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A Broken Marriage: Abusing Mixed Vendor Kerberos Stacks

Ceri Coburn

Ceri Coburn demonstrates privilege escalation across mixed-vendor environments where Linux/Unix MIT and Heimdal Kerberos stacks integrate with Windows Active Directory.

Summary

Interoperability in Mixed-Vendor Kerberos Realms

Enterprise environments frequently integrate Linux, macOS, and Unix hosts running open-source MIT or Heimdal Kerberos stacks into Windows Active Directory domains.

Proprietary Extensions vs. Open Protocol Standards

Ceri Coburn highlights fundamental architectural incompatibilities between Microsoft's proprietary Kerberos PAC extensions and standard POSIX identity mapping in open-source Kerberos stacks.

Exploiting Identity Discrepancies for Cross-Platform Elevation

Exploiting configuration weaknesses in domain-joined Linux systems allows attackers to forge authorization attributes, escalating privileges across Unix endpoints joined to Active Directory.

Enhancing Rubeus for Mixed-Vendor Exploitation

Coburn demonstrates an updated release of the Rubeus toolkit, equipping red-team operators with automated capabilities to exploit cross-realm Kerberos delegation flaws.

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