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HackTheBox - Signed

HackTheBox - Signed

Source: YouTube · IppSec · published Feb 7, 2026 · 1:19:34

Penetration Testing
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Description

BLUF: This video analyzes the "IPS" Hack The Box machine, highlighting the difficulty of securing Microsoft SQL and showcasing unintended attack paths that bypass intended solutions 0:07.

Key Takeaways:
• The intended path involves using xp_dirtree to steal the NTLM hash, forging a Silver Ticket, and exploiting a patched NTLM reflection technique to escalate to root 0:07.
• Microsoft SQL is notoriously difficult to secure, leading to numerous unintended exploitation paths for attackers 0:22.
• A common unintended solution involves correctly forging a Silver Ticket to abuse a SQL command that allows reading files as the system account 0:27.
• Many users solve the box by simply reading the root.txt file via this file read vulnerability, often missing more complex exploitation methods 0:34.
• The video hints at older methods for stealing initial process tokens via named pipes, suggesting deeper technical layers to the challenge 0:41.

The demonstration emphasizes that while intended paths exist, the complexity of SQL Server configurations often allows for simpler, albeit unintended, routes to privilege escalation.

Sources:

  • 0:07 Overview of the intended path for the IPS box.
  • 0:22 Discussion on the inherent security challenges of Microsoft SQL.
  • 0:27 Explanation of the file read vulnerability via Silver Ticket.
  • 0:34 Mention of the common shortcut to root flag.
  • 0:41 Teaser for alternat

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Estimated credit: 1.5 CPE hours

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Topic: Penetration Testing. Commonly maps to: Security Assessment and Testing, Security Operations. Exact CISSP domains are assigned during generation.

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First 800 characters of the transcript

What's going on YouTube? This is IPS doing signed from hack the box which is a really cool assumed breach box that focuses on Microsoft SQL. The intended path was to use XP dert tree to steal the NLM hash of the service account running Microsoft SQL forge a silver ticket enable XPCMD shell and abuse a now patched NLM reflection technique to escalate to root. That's cool. But Microsoft SQL in general is a very tough service to secure which leads to a lot of unintended paths. here. If we forge the silver ticket correctly, we can abuse a SQL command that lets us read files as the system account. And this is how I think many people solve the box. They just read root.ext, put in the website, and consider it a day. However, there's a very old method to steal the initial token of your process via…