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There are other account memberships and access token privileges that can also be useful during security assessments when chaining multiple attack vectors.
The Access Control List (ACL) of the **AdminSDHolder** object is used as a template to **copy****permissions** to **all “protected groups”** in Active Directory and their members. Protected groups include privileged groups such as Domain Admins, Administrators, Enterprise Admins, and Schema Admins.\
By default, the ACL of this group is copied inside all the "protected groups". This is done to avoid intentional or accidental changes to these critical groups. However, if an attacker modifies the ACL of the group **AdminSDHolder** for example giving full permissions to a regular user, this user will have full permissions on all the groups inside the protected group (in an hour).\
If you don't want to wait an hour you can use a PS script to make the restore happen instantly: [https://github.com/edemilliere/ADSI/blob/master/Invoke-ADSDPropagation.ps1](https://github.com/edemilliere/ADSI/blob/master/Invoke-ADSDPropagation.ps1)
[**More information in ired.team.**](https://ired.team/offensive-security-experiments/active-directory-kerberos-abuse/how-to-abuse-and-backdoor-adminsdholder-to-obtain-domain-admin-persistence)
PsService v2.25 - Service information and configuration utility
Copyright (C) 2001-2010 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
[...]
[ALLOW] BUILTIN\Server Operators
All
```
This confirms that the Server Operators group has [SERVICE\_ALL\_ACCESS](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/services/service-security-and-access-rights) access right, which gives us full control over this service.\
You can abuse this service to [**make the service execute arbitrary commands**](https://book.hacktricks.xyz/windows-hardening/windows-local-privilege-escalation#modify-service-binary-path) and escalate privileges.
This is because this group grants its **members** the [**`SeBackup`**](../windows-local-privilege-escalation/privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens/#sebackupprivilege-3.1.4) and [**`SeRestore`**](../windows-local-privilege-escalation/privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens/#serestoreprivilege-3.1.5) privileges. The **SeBackupPrivilege** allows us to **traverse any folder and list** the folder contents. This will let us **copy a file from a folder,** even if nothing else is giving you permissions. However, to abuse this permissions to copy a file the flag [**FILE\_FLAG\_BACKUP\_SEMANTICS**](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/fileapi/nf-fileapi-createfilea) \*\*\*\* must be used. Therefore, special tools are needed.
You can abuse this access to **steal** the active directory database **`NTDS.dit`** to get all the **NTLM hashes** for all user and computer objects in the domain.
Using [**diskshadow**](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/diskshadow) you can **create a shadow copy** of the **`C` drive** and in the `F` drive for example. The, you can steal the `NTDS.dit` file from this shadow copy as it won't be in use by the system:
A user who is member of the **DNSAdmins** group or have **write privileges to a DNS** server object can load an **arbitrary DLL** with **SYSTEM** privileges on the **DNS server**.\
As shown in this \*\*\*\* [**post**](https://adsecurity.org/?p=4064), the following attack can be performed when DNS is run on a Domain Controller (which is very common):
* [**ServerLevelPluginDll**](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/openspecs/windows\_protocols/ms-dnsp/c9d38538-8827-44e6-aa5e-022a016ed723) allows us to **load** a custom **DLL** with **zero verification** of the DLL's path. This can be done with the `dnscmd` tool from the command line
* When a member of the **`DnsAdmins`** group runs the **`dnscmd`** command below, the `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\DNS\Parameters\ServerLevelPluginDll` registry key is populated
* When the **DNS service is restarted**, the **DLL** in this path will be **loaded** (i.e., a network share that the Domain Controller's machine account can access)
* An attacker can load a **custom DLL to obtain a reverse shell** or even load a tool such as Mimikatz as a DLL to dump credentials.
Then, if you have a user inside the **DNSAdmins group**, you can make the **DNS server load an arbitrary DLL with SYSTEM privileges** (DNS service runs as `NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM`). You can make the DNS server load a **local or remote** (shared by SMB) DLL file executing:
An example of a valid DLL can be found in [https://github.com/kazkansouh/DNSAdmin-DLL](https://github.com/kazkansouh/DNSAdmin-DLL). I would change the code of the function `DnsPluginInitialize` to something like:
[**Learn more about this privilege escalation in ired.team.**](https://ired.team/offensive-security-experiments/active-directory-kerberos-abuse/from-dnsadmins-to-system-to-domain-compromise)
As detailed in this [**post**](http://www.labofapenetrationtester.com/2017/05/abusing-dnsadmins-privilege-for-escalation-in-active-directory.html), It's also possible to use [**mimilib.dll**](https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz/tree/master/mimilib) from the creator of the `Mimikatz` tool to gain command execution by **modifying** the [**kdns.c**](https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz/blob/master/mimilib/kdns.c) \*\*\*\* file to execute a **reverse shell** one-liner or another command of our choosing.
Another way to **abuse DnsAdmins** group privileges is by creating a **WPAD record**. Membership in this group gives us the rights to [disable global query block security](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/dnsserver/set-dnsserverglobalqueryblocklist?view=windowsserver2019-ps), which by default blocks this attack. Server 2008 first introduced the ability to add to a global query block list on a DNS server. By default, Web Proxy Automatic Discovery Protocol (WPAD) and Intra-site Automatic Tunnel Addressing Protocol (ISATAP) are on the global query block list. These protocols are quite vulnerable to hijacking, and any domain user can create a computer object or DNS record containing those names.
After **disabling the global query** block list and creating a **WPAD record**, **every machine** running WPAD with default settings will have its **traffic proxied through our attack machine**. We could use a tool such as \*\*\*\* [**Responder**](https://github.com/lgandx/Responder) **or** [**Inveigh**](https://github.com/Kevin-Robertson/Inveigh) **to perform traffic spoofing**, and attempt to capture password hashes and crack them offline or perform an SMBRelay attack.
Members of the [**Event Log Readers**](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/dn579255\(v=ws.11\)?redirectedfrom=MSDN#event-log-readers) \*\*\*\* group have **permission to access the event logs** generated (such as the new process creation logs). In the logs **sensitive information** could be found. Let's see how to visualize the logs:
Members are granted the ability to **write a DACL to the domain object**. An attacker could abuse this to **give a user** [**DCSync**](dcsync.md) privileges.\
If Microsoft Exchange is installed in the AD environment, It is common to find user accounts and even computers as members of this group.
This [**GitHub repo**](https://github.com/gdedrouas/Exchange-AD-Privesc) explains a few **techniques** to **escalate privileges** abusing this group permissions.
```powershell
#Get members of the group
Get-NetGroupMember -Identity "Exchange Windows Permissions" -Recurse
The [**Hyper-V Administrators**](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/access-control/active-directory-security-groups#hyper-v-administrators) group has full access to all [Hyper-V features](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/manage/windows-admin-center/use/manage-virtual-machines). If **Domain Controllers** have been **virtualized**, then the **virtualization admins** should be considered **Domain Admins**. They could easily **create a clone of the live Domain Controller** and **mount** the virtual **disk** offline to obtain the **`NTDS.dit`** file and extract NTLM password hashes for all users in the domain.
It is also well documented on this [blog](https://decoder.cloud/2020/01/20/from-hyper-v-admin-to-system/), that upon **deleting** a virtual machine, `vmms.exe` attempts to **restore the original file permissions** on the corresponding **`.vhdx` file** and does so as `NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM`, without impersonating the user. We can **delete the `.vhdx`** file and **create** a native **hard link** to point this file to a **protected SYSTEM file**, and you will be given full permissions to.
If the operating system is vulnerable to [CVE-2018-0952](https://www.tenable.com/cve/CVE-2018-0952) or [CVE-2019-0841](https://www.tenable.com/cve/CVE-2019-0841), we can leverage this to gain SYSTEM privileges. Otherwise, we can try to **take advantage of an application on the server that has installed a service running in the context of SYSTEM**, which is startable by unprivileged users.
### **Exploitation Example**
An example of this is **Firefox**, which installs the **`Mozilla Maintenance Service`**. We can update [this exploit](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/decoder-it/Hyper-V-admin-EOP/master/hyperv-eop.ps1) (a proof-of-concept for NT hard link) to grant our current user full permissions on the file below:
Next, we can replace this file with a **malicious `maintenanceservice.exe`**, **start** the maintenance **service**, and get command execution as SYSTEM.
```
C:\htb> sc.exe start MozillaMaintenance
```
{% hint style="info" %}
This vector has been mitigated by the March 2020 Windows security updates, which changed behavior relating to hard links.
This group also has **full control** of the OU called `Microsoft Exchange Security Groups`, which contains the group [**`Exchange Windows Permissions`**](privileged-groups-and-token-privileges.md#exchange-windows-permissions) \*\*\*\* (follow the link to see how to abuse this group to privesc).
* \`\`[`SeBackupPrivilege`](../windows-local-privilege-escalation/privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens/#sebackupprivilege-3.1.4) and [`SeRestorePrivilege`](../windows-local-privilege-escalation/privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens/#serestoreprivilege-3.1.5)
* 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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* Get the [**official PEASS & HackTricks swag**](https://peass.creator-spring.com)
* **Join the** [**💬**](https://emojipedia.org/speech-balloon/) [**Discord group**](https://discord.gg/hRep4RUj7f) or the [**telegram group**](https://t.me/peass) or **follow** me on **Twitter** [**🐦**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks/tree/7af18b62b3bdc423e11444677a6a73d4043511e9/\[https:/emojipedia.org/bird/README.md)[**@carlospolopm**](https://twitter.com/carlospolopm)**.**
* **Share your hacking tricks by submitting PRs to the** [**hacktricks repo**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks) **and** [**hacktricks-cloud repo**](https://github.com/carlospolop/hacktricks-cloud).