Security researchers have released GPOHound, a powerful open-source tool designed to analyze Group Policy Objects (GPOs) in Active Directory environments for misconfigurations and privilege escalation risks.
Developed by cybersecurity firm Cogiceo, the tool automates the detection of insecure settings like exposed credentials, weak registry permissions, and unauthorized group memberships that attackers could exploit.
Why GPOHound Matters
GPOs manage security policies across Windows networks but often contain overlooked vulnerabilities. GPOHound streamlines analysis by:
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- Dumping GPOs into structured JSON or tree formats.
- Mapping affected domains, OUs, and containers.
- Enriching BloodHound’s Neo4j database with new edges (e.g., AdminTo, CanRDP) and node properties (e.g., smbSigningEnabled: false).
- Decrypting credentials from legacy protocols like VNC, FileZilla, and Group Policy Preferences (GPP).
“GPOHound bridges a critical gap in Active Directory auditing,” said a Cogiceo spokesperson. “It transforms raw GPO data into actionable insights for red and blue teams.”
Key Features
1. Privileged Group Analysis
GPOHound flags users added to high-risk local groups (e.g., Administrators, Backup Operators) and detects renamed built-in groups. It also identifies spoofable variables like %ComputerName% in membership rules.
2. Registry and Protocol Checks
- Insecure SMB settings (disabled signing).
- NTLMv1 support.
- Automatic logon passwords.
- Stored credentials for VNC, WinSCP, and TeamViewer.
3. Privilege Rights Escalation
The tool highlights dangerous rights assignments such as SeDebugPrivilege or SeImpersonatePrivilege, which attackers abuse for SYSTEM-level access.
4. BloodHound Integration
By importing GPOHound’s customqueries.json, defenders visualize GPO-derived attack paths alongside traditional BloodHound data.
Getting Started
Installation:
pipx install "git+https://github.com/cogiceo/GPOHound" Prerequisites:
- Extract SYSVOL via SMB:
smbclient -U "user%pass" //DC_IP/SYSVOL -c "recurse; mget *" - Import BloodHound data using bloodhound.py or SharpHound.
Sample Commands:
# Dump GPOs to JSON
gpohound dump --json
# Analyze local group memberships
gpohound analysis --processed --object group
# Enrich BloodHound’s Neo4j database
gpohound analysis --enrichGPOHound currently does not interpret WMI filters or simulate GPO conflicts, which may lead to false positives. Future updates aim to add HTML reporting, LDAP/SMB integration, and conflict resolution.
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