Performing Red Team Operations with Covenant C2
Overview
Covenant is a collaborative .NET C2 framework for red teamers that provides a Swagger-documented REST API for managing listeners, launchers, grunts (agents), and tasks. This skill covers automating Covenant operations through its API for authorized red team engagements: creating HTTP/HTTPS listeners, generating binary and PowerShell launchers, deploying grunts, executing tasks on compromised hosts, and tracking lateral movement.
When to Use
- When conducting security assessments that involve performing red team with covenant
- 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
- Covenant C2 server deployed (Docker or .NET 6)
- Python 3.9+ with
requests library
- Covenant API token (obtained via /api/users/login)
- Written authorization for red team engagement
- Isolated lab or authorized target environment
Steps
Step 1: Authenticate to Covenant API
Obtain a JWT token by posting credentials to /api/users/login endpoint.
Step 2: Create Listener
Configure an HTTP or HTTPS listener with callback URLs and bind address.
Step 3: Generate Launcher
Create a binary, PowerShell, or MSBuild launcher tied to the listener for grunt deployment.
Step 4: Deploy and Manage Grunts
Monitor grunt callbacks, execute tasks, and collect output from compromised hosts.
Step 5: Document Operations
Generate an operations report documenting all actions, timestamps, and findings.
Expected Output
JSON report with listener configuration, active grunts, executed tasks, and task output for engagement documentation.
