| name | conducting-domain-persistence-with-dcsync |
| description | Perform DCSync attacks to replicate Active Directory credentials and establish domain persistence by extracting KRBTGT, Domain Admin, and service account hashes for Golden Ticket creation. |
| domain | cybersecurity |
| subdomain | red-teaming |
| tags | ["red-team","active-directory","dcsync","persistence","credential-dumping","golden-ticket","mimikatz"] |
| version | 1.0 |
| author | mahipal |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
| d3fend_techniques | ["Application Protocol Command Analysis","Network Isolation","Network Traffic Analysis","Client-server Payload Profiling","Platform Monitoring"] |
| nist_csf | ["ID.RA-01","GV.OV-02","DE.AE-07"] |
Conducting Domain Persistence with DCSync
Legal Notice: This skill is for authorized security testing and educational purposes only. Unauthorized use against systems you do not own or have written permission to test is illegal and may violate computer fraud laws.
Overview
DCSync is an attack technique that abuses the Microsoft Directory Replication Service Remote Protocol (MS-DRSR) to impersonate a Domain Controller and request password data from the target DC. The attack was introduced by Benjamin Delpy (Mimikatz author) and Vincent Le Toux, leveraging the DS-Replication-Get-Changes and DS-Replication-Get-Changes-All extended rights. Any principal (user or computer) with these rights can replicate password hashes for any account in the domain, including the KRBTGT account. With the KRBTGT hash, attackers can forge Golden Tickets for indefinite domain persistence. DCSync is categorized as MITRE ATT&CK T1003.006 and is a critical post-exploitation technique used by APT groups including APT28 (Fancy Bear), APT29 (Cozy Bear), and FIN6.
When to Use
- When conducting security assessments that involve conducting domain persistence with dcsync
- When following incident response procedures for related security events
- When performing scheduled security testing or auditing activities
- When validating security controls through hands-on testing
Prerequisites
- Familiarity with red teaming concepts and tools
- Access to a test or lab environment for safe execution
- Python 3.8+ with required dependencies installed
- Appropriate authorization for any testing activities
Objectives
- Identify accounts with DCSync (replication) rights in Active Directory
- Perform DCSync using Mimikatz or Impacket's secretsdump.py
- Extract the KRBTGT account hash for Golden Ticket creation
- Dump all domain user password hashes for credential analysis
- Forge Golden Tickets for persistent domain access
- Grant DCSync rights to a controlled account for alternative persistence
- Document the attack chain and persistence mechanisms
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
- T1003.006 - OS Credential Dumping: DCSync
- T1558.001 - Steal or Forge Kerberos Tickets: Golden Ticket
- T1222.001 - File and Directory Permissions Modification: Windows
- T1098 - Account Manipulation
- T1078.002 - Valid Accounts: Domain Accounts
Workflow
Phase 1: Identify Accounts with DCSync Rights
