Mimikatz
Mimikatz is an open-source utility that enables viewing and saving Windows OS credentials. It can obtain passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets from memory. It is mainly used by penetration testers and cybercriminals.
credentials
passwords
hash-dumps
pin-codes
kerberos-tickets
Mimikatz: Open-Source Credential Viewer
View and save Windows OS credentials, including passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets, with Mimikatz, an open-source utility used by penetration testers and cybercriminals.
What is Mimikatz?
Mimikatz is an open-source utility that enables viewing and saving Windows operating system credentials. Developed by Benjamin Delpy, it is designed to extract plaintext passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets from memory.
Mimikatz works by directly accessing the memory of the Windows LSASS (Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) process. This allows it to obtain sensitive credential data that is otherwise not accessible through standard Windows APIs. Once launched, Mimikatz includes several commands such as:
- sekurlsa::logonPasswords - dump plaintext passwords and hashes of logged-on users
- sekurlsa::msk - retrieve the computer's service account passwords
- sekurlsa::tickets - export kerberos tickets to injectable .kirbi files
- crypto::capi - export private certificate keys
- token::elevate - get SYSTEM privileges
Due to its capability to access protected memory and export security credentials, Mimikatz is mainly used by penetration testers and cybercriminals. Penetration testers can use it to demonstrate the risk of credential theft attacks. However cybercriminal groups often abuse it to perform lateral movement, privilege escalation, and pass-the-hash attacks across compromised Windows environments.
Mimikatz Features
Features
- Extracts plaintext passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets from memory
- Can perform pass-the-hash attacks
- Can perform pass-the-ticket attacks
- Can perform Over-Pass-the-Hash attacks
- Can export security certificates
- Can perform privilege escalation and lateral movement
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Very effective at extracting credentials from memory
Useful for penetration testing engagements
Open source and free
Cons
Mainly used for malicious purposes by cybercriminals
Unethical to use on systems without permission
May be detected by antivirus/EDR solutions
Official Links
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