Skip to main content

Hash It Out: NTLM's Last Stand in the Credential Wars

 

Exploring the SCF File NTLM Hash Disclosure Vulnerability

While this isn’t a direct post about my cyber lab, it is certainly cyber-related. I recently started using the Cyware social platform to stay updated on the latest breaches and attack trends. Cyware aggregates articles from sources like Hacker News and Bleeping Computer, which is where today’s featured article comes from.

About Cyware

I find the platform to be insightful and it has lots of information about the vulnerabilities, attacks and general cybersecurity news one of the things I like about the platform is the fact that it brings together a vast number of third-party sources in one place, so I don’t have to go and look through several websites and platforms

 I like the features that cyware offer I can customise my feed, so I see article that are of interest to me, I find it very easy to search for content on a specific subject using the search function.

I am still exploring the cyware platform but on the whole, I like how it brings so much information to one place.

The article I found

The article I came across today was about a Windows NTLM zero-day vulnerability. This article, written by Sergiu Gatlan on Bleeping Computer, which can be found here https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-windows-zero-day-leaks-ntlm-hashes-gets-unofficial-patch/?&web_view=true. It sheds light on a fascinating discovery by 0Patch security researchers. If you're curious, you can check out the blog post by 0Patch for more details here https://blog.0patch.com/2025/03/scf-file-ntlm-hash-disclosure.html

What makes this vulnerability so intriguing is how it works. Attackers can exploit it simply by tricking users into viewing malicious files in Windows Explorer—whether on removable media like a USB drive or viewing the download folder where a file from the attacker’s website had previously been automatically downloaded. The vulnerability doesn’t currently have a CVE score, and while it’s not classified as critical, its simplicity and potential impact are noteworthy.

Takeaways and Advice

Reflecting on this vulnerability, there are several key lessons to consider:

·       Temporary protection: Until Microsoft releases an official fix, applying the micro patch from 0Patch is an essential step to safeguard your system. While Microsoft has stated that they plan to start to deprecate NTLM in early 2025, full removal is expected by 2027 which is two years.

·       Reduce reliance on NTLM: NTLM authentication has its security limitations, such as vulnerability to relay and pass-the-hash attacks. Organizations should evaluate alternative authentication methods and aim to phase out NTLM where feasible. Kerberos is the successor to NTLM in directory environments

·       Awareness and caution: Educating users about the risks of interacting with unknown files, especially on removable media or downloads, can go a long way in preventing such exploits. Which is quite possibly one of the most important things you can do to educate end users.

·       Strengthen defences: Implementing robust network security measures like segmentation and monitoring can minimize the impact of credential theft.

I’m always curious to hear your thoughts, do you have any insights or opinions on the topics I share?

Labels:
Location: Telford, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Root of the Problem: Linux Flaws That Give Attackers Admin Rights

 I realised that I haven’t posted to my blog in a long time and this week an article about CVE’s in linux caught my eye and that was the perfect excuse to write another blog post. Cybersecurity researchers at Qualys have uncovered two critical local privilege escalation (LPE) flaws that are shaking the foundations of Linux security. These aren't your run-of-the-mill vulnerabilities; we're talking about direct, express lanes to full root access on major Linux distributions. If you use Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE Leap 15, or SUSE Linux Enterprise 15, you need to pay close attention. The Double Threat: CVE-2025-6018 & CVE-2025-6019 An article detailing the CVE’s can be found at the link below ( CVE-2025-6018 and CVE-2025-6019 Vulnerability Exploitation: Chaining Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Lets Attackers Gain Root Access on Most Linux Distributions | SOC Prime )     Qualys has pulled back the curtain on two distinct, yet chainable, vulnerabilit...
Post a Comment
Read more

From OVA to Rocky: My Wazuh Upgrade Story

  In this blog post I will be covering something I’ve covered in a previous blog post, but I’ve decided to change my home lab and put my Wazuh SIEM on a standalone rocky linux, there are several reasons I chose to do this, Performance & Scalability: The OVA VM is a pre-built virtual machine that may not be optimized for high availability or scalability. A dedicated instance on Rocky Linux allows for better resource allocation and tuning. Customization & Flexibility: The OVA VM comes with predefined configurations. Running Wazuh on Rocky Linux gives you full control over system settings, security policies, and software updates. Compatibility & Stability: Rocky Linux is a stable, enterprise-grade OS, and Wazuh has been tested for compatibility with newer versions like Rocky Linux 9.3. This ensures long-term support and reliability. Security & Isolation: A dedicated instance provides better security isolation compared to a shared virtualized environment. You can impl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Up the Wazuh: A SIEM-ple Adventure in Troubleshooting

Initial setup To start  I downloaded the .osa file from the  wazuh website ( https://wazuh.com ) and then installed it in my virtualbox hypervisor. Then I booted up my fedora linux VM and the wazuh VM with the dashboard and manager on.  After I had logged in to the wazuh VM with the default credentials I used the ip a command to find out the ip address of the wazuh VM. As from reading the documentation I’d need this later. In my fedora VM I opened a terminal and used the commands on the wazuh website to install the agent on the VM. After some time the installation was completed and I had to update the. conf file with the IP address of the wazuh manager. This is important because  the file is a generic file that needs to be modified to make it specific to each individual setup.  All was going well up to this point. I tried to get the fedora VM to talk to the wazuh VM. The problems I encountered It was here the problems started when I tried to pi...
Post a Comment
Read more