Ad Recon

AD Recon — Host Discovery & Enumeration Kill Chain

Architecture

scripts/
├── common_ad.sh    # Shared functions (logging, has_tool, phase_done, emit_summary)
└── ad_enum.sh      # PHASES 1-2: host discovery + unauthenticated + authenticated enumeration

Each script:

• Accepts [USERNAME] [PASSWORD_OR_HASH] [--phase=N] as args
• Uses checkpoints (.phase_X.done) — re-run safely without repeating completed phases
• Emits a JSON summary via ---AD_SUMMARY_JSON--- markers for Claude to parse
• Handles missing tools gracefully — skips with warning, never crashes

---

Initial Setup — Gather Required Information

Before running anything, ensure you have:

DC_IP    = IP of the Domain Controller (e.g., 192.168.1.10)
DOMAIN   = FQDN of the domain (e.g., corp.local)
USERNAME = domain user (optional — Phases 1 and 2 work unauthenticated)
PASSWORD = plaintext password (optional)
NTLM_HASH = LM:NT hash (optional, alternative to password)

If any of these are unknown, ask the user before proceeding.

DC_IP="10.10.10.100"
DOMAIN="corp.local"
USERNAME=""        # leave empty for unauthenticated phases
PASSWORD=""        # leave empty if using hash
NTLM_HASH=""       # format: LM:NT or just :NT

PROJECT=$(echo "$DOMAIN" | sed 's/\./-/g' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
OUT="$(pwd)/$PROJECT"
SCRIPTS="$HOME/.claude/skills/ad-recon/scripts"

mkdir -p "$OUT"/{enum,hashes,bloodhound}

Create progress tasks with TaskCreate:

"PHASE 1 — Host Discovery & Service Scan"
"PHASE 2 — Unauthenticated Enumeration (null sessions, LDAP, kerbrute)"
"PHASE 2auth — Authenticated Enumeration (ldapdomaindump, BloodHound, SPN/AS-REP lists)"
"PHASE 3 — Report & Attack Surface Summary"

Mark each task in_progress when starting, completed when done.

---

Tool Priority

1. CLI — always first

nmap / rustscan          — host and port discovery
enum4linux-ng            — SMB/LDAP null session enumeration (preferred over enum4linux)
rpcclient                — null session: user/group enumeration
smbclient                — null session: share listing
ldapsearch               — anonymous LDAP bind, base DN discovery
kerbrute                 — user enumeration via Kerberos pre-auth (no account needed)
crackmapexec / netexec   — credential validation, SMB/LDAP/WinRM enumeration
ldapdomaindump           — full LDAP dump (requires valid creds)
bloodhound-python        — AD graph data collection (requires valid creds)
impacket-GetNPUsers      — identify AS-REP roastable accounts
impacket-GetUserSPNs     — identify Kerberoastable SPNs

2. MCPs (when available)

mcp__hexstrike-ai__*     — nmap_scan, enum4linux_ng_advanced, netexec_scan, rpcclient_enumeration, nbtscan_netbios
mcp__Notion__*           — publish final recon report

3. Manual fallbacks (no tools required)

rpcclient -U "" -N  -c "enumdomusers"
ldapsearch -x -H ldap:// -b "" -s base namingContexts
smbclient -L // -N

---

Operational Rules

• Never install tools without explicit permission
• Connectivity first: always verify ping -c 1 $DC_IP before running scripts
• Lockout awareness: kerbrute user enumeration does NOT attempt passwords — safe to run
• Password spraying is NOT part of this skill — that belongs in ad-exploitation
• BloodHound collection can be noisy — warn user before running in sensitive environments
• Kerberos time skew: if Kerberos errors occur, sync clock with sudo ntpdate $DC_IP
• Windows commands: PowerShell/net/cmd commands run on Windows targets only — present clearly labeled as "run on target"

---

PHASE 1 — Host Discovery & Service Scan

bash "$SCRIPTS/ad_enum.sh" "$DC_IP" "$DOMAIN" "$OUT" --phase=1

What it runs:

• ping -c 1 $DC_IP — connectivity check
• nmap ping sweep of /24 around DC_IP (finds other DCs, servers, workstations)
• nmap service scan of DC_IP on AD-critical ports: 53, 88, 135, 139, 389, 445, 464, 593, 636, 1433, 3268, 3269, 3389, 5985, 5986, 9389
• rustscan fast full port scan if available

Read JSON summary. Flag key ports and note potential attack paths:

| Port | Service | Attack implication | |------|---------|-------------------| | 88 | Kerberos | AS-REP Roasting, Kerberoasting | | 389/636 | LDAP/LDAPS | enumeration, BloodHound | | 445 | SMB | null sessions, pass-the-hash, relay | | 5985/5986 | WinRM | evil-winrm lateral movement | | 3389 | RDP | xfreerdp/rdesktop | | 1433 | MSSQL | xp_cmdshell, linked servers |

Output: $OUT/enum/nmap_dc.txt, $OUT/enum/live_hosts.txt

---

PHASE 2 — Unauthenticated Enumeration

bash "$SCRIPTS/ad_enum.sh" "$DC_IP" "$DOMAIN" "$OUT" --phase=2

What it runs:

Null sessions

• enum4linux-ng -A — users, groups, shares, password policy, OS info
• rpcclient -U "" -N — enumdomusers, enumdomgroups, querydominfo
• smbclient -L // -N — list shares
• Extract usernames → $OUT/enum/users_rpcclient.txt

LDAP anonymous bind

• ldapsearch -x -H ldap://$DC_IP -b "" -s base namingContexts
• Identify base DN, available naming contexts
• Output: $OUT/enum/ldap_anon.txt

Kerbrute user enumeration

• Searches common SecLists userlist paths automatically
• kerbrute userenum -d $DOMAIN --dc $DC_IP
• Extracts valid usernames → $OUT/enum/users.txt
• Note: this only checks if users exist — no password attempts

Read JSON summary. Report total users found and password policy (lockout threshold matters for Phase 1 of ad-exploitation).

Output: $OUT/enum/users.txt — this file feeds directly into ad-exploitation Phase 1 (AS-REP Roasting).

---

PHASE 2auth — Authenticated Enumeration

Requires USERNAME + PASSWORD or NTLM_HASH.

bash "$SCRIPTS/ad_enum.sh" "$DC_IP" "$DOMAIN" "$OUT" "$USERNAME" "$PASSWORD" --phase=2auth
# OR with hash:
bash "$SCRIPTS/ad_enum.sh" "$DC_IP" "$DOMAIN" "$OUT" "$USERNAME" "$NTLM_HASH" --phase=2auth

What it runs:

Credential validation

• crackmapexec/netexec: smb $DC_IP -u $USERNAME -p $PASSWORD
• Confirms creds are valid before proceeding

Full LDAP data collection

• ldapdomaindump — dumps all users, groups, computers, GPOs, trusts to $OUT/enum/ldap/
• Key files: domain_users.html, domain_groups.html, domain_computers.html, domain_trusts.html

BloodHound data collection

• bloodhound-python -d $DOMAIN -u $USERNAME -p $PASSWORD -dc $DC_IP -c All --zip
• Output: $OUT/bloodhound/*.zip — import into BloodHound GUI for attack path analysis
• If bloodhound-python not available → suggest SharpHound.exe on Windows target

Attack candidate identification

• impacket-GetNPUsers — accounts with UF_DONT_REQUIRE_PREAUTH (AS-REP roastable) → $OUT/hashes/asrep_hashes.txt
• impacket-GetUserSPNs — accounts with SPNs (Kerberoastable) → $OUT/hashes/kerberoast_hashes.txt

Read JSON summary. Flag:

• Number of AS-REP roastable accounts (exploitable without knowing any password)
• Number of Kerberoastable SPNs
• BloodHound zip ready for import

---

PHASE 3 — Report & Attack Surface Summary

Consolidate all output into a structured report:

## AD RECON REPORT — [DOMAIN] — [DATE]
## DC: $DC_IP  |  Output: $OUT

### Environment
- Domain FQDN: [domain]
- DC IP: [ip]
- Additional DCs/servers found: [list from nmap sweep]
- Trust relationships: [from ldapdomaindump/enum4linux]

### Attack Surface
- Users enumerated: [count] → $OUT/enum/users.txt
- Password policy: [lockout threshold, min length, duration]
- Accessible shares (null session): [list]
- SMB signing: [enabled/disabled — disabled = relay attack possible]

### Exploitation Candidates (hand off to ad-exploitation)
1. [CRITICAL] AS-REP roastable accounts: [count] — no creds required
2. [HIGH] Kerberoastable SPNs: [count, accounts]
3. [HIGH] BloodHound data collected → import and run: Shortest Path to Domain Admins
4. [MEDIUM] Null session access — password policy retrieved (lockout: [N] attempts)
5. [INFO] Open ports suggesting attack paths: [list]

### Next Step
Load ad-exploitation skill with:
  DC_IP="$DC_IP"
  DOMAIN="$DOMAIN"
  RECON_OUT="$OUT"
  USERNAME=""

If Notion MCP is available, publish with mcp__Notion__notion-create-pages.

---

Evidence Capture

Save evidence from each recon phase to $OUT/evidence/. Essential for documenting the attack surface found.

mkdir -p "$OUT/evidence"

# Terminal screenshot (macOS)
screencapture -x "$OUT/evidence/recon_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)_$DESCRIPTION.png"

# Terminal screenshot (Linux)
scrot "$OUT/evidence/recon_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)_$DESCRIPTION.png"

What to capture per phase:

• Phase 1 (Host Discovery): nmap output with open ports on DC + live host list
• Phase 2 (Unauth Enum): enum4linux-ng output (shares, users, password policy) + rpcclient user list
• Phase 2auth (Auth Enum): ldapdomaindump — open HTML in browser and screenshot domain_users.html + domain_computers.html; BloodHound — capture "Shortest Paths to Domain Admins" graph before closing the GUI

BloodHound GUI:

1. Import $OUT/bloodhound/*.zip
2. Click "Shortest Paths to Domain Admins"
3. Right-click the graph → Export → save as $OUT/evidence/bloodhound_path_to_DA.png

Submit to Notion:

mcp__Notion__notion-create-pages  — create AD recon page with attack surface
mcp__Notion__notion-update-page   — attach nmap output, user list, BloodHound screenshot

---

MCP Integration (when available)

hexstrike-ai / Kali MCP (mcp__hexstrike-ai__*)

Use for: nmap_scan, nmap_advanced_scan, enum4linux_ng_advanced, netexec_scan, rpcclient_enumeration, nbtscan_netbios, smbmap_scan.

Notion (mcp__Notion__*)

Publish recon report. Create a subpage for exploitation candidates.

---

Execution Modes

| Mode | When to use | What runs | |------|-------------|-----------| | --quick | Fast initial footprint | Phase 1 + Phase 2 (unauthenticated only) | | --full | Full recon | Phases 1 + 2 + 2auth | | --unauth | No credentials — OSINT only | Phases 1 + 2 only | | --authenticated | Already have creds | Phase 2auth only |

---

Operational Notes

• Output linkage: $OUT/enum/users.txt and $OUT/hashes/asrep_hashes.txt feed directly into ad-exploitation — point RECON_OUT="$OUT" when loading that skill
• BloodHound import: after collection, open BloodHound GUI → Database Info → Upload Data → select $OUT/bloodhound/*.zip
• Token efficiency: scripts emit only JSON summaries — do not read full tool output into Claude context
• Kerberos clock skew: if impacket errors with KRB_AP_ERR_SKEW, run sudo ntpdate $DC_IP

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: DouglasRao
• Source: DouglasRao/Claude-Pentest-Skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.