In this section of the course,
we'll focus on the tools and techniques
that enable us to perform authentication attacks.
Authentication attacks target the mechanisms
that verify user identities to gain unauthorized access
to systems and data.
These attacks focus on exploiting weaknesses
in password management, authentication protocols,
and other identity verification methods used
in networks and applications,
making it an important concept to understand
in regards to penetration testing.
The domain in this section will be centered
around Domain 4: Attacks and Exploits.
Objective 4.2, 4.3, and 4.5 will be our main focus
in this section.
Objective 4.2 states that given a scenario,
we must be able to perform network attacks
using the appropriate tools.
Objective 4.3 states that given a scenario,
we must be able to perform authentication attacks
using the appropriate tools.
And lastly, Objective 4.5 states that given a scenario,
we must be able to perform web application attacks
using the appropriate tools.
We'll kick things off in our first lesson
by discussing Types of Password Attacks,
exploring the various methods attackers use
to compromise passwords,
including brute force, dictionary attacks, and key logging.
Next, we'll have a hands-on demo,
showcasing different types of Password Cracking Tools
like John the Ripper and Hashcat that are used
to crack weak passwords very fast.
Passwords brand will be covered next,
where we'll discuss how this form of attack attempts
to access a large number of accounts
with a few commonly used passwords.
Following that, Password Masking Attack will be explored,
focusing on techniques that manipulate password input fields
to trick users into revealing their passwords.
Credential Stuffing Attacks will then be discussed,
which involve automated injection of breach,
username, and password repairs
in order to fraudulently gain access to user accounts.
Credential Passing Attacks will be examined next,
allowing us to look at methods such as pass the hash
or pass the ticket attacks
that exploit authentication protocols to impersonate users.
Following that, we will have a lesson
on Multi-factor Authentication Fatigue,
which will explain how attackers can bypass MFA
by bombarding a user with authentication request
they inadvertently approve an access attempt.
Then, a lesson on Directory Service Attacks will follow,
focusing on attacks against directory services
like Kerberos or Active Directory,
which can compromise the credentials and identities
of all users in the organization.
We will then jump into a demo using CrackMapExec,
also known as CME,
which will provide insights
into the tool's ability to automate the assessment
of the security posture of a network system,
often used to exploit vulnerabilities in SMB,
enumerate users and things like that.
Following that, SAML attacks will be discussed
to demonstrate how attackers can exploit vulnerabilities
in a security assertion markup language,
single sign-on process for unauthorized access.
OpenID Connect Attacks we explore next
to understand the weaknesses in OIDC implementations
that can be used to impersonate users
or steal sensitive information.
And to wrap things up in our last lesson,
Hash Attacks will be examined,
detailing methods
to exploit poorly implemented hash functions used
for storing passwords,
potentially revealing user credentials
using collision techniques.
And finally, we'll take a short quiz
to see what you learned on this section of the course
and review each of those quiz questions fully
to assure you can explain why each answer was right.
So if you're ready to learn how
to exploit authentication vulnerabilities,
let's begin this section of the course.