PowerShell has changed the way Windows networks are attacked. It is Microsoft's shell and scripting language available by default in all modern Windows computers. It can interact with .NET, WMI, COM, Windows API, Registry and other computers on a Windows network. This makes it imperative for Penetration Testers and Red Teamers to learn PowerShell. This talk looks at various attacks and tasks performed by penetration testers and red teamers during different phases of an assessment and utilize PowerShell to make them easy and much more powerful. Various techniques like in-memory shellcode execution from a Word macro, dumping system secrets in plain, using innovative communication channels, lateral movement, network relays, using Metasploit payloads without detection etc. would be discussed.
Nikhil Mittal (Twitter: @nikhil_mitt) is a hacker, infosec researcher, speaker and enthusiast. His area of interest includes penetration testing, attack research, defence strategies and post exploitation research. He has 6+ years of experience in penetration testing for his clients which include many global corporate giants. He is also a member of red teams of selected clients. He specializes in assessing security risks at secure environments which require novel attack vectors and "out of the box" approach. He has worked extensively on using Human Interface Device in Penetration Tests and PowerShell for post exploitation. He is creator of Kautilya, a toolkit which makes it easy to use Teensy in penetration tests and Nishang, a post exploitation framework in PowerShell. In his spare time, Nikhil researches on new attack methodologies and updates his tools and frameworks. He has spoken at conferences including DEF CON, BlackHat USA, BlackHat Europe, RSA China, and EuSecWest.