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Kerberos

Active Directory & Windows Security

Simple

Kerberos is a building block of "Active Directory & Windows Security". In plain terms: domains, kerberos, ntlm, group policy, ad attack paths and ad hardening. This topic focuses specifically on kerberos and the core ideas you need to understand it.

Technical

Technically, Kerberos involves the mechanisms, data structures and protocols that underpin active directory & windows security. You will study how it is implemented, how it is configured, how it fails, and how its behavior shows up in logs, traffic or code.

Why it matters

Active Directory runs identity for most enterprises; it is the primary target in internal breaches.

Example

In a real organization, professionals working in internal pentesting, red teaming, identity security, soc. rely on kerberos to make decisions — for example, explaining an alert, hardening a system, or writing a finding in a report.

Practice idea

Build a small lab in a VM and experiment with kerberos using the related tools below. Document what you observe.

Deep dive

Read the official documentation and relevant RFCs/standards for Kerberos. Explore edge cases, internals, and how attackers and defenders view it differently.

Practise in Labs →