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Performing Active Directory Forest Trust Attack

Enumerate and audit Active Directory forest trust relationships using impacket for SID filtering analysis, trust key extraction, cross-forest SID history abuse detection, and inter-realm Kerberos ticket assessment.

active-directoryforest-trustimpacketkerberosred-teamsid-filteringtrust-enumeration
Install this skill
npx skills add mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
Framework mappings

Overview

Active Directory forest trusts enable authentication across organizational boundaries but introduce attack surface if misconfigured. This skill uses impacket to enumerate trust relationships, analyze SID filtering configuration, detect SID history abuse vectors, perform cross-forest SID lookups via LSA/LSAT RPC calls, and assess inter-realm Kerberos ticket configurations for trust ticket forgery risks.

When to Use

  • When conducting security assessments that involve performing active directory forest trust attack
  • When following incident response procedures for related security events
  • When performing scheduled security testing or auditing activities
  • When validating security controls through hands-on testing

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.9+ with impacket, ldap3
  • Domain credentials with read access to AD trust objects
  • Network access to Domain Controllers (ports 389, 445, 88)
  • Authorized penetration testing engagement or lab environment

Legal Notice: This skill is for authorized security testing and educational purposes only. Unauthorized use against systems you do not own or have written permission to test is illegal and may violate computer fraud laws.

Steps

  1. Enumerate forest trust relationships via LDAP trusted domain objects
  2. Query trust attributes and SID filtering status for each trust
  3. Perform SID lookups across trust boundaries using LsarLookupNames3
  4. Enumerate foreign security principals in trusted domains
  5. Check for SID history on cross-forest accounts
  6. Assess trust direction and transitivity for lateral movement paths
  7. Generate trust security audit report with risk findings

Expected Output

  • JSON report listing all trust relationships, SID filtering status, foreign principals, trust direction/transitivity, and risk assessment
  • Cross-forest attack path analysis with remediation recommendations
Source materials

References and resources

Everything below is rendered for inspection. Script files are read-only and never run.

References 1

api-reference.md2.6 KB

API Reference — Performing Active Directory Forest Trust Attack

Libraries Used

  • impacket: SMB/RPC transport for LSA SID lookups via lsat.hLsarLookupSids2()
  • ldap3: LDAP queries against trustedDomain objects and foreignSecurityPrincipal containers
  • json: JSON serialization for audit reports

CLI Interface

python agent.py --dc 10.0.0.1 --domain corp.local --username admin --password Pass123 trusts
python agent.py --dc 10.0.0.1 --domain corp.local --username admin --password Pass123 foreign
python agent.py --dc 10.0.0.1 --domain corp.local --username admin --password Pass123 lookup-sid --sid S-1-5-21-...
python agent.py --dc 10.0.0.1 --domain corp.local --username admin --password Pass123 full

Core Functions

enumerate_trusts_ldap(dc_host, domain, username, password) — Trust enumeration

LDAP search: (objectClass=trustedDomain) under CN=System,DC=.... Attributes: trustPartner, trustDirection, trustType, trustAttributes, flatName. Decodes trust attribute bitmask for SID filtering, forest transitivity, RC4 encryption.

enumerate_foreign_principals(dc_host, domain, username, password) — Cross-forest members

LDAP search: (objectClass=foreignSecurityPrincipal) under CN=ForeignSecurityPrincipals. Filters well-known SIDs (S-1-5-x with 3 dashes). Returns group memberships.

lookup_sid_cross_forest(dc_host, domain, username, password, target_sid) — LSA SID resolution

Opens SMB transport to \lsarpc, binds MSRPC_UUID_LSAT, calls hLsarLookupSids2(). Resolves SIDs across trust boundaries.

assess_trust_risk(trusts, foreign_principals) — Risk scoring

Scoring: +40 SID filtering disabled, +20 RC4 encryption, +15 bidirectional trust, +10 forest transitive.

full_audit(dc_host, domain, username, password) — Comprehensive audit

Trust Direction Values

Value Direction
0 Disabled
1 Inbound
2 Outbound
3 Bidirectional

Trust Attribute Flags

Flag Hex Description
NON_TRANSITIVE 0x01 Trust does not extend transitively
QUARANTINED_DOMAIN 0x04 SID filtering enabled
FOREST_TRANSITIVE 0x08 Forest-wide transitive trust
USES_RC4_ENCRYPTION 0x80 RC4 trust key (weaker than AES)

Impacket RPC Calls

Call Module Purpose
hLsarOpenPolicy2 lsad Open LSA policy handle
hLsarLookupSids2 lsat Resolve SIDs to names across trust
SMBTransport(\lsarpc) transport RPC transport over SMB

Dependencies

  • impacket >= 0.11.0
  • ldap3 >= 2.9.0
  • Network access to DC ports 389 (LDAP), 445 (SMB), 88 (Kerberos)

Scripts 1

agent.py9.8 KB
Display-only source. This catalog never executes bundled scripts.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
# For authorized penetration testing and educational environments only.
# Usage against targets without prior mutual consent is illegal.
# It is the end user's responsibility to obey all applicable local, state and federal laws.
"""Agent for AD forest trust enumeration and security assessment using impacket."""

import json
import argparse
from datetime import datetime

try:
    from impacket.dcerpc.v5 import transport, lsat, lsad
    from impacket.dcerpc.v5.dtypes import MAXIMUM_ALLOWED
    from impacket.dcerpc.v5.samr import SID_NAME_USE
except ImportError:
    transport = None

try:
    import ldap3
    from ldap3 import Server, Connection, ALL, SUBTREE
except ImportError:
    ldap3 = None

TRUST_DIRECTION = {0: "Disabled", 1: "Inbound", 2: "Outbound", 3: "Bidirectional"}
TRUST_TYPE = {1: "Downlevel (Windows NT)", 2: "Uplevel (Windows 2000+)", 3: "MIT Kerberos", 4: "DCE"}
TRUST_ATTRIBUTES = {
    0x00000001: "NON_TRANSITIVE",
    0x00000002: "UPLEVEL_ONLY",
    0x00000004: "QUARANTINED_DOMAIN (SID Filtering Enabled)",
    0x00000008: "FOREST_TRANSITIVE",
    0x00000010: "CROSS_ORGANIZATION",
    0x00000020: "WITHIN_FOREST",
    0x00000040: "TREAT_AS_EXTERNAL",
    0x00000080: "USES_RC4_ENCRYPTION",
    0x00000200: "CROSS_ORGANIZATION_NO_TGT_DELEGATION",
    0x00000400: "PIM_TRUST",
}


def enumerate_trusts_ldap(dc_host, domain, username, password):
    """Enumerate AD trust relationships via LDAP trustedDomain objects."""
    if not ldap3:
        return {"error": "ldap3 not installed: pip install ldap3"}
    server = Server(dc_host, get_info=ALL, use_ssl=False)
    base_dn = ",".join(f"DC={p}" for p in domain.split("."))
    conn = Connection(server, user=f"{domain}\\{username}", password=password, auto_bind=True)
    conn.search(
        search_base=f"CN=System,{base_dn}",
        search_filter="(objectClass=trustedDomain)",
        search_scope=SUBTREE,
        attributes=[
            "cn", "trustPartner", "trustDirection", "trustType",
            "trustAttributes", "securityIdentifier", "whenCreated",
            "flatName", "trustPosixOffset",
        ],
    )
    trusts = []
    for entry in conn.entries:
        attrs = entry.entry_attributes_as_dict
        direction_val = int(attrs.get("trustDirection", [0])[0])
        type_val = int(attrs.get("trustType", [0])[0])
        attr_val = int(attrs.get("trustAttributes", [0])[0])
        decoded_attrs = []
        for bit, name in TRUST_ATTRIBUTES.items():
            if attr_val & bit:
                decoded_attrs.append(name)
        sid_filtering = bool(attr_val & 0x00000004)
        forest_trust = bool(attr_val & 0x00000008)
        trusts.append({
            "trust_partner": str(attrs.get("trustPartner", [""])[0]),
            "flat_name": str(attrs.get("flatName", [""])[0]),
            "trust_direction": TRUST_DIRECTION.get(direction_val, str(direction_val)),
            "trust_type": TRUST_TYPE.get(type_val, str(type_val)),
            "trust_attributes_raw": attr_val,
            "trust_attributes": decoded_attrs,
            "sid_filtering_enabled": sid_filtering,
            "forest_transitive": forest_trust,
            "when_created": str(attrs.get("whenCreated", [""])[0]),
        })
    conn.unbind()
    return trusts


def enumerate_foreign_principals(dc_host, domain, username, password):
    """Find foreign security principals (cross-forest members) in the domain."""
    if not ldap3:
        return {"error": "ldap3 not installed"}
    server = Server(dc_host, get_info=ALL, use_ssl=False)
    base_dn = ",".join(f"DC={p}" for p in domain.split("."))
    conn = Connection(server, user=f"{domain}\\{username}", password=password, auto_bind=True)
    conn.search(
        search_base=f"CN=ForeignSecurityPrincipals,{base_dn}",
        search_filter="(objectClass=foreignSecurityPrincipal)",
        search_scope=SUBTREE,
        attributes=["cn", "objectSid", "whenCreated", "memberOf"],
    )
    principals = []
    for entry in conn.entries:
        attrs = entry.entry_attributes_as_dict
        sid = str(attrs.get("cn", [""])[0])
        member_of = [str(g) for g in attrs.get("memberOf", [])]
        principals.append({
            "sid": sid,
            "member_of_groups": member_of,
            "when_created": str(attrs.get("whenCreated", [""])[0]),
            "is_well_known": sid.startswith("S-1-5-") and sid.count("-") == 3,
        })
    conn.unbind()
    custom_principals = [p for p in principals if not p["is_well_known"]]
    return {
        "total_foreign_principals": len(principals),
        "custom_foreign_principals": len(custom_principals),
        "principals": custom_principals[:30],
    }


def lookup_sid_cross_forest(dc_host, domain, username, password, target_sid):
    """Resolve a SID across forest trust using LSA LookupSids RPC call."""
    if not transport:
        return {"error": "impacket not installed: pip install impacket"}
    rpctransport = transport.SMBTransport(dc_host, filename=r"\lsarpc")
    rpctransport.set_credentials(username, password, domain)
    dce = rpctransport.get_dce_rpc()
    dce.connect()
    dce.bind(lsat.MSRPC_UUID_LSAT)
    resp = lsad.hLsarOpenPolicy2(dce, MAXIMUM_ALLOWED)
    policy_handle = resp["PolicyHandle"]
    try:
        from impacket.dcerpc.v5.dtypes import RPC_SID
        sid = RPC_SID()
        sid.fromCanonical(target_sid)
        resp = lsat.hLsarLookupSids2(dce, policy_handle, [sid])
        names = []
        for item in resp["TranslatedNames"]["Names"]:
            names.append({
                "name": item["Name"],
                "sid_type": SID_NAME_USE.enumItems(item["Use"]).name if hasattr(SID_NAME_USE, 'enumItems') else str(item["Use"]),
                "domain_index": item["DomainIndex"],
            })
        return {"target_sid": target_sid, "resolved_names": names}
    except Exception as e:
        return {"target_sid": target_sid, "error": str(e)}
    finally:
        dce.disconnect()


def assess_trust_risk(trusts, foreign_principals):
    """Assess security risk of trust relationships."""
    findings = []
    for trust in trusts:
        risk = 0
        issues = []
        if not trust.get("sid_filtering_enabled"):
            risk += 40
            issues.append("SID filtering DISABLED — SID history attacks possible")
        if trust.get("trust_direction") == "Bidirectional":
            risk += 15
            issues.append("Bidirectional trust increases attack surface")
        if trust.get("forest_transitive"):
            risk += 10
            issues.append("Forest transitive trust — all domains reachable")
        if "USES_RC4_ENCRYPTION" in trust.get("trust_attributes", []):
            risk += 20
            issues.append("RC4 encryption — vulnerable to trust key cracking")
        risk = min(risk, 100)
        findings.append({
            "trust_partner": trust.get("trust_partner"),
            "risk_score": risk,
            "risk_level": "CRITICAL" if risk >= 70 else "HIGH" if risk >= 50 else "MEDIUM" if risk >= 25 else "LOW",
            "issues": issues,
            "recommendation": "Enable SID filtering and migrate to AES encryption"
                if risk >= 50 else "Review trust configuration",
        })
    return findings


def full_audit(dc_host, domain, username, password):
    """Run comprehensive forest trust security audit."""
    trusts = enumerate_trusts_ldap(dc_host, domain, username, password)
    foreign = enumerate_foreign_principals(dc_host, domain, username, password)
    risk = assess_trust_risk(trusts if isinstance(trusts, list) else [], foreign)
    critical = sum(1 for r in risk if r["risk_level"] == "CRITICAL")
    high = sum(1 for r in risk if r["risk_level"] == "HIGH")
    no_sid_filter = sum(1 for t in (trusts if isinstance(trusts, list) else []) if not t.get("sid_filtering_enabled"))
    return {
        "audit_type": "AD Forest Trust Security Assessment",
        "timestamp": datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
        "domain": domain,
        "summary": {
            "total_trusts": len(trusts) if isinstance(trusts, list) else 0,
            "trusts_without_sid_filtering": no_sid_filter,
            "foreign_principals": foreign.get("custom_foreign_principals", 0),
            "critical_findings": critical,
            "high_findings": high,
        },
        "trusts": trusts,
        "foreign_principals": foreign,
        "risk_assessment": risk,
    }


def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="AD Forest Trust Security Audit Agent")
    parser.add_argument("--dc", required=True, help="Domain Controller hostname or IP")
    parser.add_argument("--domain", required=True, help="Domain name (e.g., corp.local)")
    parser.add_argument("--username", required=True, help="Domain username")
    parser.add_argument("--password", required=True, help="Domain password")
    sub = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command")
    sub.add_parser("trusts", help="Enumerate trust relationships")
    sub.add_parser("foreign", help="List foreign security principals")
    p_sid = sub.add_parser("lookup-sid", help="Cross-forest SID lookup")
    p_sid.add_argument("--sid", required=True, help="Target SID to resolve")
    sub.add_parser("full", help="Full trust security audit")
    args = parser.parse_args()

    if args.command == "trusts":
        result = enumerate_trusts_ldap(args.dc, args.domain, args.username, args.password)
    elif args.command == "foreign":
        result = enumerate_foreign_principals(args.dc, args.domain, args.username, args.password)
    elif args.command == "lookup-sid":
        result = lookup_sid_cross_forest(args.dc, args.domain, args.username, args.password, args.sid)
    elif args.command == "full" or args.command is None:
        result = full_audit(args.dc, args.domain, args.username, args.password)
    else:
        parser.print_help()
        return
    print(json.dumps(result, indent=2, default=str))


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
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