# Access Tokens
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## Access Tokens Each **user logged** onto the system **holds an access token with security information** for that logon session. The system creates an access token when the user logs on. **Every process executed** on behalf of the user **has a copy of the access token**. The token identifies the user, the user's groups, and the user's privileges. A token also contains a logon SID (Security Identifier) that identifies the current logon session. You can see this information executing `whoami /all` ``` whoami /all USER INFORMATION ---------------- User Name SID ===================== ============================================ desktop-rgfrdxl\cpolo S-1-5-21-3359511372-53430657-2078432294-1001 GROUP INFORMATION ----------------- Group Name Type SID Attributes ============================================================= ================ ============================================================================================================= ================================================== Mandatory Label\Medium Mandatory Level Label S-1-16-8192 Everyone Well-known group S-1-1-0 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group NT AUTHORITY\Local account and member of Administrators group Well-known group S-1-5-114 Group used for deny only BUILTIN\Administrators Alias S-1-5-32-544 Group used for deny only BUILTIN\Users Alias S-1-5-32-545 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group BUILTIN\Performance Log Users Alias S-1-5-32-559 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group NT AUTHORITY\INTERACTIVE Well-known group S-1-5-4 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group CONSOLE LOGON Well-known group S-1-2-1 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users Well-known group S-1-5-11 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group NT AUTHORITY\This Organization Well-known group S-1-5-15 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group MicrosoftAccount\cpolop@outlook.com User S-1-11-96-3623454863-58364-18864-2661722203-1597581903-3158937479-2778085403-3651782251-2842230462-2314292098 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group NT AUTHORITY\Local account Well-known group S-1-5-113 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group LOCAL Well-known group S-1-2-0 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group NT AUTHORITY\Cloud Account Authentication Well-known group S-1-5-64-36 Mandatory group, Enabled by default, Enabled group PRIVILEGES INFORMATION ---------------------- Privilege Name Description State ============================= ==================================== ======== SeShutdownPrivilege Shut down the system Disabled SeChangeNotifyPrivilege Bypass traverse checking Enabled SeUndockPrivilege Remove computer from docking station Disabled SeIncreaseWorkingSetPrivilege Increase a process working set Disabled SeTimeZonePrivilege Change the time zone Disabled ``` or using _Process Explorer_ from Sysinternals (select process and access"Security" tab): ![](<../../.gitbook/assets/image (321).png>) ### Local administrator When a local administrator logins, **two access tokens are created**: One with admin rights and other one with normal rights. **By default**, when this user executes a process the one with **regular** (non-administrator) **rights is used**. When this user tries to **execute** anything **as administrator** ("Run as Administrator" for example) the **UAC** will be used to ask for permission.\ If you want to [**learn more about the UAC read this page**](../authentication-credentials-uac-and-efs.md#uac)**.** ### Credentials user impersonation If you have **valid credentials of any other user**, you can **create** a **new logon session** with those credentials : ``` runas /user:domain\username cmd.exe ``` The **access token** has also a **reference** of the logon sessions inside the **LSASS**, this is useful if the process needs to access some objects of the network.\ You can launch a process that **uses different credentials for accessing network services** using: ``` runas /user:domain\username /netonly cmd.exe ``` This is useful if you have useful credentials to access objects in the network but those credentials aren't valid inside the current host as they are only going to be used in the network (in the current host your current user privileges will be used). ### Types of tokens There are two types of tokens available: * **Primary Token**: It serves as a representation of a process's security credentials. The creation and association of primary tokens with processes are actions that require elevated privileges, emphasizing the principle of privilege separation. Typically, an authentication service is responsible for token creation, while a logon service handles its association with the user's operating system shell. It is worth noting that processes inherit the primary token of their parent process at creation. * **Impersonation Token**: Empowers a server application to adopt the client's identity temporarily for accessing secure objects. This mechanism is stratified into four levels of operation: - **Anonymous**: Grants server access akin to that of an unidentified user. - **Identification**: Allows the server to verify the client's identity without utilizing it for object access. - **Impersonation**: Enables the server to operate under the client's identity. - **Delegation**: Similar to Impersonation but includes the ability to extend this identity assumption to remote systems the server interacts with, ensuring credential preservation. #### Impersonate Tokens Using the _**incognito**_ module of metasploit if you have enough privileges you can easily **list** and **impersonate** other **tokens**. This could be useful to perform **actions as if you where the other user**. You could also **escalate privileges** with this technique. ### Token Privileges Learn which **token privileges can be abused to escalate privileges:** {% content-ref url="privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens/" %} [privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens](privilege-escalation-abusing-tokens/) {% endcontent-ref %} Take a look to [**all the possible token privileges and some definitions on this external page**](https://github.com/gtworek/Priv2Admin). ## References Learn more about tokens in this tutorials: [https://medium.com/@seemant.bisht24/understanding-and-abusing-process-tokens-part-i-ee51671f2cfa](https://medium.com/@seemant.bisht24/understanding-and-abusing-process-tokens-part-i-ee51671f2cfa) and [https://medium.com/@seemant.bisht24/understanding-and-abusing-access-tokens-part-ii-b9069f432962](https://medium.com/@seemant.bisht24/understanding-and-abusing-access-tokens-part-ii-b9069f432962)
Learn AWS hacking from zero to hero with htARTE (HackTricks AWS Red Team Expert)! * 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)! * Discover [**The PEASS Family**](https://opensea.io/collection/the-peass-family), our collection of exclusive [**NFTs**](https://opensea.io/collection/the-peass-family) * 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** 🐦[**@carlospolopm**](https://twitter.com/hacktricks_live)**.** * **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).