![]() So, pass the hash is the name for a technique that allows an attacker to authenticate to a remote server or service by using the hash of a user's password, instead of requiring the associated plaintext password as is normally the case. The authentication process does not require the plaintext password. Sounds secure, right? Well, the fun part is that with the hash you have enough information to perform that “mathematical operation” required to gain access. ![]() If the service or DC confirm that the client’s response is correct, the service allows access to the client. The service may validate the result or send it to the Domain Controller (DC) for validation. When the client requests access to a service associated with the domain, the service sends a challenge to the client, requiring the client to perform a mathematical operation using its authentication token, and then return the result of this operation to the service. Windows NT LAN Manager (NTLM) is a challenge-response authentication protocol used to authenticate a client to a resource on an Active Directory domain. In that case, meet pass-the-hash attacks. "But the passwords are hashed!", I heard you thinking. It allows users (or malicious programs inadvertently run by those users) to bypass the "access violation" protection on the computer they're using, while it's running. SeriousSAM removes the need for that external OS, and for Windows to be off, making it a much more achievable trick. While dumping a registry hive from an inactive Windows machine like that may sound daunting to some, and difficult for malware to pull off, SeriousSAM makes it much easier. (I will leave the “how to” do that to your imagination.) You need to look at the files from an external OS to pull this off. When Windows is not running the registry is not “mounted” and the "access violation" protection is inactive, since to another operating system (OS) they are just files like any other. One of the reasons why this is true is that the “holder” of the system can dump those sensitive Registry database files when Windows is not running. Now, I’ve always been taught that anyone with physical access to your system, and enough knowledge, can take it over. ![]() This was designed as such because the database contains the hashed passwords for all users on a system. SAM stands for Security Accounts Manager and it is supposed to be a protected database that can only be accessed by users with Adminstrator privileges. The attacker would then have full control, which means they can install programs, view, change, or delete data, and create new accounts with full user rights. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. Using SeriousSAM, a user can access multiple system files, including the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database. Users with low privileges can access sensitive Registry database files on Windows 10 and Windows 11, leaving them vulnerable to a local elevation of privilege vulnerability known as SeriousSAM or HiveNightmare.ĭoesn't sound serious? Reassured that users must already have access to the system and be able to execute code on said system to use this vulnerability? Don't be. ![]()
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