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WindowsActive DirectoryMicrosoft
Last edited time
May 27, 2024 7:34 AM
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👉 Overview
👀 What ?
Windows Diamond Ticket is a security concept related to Microsoft's Active Directory (AD). It refers to a Kerberos ticket-granting-ticket (TGT) that has a lifetime of 10 years and is renewable. The Diamond Ticket is not a built-in feature, but rather a theoretical concept of a Kerberos ticket with unusually powerful properties.
🧐 Why ?
Understanding the concept of Windows Diamond Ticket is crucial because it helps in understanding the depth of security risks associated with the misuse of Kerberos tickets in Active Directory environments. If such a ticket would fall into the wrong hands, it could allow an attacker to maintain persistence in an enterprise network for a very long period, leading to severe security breaches.
⛏️ How ?
The concept of the Windows Diamond Ticket is not something to be implemented or used, rather it is a security risk to be mitigated. Secure practices should be followed to protect your Active Directory environment, such as limiting the number of high-privileged accounts, using secure passwords, monitoring unusual activity, and regularly reviewing and revoking unnecessary Kerberos tickets.
⏳ When ?
The concept of the Windows Diamond Ticket has been discussed in the cybersecurity community for several years, but it gained more attention with the rise of advanced persistent threats and sophisticated cyber attacks targeting Active Directory.
⚙️ Technical Explanations
The Windows Diamond Ticket is based on the Microsoft's implementation of the Kerberos authentication protocol in Active Directory. In this protocol, a client receives a ticket-granting-ticket (TGT) from the Key Distribution Center (KDC), which they can then use to request service tickets for accessing various resources. Normally, these tickets have a limited lifetime and need to be periodically renewed. However, the concept of a Diamond Ticket refers to a TGT with a lifetime of 10 years and renewable, which means it could be used to request service tickets indefinitely. This could lead to severe security risks if such a ticket is obtained by an attacker.