Cable: Powerful Post-Exploitation Toolkit for Active Directory Attacks

Cybersecurity researchers are raising alarms about Cable, a potent open-source post-exploitation toolkit designed to exploit Active Directory (AD) vulnerabilities.

With 298 GitHub stars and 33 forks since its release, this .NET-based tool is rapidly gaining traction among threat actors for its precision in reconnaissance and privilege escalation.

Overview of Cable’s Capabilities

Developed as a learning project for .NET offensive development. Its modular design allows attackers to perform stealthy reconnaissance, manipulate access controls, and abuse trust relationships in AD environments. Key features include:

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• LDAP Enumeration: Discovers users, computers, groups, and high-value targets like Kerberos pre-auth-disabled accounts (/asrep) or RBCD-enabled objects (/rbcd).
• RBCD Exploitation: Writes or removes the msDs-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity attribute for resource-based constrained delegation attacks.
• DACL Manipulation: Identifies weak Access Control Entries (ACEs) and grants permissions like GenericAll or password reset rights.
• ADCS Recon: Maps certificate authorities and templates for “Certified Pre-Owned” attacks.
• User/Group/Computer Operations: Resets passwords, manages SPNs, adds/removes computer accounts, and modifies group memberships.

Unlike traditional tools like BloodHound or PowerView, Cable combines granular AD exploitation with a lightweight CLI interface. Its dacl /find module automates the hunt for misconfigured ACEs, while rbcd /write streamlines delegation abuse—a common vector for lateral movement.

“Cable’s strength lies in its focus on DACLs and certificate services,” explains AD security researcher Maya Torres. “Attackers can quickly escalate from a low-privileged account to domain admin if these areas are poorly configured.”

Real-World Attack Scenarios

1. Privilege Escalation: By exploiting a vulnerable ACE using dacl /write:GenericAll, attackers gain full control over critical AD objects.
2. Golden Ticket Synthesis: After extracting KRBTGT hash via DC sync (enabled by dacl misconfigurations), threat actors forge authentication tokens.
3. Certificate Theft: The ca and templates modules identify weak certificate templates, enabling adversaries to request high-privilege credentials.

Defensive Recommendations

To mitigate Cable-based attacks, experts advise:

1. Audit DACLs: Regularly review ACEs on sensitive objects using Microsoft’s ACL Scanner.
2. Monitor RBCD Changes: Alert on unexpected modifications to msDs-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity.
3. Harden ADCS: Restrict enrollment rights and disable vulnerable template settings.
4. Limit SPNs: Use tools like rookit to detect suspicious service principal name changes.

As Cable’s developer notes, the tool was created to “expand knowledge of AD offensive security.” Ironically, it now serves as both a red-team resource and a wake-up call for organizations to audit their AD environments.

With its GPL-3.0 license and active development (latest release: v1.1 on April 9, 2025), Cable is poised to remain a staple in the attacker’s toolkit—underscoring the urgent need for proactive AD hardening.

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