Sean Metcalf

I improve security for enterprises around the world working for TrimarcSecurity.com Read the About page (top left) for information about me. :) https://adsecurity.org/?page_id=8

Author's posts

Authentication Problems in an Environment with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Domain Controllers

Why this happens: The Kerberos client depends on a “salt” from the KDC in order to create the AES keys on the client side. These AES keys are used to hash the password that the user enters on the client, and protect it in transit over the wire so that it can’t be intercepted and …

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PowerShell: Get all Active Directory Sites based on Domain

Get all Active Directory Sites based on Domain.   $DomainSiteFilter = “DomainA” Write-Output “Get AD Site List `r” $ADSites = [System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.Forest]::GetCurrentForest().Sites [int]$ADSitesCount = $ADSites.Count Write-Output “There are $ADSitesCount AD Sites in the forest `r” $DomainADSites = $ADSites | where {$_.Domains -like “*$DomainSiteFilter*”} | sort-object name [int]$DomainADSitesCount = $DomainADSites.Count Write-Output “There are $DomainADSitesCount AD Sites matching …

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Microsoft DirectAccess

Microsoft DirectAcess has made great strides in Windows Server 2012. Key Points: First available with Windows Server 2008 R2. Built-in client support for Windows 7 and newer. Provides always-connected connection to corporate network (connects before the user logs on). Leverages IPV6 and 6to4 tunneling (additional configuration required when using Windows Server 2008 R2 as the …

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PowerShell: Determine PowerShell Version

$PSVersionTable.PSVersion If the variable doesn’t exist, then the system is running version 1.0.

Real-Time World Hack Map

This is an incredible map of the world that shows real-time network attacks. The animation makes it look like something out of the movie, “WarGames.” Most impressive. http://map.ipviking.com/?_ga=1.106938115.1477390587.1388686673#  

PowerShell: Using Active Directory .Net methods in PowerShell Part 1

There are times you don’t have access to the Active Directory PowerShell cmdlets. One of the great things about PowerShell is the ability to use .Net in PowerShell scripts. For more, check out Part 2. Here are some alternatives to using Get-ADForest & Get-Domain:   # Get Active Directory Forest Information $ADForestInfo = [System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.Forest]::GetCurrentForest() $ADForestInfo.Name …

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PowerShell: Get the Dates When the Active Directory Schema Was Updated

  The Microsoft Scripting Guys blog has a great article on determining when schema updates were performed along with some information about the schema changes – at least enough to see if it was an Exchange update.   ########################### # Get Schema Update Dates # ########################### # Code from: http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2012/01/05/how-to-find-active-directory-schema-update-history-by-using-powershell.aspx write-output “Reading all schema data… …

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LSASS Crashing, CNF Objects May Be the Cause

What Happens and How Do I Know if I’m Affected? When CNF mangled NTDS settings objects are created, the Lsass.exe process may crash and unexpectedly reboot one or more domain controllers. So there is a pretty good chance you’ll know about it. You may not know the root cause of the crash. More specifically though …

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PowerShell: Get Active Directory Instantiation Date

  The Scripting Guys blog posted a very useful script on how to determine when the Active Directory Forest was stood up.   ############################# # Get AD Instantiation Date # ############################# # Code from: http://blogs.technet.com/b/heyscriptingguy/archive/2012/01/05/how-to-find-active-directory-schema-update-history-by-using-powershell.aspx write-output “Checking Active Directory Creation Date… ” `r write-output “Displaying AD partition creation information ” `r Import-Module ActiveDirectory Get-ADObject -SearchBase …

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PowerShell: Using a HashTable to Identify Active Directory Schema & Exchange Version

It’s easy to get the Active Directory schema version as well as the installed Exchange (schema) version by using the Active Directory PowerShell cmdlet, Get-ADObject. This script leverages a built-out HashTable to perform a lookup against the version numbers. ################################### # Create Schema Version Hashtable # 20140606-14 ################################### Write-Verbose “Create Schema Version HashTable `r ” …

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