The latest Windows versions are compatible with NTLM and default NTLM implementation necessitates Active Directory. Microsoft has shared instructions on mitigating PetitPotam a type of NTLM relay attack that is used against Windows domain servers or controllers. Microsoft has referred to it as the ‘classic’ NTLM (ADV210003) relay attack allowing an attacker to take over domain controller or other Windows servers.

The DoD or Department of Defense of the United States of America implements the CMMC or Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification to standardize or normalize the overall preparedness for cybersecurity across the DIB (Defense Industrial Base) of the federal government against evolving threats.

A joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) was issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently warning organizations about a Russian state-sponsored cyber-attack. The cyber actors ran arbitrary code using system privileges by exploiting a Windows Print Spooler vulnerability, “PrintNightmare.”

The widespread popularity of the containerized infrastructure backed by the advancement in technology, has made Linux the top priority as a host of the enterprise production environment. Red Hat Enterprise Linux default configuration settings which are more functionality-focused than being security-oriented, are often faced with the risk of infrastructure breaches.

Privileged account exploitation remains at the core of targeted cyber attacks. An insight into some of the most high-profile breaches reveals a highly predictable pattern. Attackers are capable of crashing through hijack credentials, network perimeter, and utilize the same for moving laterally across the entire network. They also undertake additional credentials and enhance privileges towards achieving their goals.

When the credentials are submitted for a user account logon request, audit events are generated by the operating system which is determined by the Audit Credential Validation. The events occur as follow: As in an enterprise environment, domain accounts are used more often than local accounts so most of the user logon requests are in the Domain Environment for which Domain Controllers have the authorization. So, the event volume is high on Domain Controllers and low on member servers and workstations.

UNC (Universal Naming Convention) identifies servers, printers, and other resources in the UNIX/Windows Community. The name of a computer is anteceded in a UNC path by double slashes or backslashes. Local disk or directories UNC paths are separated by a single slash or backslash.

Password storage and encryption are an essential part of your password policy. Reversible encryption is known for being vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, it is crucial to map its usage and try to avoid it as much as possible.

Netlogon Service is a Microsoft Windows Server process used to validate or authenticate users and devices in a domain. It is used to confirm the user’s identity on any particular network that the user is trying to access. Netlogon is a process, not an application, therefore it is continuously running in the background. It can be stopped either manually or by some runtime error.

CalCom has joined the Center for Internet Security Inc. (CIS®) as a CIS SecureSuite Product Vendor Member. Membership allows product vendors the right to integrate the CIS Benchmarks™ and the CIS Controls® content into their security product and service offering(s). CIS Benchmarks and the CIS Controls are globally recognized standard best practices for securing IT systems and data against the most pervasive cyber-attacks. “We see the collaboration with the CIS as only natural.