🔓 1. Initial Access Isn't the Win - Escalation Is
Whether it's a phishing link, a leaked RDP login, or a credential dump - attackers usually gain access as a standard user. What happens next makes or breaks the breach.
Common escalation paths I've seen:
Unpatched privilege escalation vulnerabilities
Misconfigured local admin permissions
Stored credentials in lsass.exe or registry
Reused passwords across privileged accounts
🧠 2. Lateral Movement Is What Builds the Empire
Once they're in, attackers move fast - mapping out internal architecture using simple tools:
net view and net user /domain
WMI and PowerShell remoting
RDP hopping
Exploiting file shares with dropped payloads
Defensive tip: Most of this activity uses built-in tools and doesn't trigger alerts unless you're actively watching behavior.
🛡️ 3. How Defenders Can Catch It
What works in the field (as I share in Inside the Hacker Hunter's Toolkit):
Enable detailed PowerShell logging (and actually review it)
Use Sysmon with Sigma rules for process relationships
Build correlation rules for new service creation + admin access
Hunt for lateral movement paths using tools like BloodHound
What attackers automate, defenders must contextualize.
📘 Learn More
This is a key lesson in Inside the Hacker Hunter's Toolkit - based on real cases I've worked from breach to remediation.
📗 Grab the Toolkit book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFG7NFY7
📘 Read the mindset stories from the field: https://a.co/d/gIwvppM
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