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To further enumerate users on a Windows machine using native operating system commands, the tester should use net.exe commands. The net command is a versatile tool that provides various network functionalities, including user enumeration.

net.exe:

net user: This command displays a list of user accounts on the local machine.

net user

net localgroup: This command lists all local groups, and by specifying a group name, it can list the members of that group.

net localgroup administrators

Enumerating Users:

List All Users: The net user command provides a comprehensive list of all user accounts configured on the system.

Group Memberships: The net localgroup command can be used to see which users belong to specific groups, such as administrators.

Pentest References:

Post-Exploitation: After gaining initial access, enumerating user accounts helps understand the structure and potential targets for privilege escalation.

Windows Commands: Leveraging built-in commands like net for enumeration ensures that no additional tools need to be uploaded to the target system, reducing the risk of detection.

Using net.exe commands, the penetration tester can effectively enumerate user accounts and group memberships on the compromised Windows machine, aiding in further exploitation and privilege escalation.

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An external assessment focuses on testing the security of internet-facing services. Here’s why option C is correct:

External Assessment: It involves evaluating the security posture of services exposed to the internet, such as web servers, mail servers, and other public-facing infrastructure. The goal is to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers from outside the organization’s network.

Segmentation: This type of assessment focuses on ensuring that different parts of a network are appropriately segmented to limit the spread of attacks. It’s more relevant to internal network architecture.

Mobile: This assessment targets mobile applications and devices, not general internet-facing services.

Web: While web assessments focus on web applications, the scope of an external assessment is broader and includes all types of internet-facing services.

References from Pentest:

Horizontall HTB: Highlights the importance of assessing external services to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited from outside the network​​.

Luke HTB: Demonstrates the process of evaluating public-facing services to ensure their security​​.

Conclusion:

Option C, External, is the most appropriate type of assessment for targeting internet-facing services used by the client.

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At the end of a penetration test, handling sensitive data properly ensures compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical guidelines.

Securely destroy or remove all engagement-related data (Option B):

Ensures confidentiality of test results.

Prevents unauthorized access to client information.

Methods include secure wiping tools (shred, sdelete), and encrypted storage deletion.

An on-path attack (previously known as MITM – Man-in-the-Middle) allows an attacker to intercept and modify communication between two parties.

ARP poisoning (Option B):

Attackers send fake ARP replies to associate their MAC address with the IP address of a legitimate device (e.g., gateway).

This forces traffic to flow through the attacker's system, enabling packet capture and manipulation.

Tools like Ettercap, Bettercap, and ARP spoofing scripts are commonly used.