In the scenario where a penetration tester uses the PrintNightmare exploit to create a new user with administrative privileges but still experiences low-privilege access, the tester should log off and log on with the new "hacker" account to escalate privileges correctly.
PrintNightmare Exploit:
PrintNightmare (CVE-2021-34527) is a vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service that allows remote code execution and local privilege escalation.
The provided commands are intended to exploit this vulnerability to create a new user with administrative privileges.
Commands Breakdown:
Import-Module .\PrintNightmare.ps1: Loads the PrintNightmare exploit script.
Invoke-Nightmare -NewUser "hacker" -NewPassword "Password123!" -DriverName "Print": Executes the exploit, creating a new user "hacker" with administrative privileges.
Issue:
The tester still experiences low privileges despite running the exploit successfully.
This could be due to the current session not reflecting the new privileges.
Solution:
Logging off and logging back on with the new "hacker" account will start a new session with the updated administrative privileges.
This ensures that the new privileges are applied correctly.
Pentest References:
Privilege Escalation: After gaining initial access, escalating privileges is crucial to gain full control over the target system.
Session Management: Understanding how user sessions work and ensuring that new privileges are recognized by starting a new session.
The use of the PrintNightmare exploit highlights a specific technique for privilege escalation within Windows environments.
By logging off and logging on with the new "hacker" account, the penetration tester can ensure the new administrative privileges are fully applied, allowing for further enumeration and exploitation of the target system.
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