Forest: identity, permissions and replication
An English summary of the documented HTB Forest lab, with explicit evidence and limits.
Updated
HTB FOREST · ACTIVE DIRECTORY · DOCUMENTED LAB RETROSPECTIVE
The case at a glance
- Problem
- Disabled Kerberos pre-authentication and delegated permissions connect successive access steps.
- Decision
- Separate identity, memberships and permissions to explain the right behind each step.
- Evidence
- The guide documents AS-REP, WinRM, group relations, WriteDacl and DCSync.
- Result
- Access as Administrator through Pass-the-Hash after DCSync, as described in the guide.
- Limit
- No original AS-REP or exported ACLs. DCSync does not establish Domain Admins membership or a retest.
1. Establish the Kerberos condition
The guide enumerates users and documents AS-REP material for svc-alfresco, followed by password recovery with a dictionary and access through WinRM. The response supports the pre-authentication observation; the account name does not.
Boundary: the original AS-REP is not included. The encrypted material is not simply a one-way password hash.
2. Follow each permission edge
The documentation connects nested memberships, control over Exchange Windows Permissions and WriteDacl on the domain. That chain explains how replication rights could be granted.
Boundary: exported ACLs and the collection archive are not part of the public dossier. The guide’s BloodHound CE adaptation is editorial.
Source: memberships and permissions (Spanish)3. Describe the final capability accurately
The guide describes DCSync, material associated with RID 500 and access as Administrator through Pass-the-Hash. Replication rights and membership in Domain Admins are distinct capabilities; one does not automatically establish the other.
Proposed remediation: review the relevant ACLs and group memberships, require Kerberos pre-authentication where appropriate and rotate exposed credentials. Their effectiveness is not a published retest result.
Source: replication and final access (Spanish)