The "Kerberoasting: Targeted Weak Cipher Response" detection helps security teams identify scenarios where a Kerberos service ticket is issued with a weak cipher, which is atypical for the requesting host. This detection indicates potential reconnaissance or credential harvesting aimed at escalating privileges within the organization’s network.
Attackers may deliberately request service tickets with weak encryption types as part of a Kerberoasting attack. This tactic allows them to harvest service ticket hashes, which can be cracked offline to obtain service account passwords. If successful, this can facilitate lateral movement and privilege escalation.
Some legacy systems may still rely on weak ciphers due to outdated encryption protocols. These older systems might require the use of such ciphers for their operations. While not inherently malicious, it underscores the importance of ensuring these systems are patched and associated accounts are safeguarded with complex, frequently changed passwords.
A service ticket request is made to a legacy application that uses weak encryption, potentially raising the alarm due to the presence of a modern host requesting the ticket.
An attacker, having gained limited access, specifically requests tickets with weak ciphers to speed up password cracking and escalate privileges.
If this detection indicates a genuine threat, the organization faces significant risks:
A successful Kerberoasting attack can reveal passwords for privileged service accounts, enabling attackers to compromise systems and escalate their privileges.
If a service account with high privileges, such as domain admin, is compromised, it could lead to a complete domain takeover.
The use of weak encryption highlights vulnerabilities that could be exploited in more comprehensive attacks targeting the organization’s infrastructure.
Review the host and user involved when weak ciphers are returned, ensuring this behavior is not standard for the given service or host.
Identify the type of cipher used and verify whether its usage aligns with organizational security standards.
Confirm the privilege level of the service account involved and assess whether it poses a significant risk if compromised.
Verify that service accounts have cryptographically secure passwords that are regularly rotated to mitigate the risk of successful password cracking.
An attack where service ticket hashes are extracted from Kerberos, allowing offline password cracking.
Investigate the event, analyze the involved host and accounts, and ensure strong passwords and updated security patches are in place.
Disable weak encryption types, enforce complex passwords, and update systems to support modern ciphers.
Older algorithms such as RC4 or less secure implementations of AES may be flagged as weak.
Only after verifying malicious activity. Disabling without confirmation could disrupt legitimate operations.
They make it easier for attackers to break encryption and crack passwords using collected ticket data.
Yes, legacy systems that use outdated encryption protocols might trigger this detection.
Not necessarily; it may reflect normal behavior in older systems. However, it warrants review to rule out malicious activity.
It is part of reconnaissance and credential harvesting efforts that may precede lateral movement.
Common password-cracking tools include John the Ripper and Hashcat.