EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v12System Hacking Phases and Attack TechniquesMedium
A red team operator has successfully established a foothold on an internal network segment. To avoid detection by network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) and maintain a low profile while moving laterally, the operator decides to use a legitimate administrative tool, PsExec, to execute commands on other Windows machines within the domain. Which system hacking concept is this an example of?
- APrivilege Escalation
- BPersistence
- CCommand and Control (C2)
- DLateral Movement
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Lateral Movement
Lateral movement refers to techniques that cyber attackers use to progressively move deeper into a network after gaining initial access. Using tools like PsExec to execute commands on other machines further into the network, as described, is a classic example of lateral movement.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Privilege escalation is about gaining higher privileges on the *current* system.
- B. Persistence is about maintaining access to a single system, not moving between systems.
- C. C2 is about communicating with the attacker's infrastructure, not directly moving between internal targets.
Lateral Movement
The technique used by attackers to navigate through a compromised network, moving from one system to another to gain access to more valuable assets or expand their control.
- Often involves exploiting legitimate credentials or vulnerabilities.
- Aims to reach high-value targets or establish broader control.
- Tools like PsExec, Windows Admin Shares, and RDP are commonly used.
Memory trick: After 'getting in', you need to 'move around' to find what you want.