
* **`KEYRING:session:name`:** Tickets are scoped to a specific user session.
* **`KEYRING:persistent:uidnumber`:** Tickets are scoped to a specific user regardless of session (default).
Depending on how the administrator scoped the ticket stored inside of the Unix keyring, parsing it out may be difficult. However, the **default****scope** for CCACHE Tickets in the Unix keyring is **`KEYRING:persistent:uidnumber`**. Fortunately if you are in the **context** of the **user**, `klist` can **parse** this information for us.
As an attacker, **re-using a CCACHE** Ticket stored in the Unix **keyring** is fairly **difficult** depending on how the ticket is scoped. Fortunately [@Zer1t0](https://github.com/Zer1t0) from [@Tarlogic](https://twitter.com/Tarlogic) has built a tool that can extract Kerberos tickets from the Unix keyring. The tool is called **Tickey** and can be found [**here**](https://github.com/TarlogicSecurity/tickey).
usually, each host is deployed with a keytab credential for that host that can be used to obtain a valid Credential Cache(CCACHE) Ticket Granting Ticket(TGT) for the host itself.
{% endhint %}
It consists of pairs of **Kerberos principals and encrypted keys** that are derived from the Kerberos password associated with the principal. Since these keys are derived from the principal’s password, if that **password changes the keytab will be invalidated**.
Keytab files can be used to **obtain a valid ticket granting ticket** (TGT) for the principal it is scoped to. This authentication process **does not require the password**, as it contains keys derived from the password.
Parsing a Keytab file is very easy, and can be accomplished a few ways. The easiest way to **parse** a **keytab** file is with **klist**. The second way utilizes a great python utility that [Cody Thomas](https://medium.com/u/645ffcef8682?source=post\_page-----77e73d837d6a--------------------------------) has created. His \*\*\*\* [**KeytabParser**](https://github.com/its-a-feature/KeytabParser) \*\*\*\* project will parse out the principal and its relevant encrypted keys.
You could perform the **enumeration** via **ldap** and other **binary** tools, or **connecting to the web page in the port 443 of the FreeIPA server**.
It's possible to create **hosts**, **users** and **groups**. Hosts and users are sorted into containers called “**Host Groups**” and “**User Groups**” respectively. These are similar to **Organizational Units** (OU).
By default in FreeIPA, the LDAP server allows for **anonymous binds**, and a large swath of data is enumerable **unauthenticated**. This can enumerate all data available unauthenticated:
```
ldapsearch -x
```
To get **more information** you need to use an **authenticated** session (check the Authentication section to learn how to prepare an authenticated session).
* The password hash of a user is stored as **base64** in the “**userPassword**” **attribute**. This hash might be **SSHA512** (old versions of FreeIPA) or **PBKDF2\_SHA256**.
* The **Nthash** of the password store as **base64** in “**ipaNTHash**” if system has **integration** with **AD**.
• If freeIPA integrated with AD, **ipaNTHash** is easy to crack: You should **decode****base64** -> re-encoded it as **ASCII** hex -> John The Ripper or **hashcat** can help you to crack it fast
• If an old version of FreeIPA is used, so **SSHA512** is used: You should decode **base64** -> find SSHA512 **hash** -> John The Ripper or **hashcat** can help you to crack it
• If new version of FreeIPA is used, so **PBKDF2\_SHA256** is used: You should decode **base64** -> find PBKDF2\_SHA256 -> it’s **length** is 256 byte. John can work with 256 bits (32 byte) -> SHA-265 used as the pseudo-random function, block size is 32 byte -> you can use only first 256 bit of our PBKDF2\_SHA256 hash -> John The Ripper or hashcat can help you to crack it
FreeIPA provides the ability to **manage sudo permissions** from one **centralized** source through sudo-rules. These rulesets can be used to restrict or delegate the ability to **execute commands as sudo** on hosts enrolled in the domain. As an attacker we can enumerate which hosts and users these rulesets are applied too, and which commands are allowed through the ruleset.
Each **role** contains a set of **privileges**, and those respective privileges contain a **set** of **permissions**. Roles can be **applied to Users**, User **Groups**, **Hosts**, Host Groups, and Services. To illustrate this concept let’s discuss the default “User Administrator” role in FreeIPA.
As we can see the “**User Administrator**” role contains quite **a lot of permissions** inside of the environment. Understanding the general concept and structure of **roles**, **privileges**, and **permissions** can be critical to identifying attack paths throughout an environment.
In [https://posts.specterops.io/attacking-freeipa-part-iii-finding-a-path-677405b5b95e](https://posts.specterops.io/attacking-freeipa-part-iii-finding-a-path-677405b5b95e) you can find a simple example of how to abuse some permissions to compromise the domain.
With this privilege comes a lot of different power to affect users inside the environment. Using this privilege we can **make a new user inside the FreeIPA domain named \_root**.\_
As shown this **drops the user into the local root account**! So simply by creating a domain user for a local user we were able to authenticate using the _root@WESTEROS.LOCAL_ account and obtain the **user context of the local root account**_._
_For more details about this vuln check_ [_https://posts.specterops.io/attacking-freeipa-part-iv-cve-2020-10747-7c373a1bf66b_](https://posts.specterops.io/attacking-freeipa-part-iv-cve-2020-10747-7c373a1bf66b)\\
* Do you work in a **cybersecurity company**? Do you want to see your **company advertised in HackTricks**? or do you want to have access to the **latest version of the PEASS or download HackTricks in PDF**? Check the [**SUBSCRIPTION PLANS**](https://github.com/sponsors/carlospolop)!
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