Mimikatz
A hacking tool used to extract passwords and credentials from Windows systems.
Understanding:
Mimikatz is an open-source security tool used to extract passwords, authentication tokens, and cryptographic keys from Windows memory. While designed for security testing, it is frequently used by attackers for credential theft and privilege escalation.
Common Applications and Use Cases:
Used in penetration testing to assess password security and authentication weaknesses.
Exploited by threat actors in credential stuffing, pass-the-hash, and pass-the-ticket attacks.
Frequently deployed in ransomware attacks to gain administrative access.
Best Practices and Security Considerations:
Enable Windows Credential Guard to protect against credential theft.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the impact of stolen credentials.
Regularly monitor logs for suspicious access attempts and privilege escalations.