Forest Hackthebox Walkthrough Best May 2026

Machine IP: 10.10.10.161
OS: Windows Server 2016 (Domain Controller)
Domain: htb.local
Difficulty: Medium

AS-REP Roasting works when a user has "Do not require Kerberos pre-authentication" enabled.

Use enum4linux or impacket-GetADUsers to list domain users.

impacket-GetADUsers -dc-ip 10.10.10.161 htb.local/

Alternatively, use kerbrute to brute usernames from a wordlist:

kerbrute userenum --dc 10.10.10.161 -d htb.local /usr/share/seclists/Usernames/xato-net-10-million-usernames.txt

But for efficiency, we can also use ldapsearch:

ldapsearch -x -H ldap://10.10.10.161 -b "CN=Users,DC=htb,DC=local" | grep sAMAccountName

Users found: svc-alfresco, sebastien, lucinda, andy, mark, santi.

If you are taking the OSCP or CPTS, memorize this:

Use evil-winrm again with the administrator hash:

evil-winrm -i 10.10.10.161 -u administrator -H 32693b11e6aa90f43dfa1e816ec0a1c8

Now list the root directory:

cd C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop
type root.txt

Root flag obtained.

The Forest HackTheBox machine is a masterpiece of realistic AD misconfiguration. The "best" walkthrough isn't about the shortest path; it's about the reproducible, methodological process.

You learned to:

Final Note for HTB players: Forest is retired, but the techniques are eternal. Practice this walkthrough until you can do it without looking at the commands. Then, tackle Sauna (AS-REP Roasting again) and Active (SMB enumeration).

Happy Hacking, and remember: Enumeration is the only privilege you need.

Did this walkthrough help you? Share it with your study group. For more, check our guides on Active Directory, Kerberos attacks, and HTB "Easy" machines.

Forest is an Easy-rated Windows machine on HackTheBox that focuses on Active Directory (AD)

exploitation. The primary path involves enumerating users without passwords, performing an AS-REP Roasting attack, and leveraging BloodHound to find a path to Domain Admin via group memberships. 🛠️ Phase 1: Enumeration Start by identifying open ports and services. Nmap Scan:

Target ports like 88 (Kerberos), 135 (RPC), 389 (LDAP), and 445 (SMB). LDAP Enumeration: ldapsearch windapsearch to dump user lists. Identify Users: Look for accounts like svc-alfresco , which is often the entry point. 🔑 Phase 2: Initial Access (AS-REP Roasting)

Since you have a list of usernames, check for accounts that do not require Kerberos pre-authentication. Use Impacket’s GetNPUsers.py Request a TGT for the discovered users. If a user has DONT_REQ_PREAUTH set, you will receive a hash. (Mode 18200) or John the Ripper rockyou.txt wordlist to crack the svc-alfresco Phase 3: Post-Exploitation (BloodHound) Once you have a low-privileged shell (via evil-winrm ), you need to map out the domain. Collection: SharpHound.exe on the target to collect AD data. Import the data into BloodHound on your local machine. Pathfinding: Use the "Find Shortest Paths to Domain Admins" query. Discovery: You will likely see that your user belongs to a group (like Service Accounts ) that has specific rights over others. 🚀 Phase 4: Privilege Escalation The BloodHound graph usually reveals a path involving Exchange Windows Permissions Account Operators Group Membership: You may find you can add users to the Exchange Windows Permissions DCSync Attack: Members of this group can often grant themselves DS-Replication-Get-Changes Final Step: Use Impacket’s secretsdump.py to perform a attack and dump the NTLM hash for the Administrator Pass-the-Hash evil-winrm to log in as the Domain Admin. If you're stuck on a specific step, let me know: Are you having trouble cracking the hash BloodHound not showing a clear path? Do you need the specific for one of the Impacket tools?

I can provide the exact commands for whichever part is giving you trouble!

Forest machine on Hack The Box is a retired, easy-difficulty Windows machine that serves as a classic introduction to Active Directory (AD) exploitation

. The "best" walkthrough path focuses on exploiting common AD misconfigurations, specifically AS-REP Roasting privilege escalation. Walkthrough Summary 1. Enumeration Identify Services : Start with an

scan. You'll find common AD ports: 88 (Kerberos), 135 (RPC), 389 (LDAP), and 5985 (WinRM). User Enumeration : Use tools like enum4linux

to enumerate users anonymously through RPC or LDAP. Look for accounts like svc-alfresco 2. Initial Foothold (AS-REP Roasting) The Vulnerability : Some users, such as svc-alfresco

, may have the "Do not require Kerberos pre-authentication" property enabled. Exploitation : Use Impacket's GetNPUsers.py forest hackthebox walkthrough best

to request a Ticket-Granting Ticket (TGT) for these users. If successful, you'll receive a hash. : Crack the hash offline (e.g., using ) to retrieve the plaintext password. : Use the credentials to log in via WinRM (e.g., using evil-winrm ) to grab the

3. Privilege Escalation (Analyzing Active Directory Permissions)

: Active Directory environments can be visualized using tools like BloodHound to identify permission chains. In this scenario, the svc-alfresco account is found to be a member of the Account Operators Privilege Path Account Operators

group often has elevated permissions, such as the ability to modify group memberships for certain administrative groups. Specifically, the path involves identifying groups with

(Write Discretionary Access Control List) privileges over the domain object. Concepts Involved Permission Delegation

: Understanding how nested group memberships and specific ACLs (Access Control Lists) can lead to unintended privilege escalation. DCSync Rights : This involves the DS-Replication-Get-Changes DS-Replication-Get-Changes-All

extended rights. If an account is granted these rights, it can synchronize account data from a Domain Controller. Credential Harvesting : Security professionals use tools like Impacket's secretsdump

in authorized environments to demonstrate how an attacker could extract NT hashes for the entire domain once the necessary replication rights are obtained. Final Objective

: After gaining the Administrator hash through the replication process, the final step in this training exercise involves using Pass-the-Hash

techniques to authenticate as the local administrator and access the

flag, completing the box. This illustrates the importance of the principle of least privilege in AD management.

The Forest machine on HackTheBox is a classic Active Directory (AD) exploitation lab. The "best" walkthroughs, such as the one by 0xdf hacks stuff, typically break the attack into three main pieces: Reconnaissance, Initial Access via AS-REP Roasting, and Privilege Escalation using BloodHound. 1. Reconnaissance (The First Piece)

The machine is a Windows Domain Controller with no web surface.

Tooling: Use nmap to identify open ports like 88 (Kerberos), 135 (RPC), 389 (LDAP), and 445 (SMB).

LDAP/RPC Enumeration: Enumerate the domain users through a null session or anonymous LDAP bind. Tools like enum4linux or windapsearch can extract a list of valid usernames. 2. Initial Access: AS-REP Roasting

Once you have a list of usernames, you look for accounts that do not require Kerberos pre-authentication.

Exploit: Use Impacket's GetNPUsers.py to request an AS-REP for these users. If successful, you receive a hash.

Cracking: Use John the Ripper or Hashcat to crack the hash (e.g., for user svc-alfresco) to obtain a plaintext password. Shell: Log in via Evil-WinRM using the cracked credentials. 3. Privilege Escalation: BloodHound & WriteDACL

This is the core "piece" of the box where you map out AD permissions to become Domain Admin. HTB Write-up: Forest - theyknow

The Forest machine on Hack The Box is a retired Windows Server 2016 domain controller that serves as a cornerstone for learning Active Directory (AD) exploitation . While officially rated as "Easy," many in the community consider it a "Bit Hard" due to its focus on complex AD misconfigurations and trust relationships . Top-Rated Walkthroughs & Resources

For the most comprehensive learning experience, these sources are highly recommended by the community:

IppSec (YouTube): Widely considered the gold standard. He demonstrates every step, including common pitfalls and "Beyond Root" analysis, such as looking at DCSync traffic on the wire .

0xdf Hacks Stuff: Provides a highly detailed written technical breakdown, focusing on the underlying Windows concepts that make the exploits possible .

Rana Khalil (Medium): A top choice for those wanting to avoid Metasploit. She provides a step-by-step guide using manual techniques and PowerShell . Machine IP: 10

HackTheBox Academy: The "Active Directory Enumeration & Attacks" module specifically uses Forest as a recommended lab for practicing the skills required for the OSCP exam . Core Attack Path Breakdown HacktheBox — Forest - InfoSec Write-ups

TL;DR. Forest is in the list of my favorite machines. It exposes you to different tools and offers practical usage of enumerating, InfoSec Write-ups

Machine Information

Initial Recon

PORT      STATE SERVICE
53        open  domain
88        open  kerberos
135       open  msrpc
139       open  netbios-ssn
445       open  microsoft-ds

Enumerating DNS

dig @10.10.10.79 forest.htb

Enumerating SMB

smbclient //10.10.10.79

Finding Credentials

 cat creds.txt

Impersonating a User

runascs /user:svc-ata /password:P@ssw0rd

Privesc

Getting a Shell

powerview Add-DomainGroupMember -GroupName "Domain Admins" -Members svc-ata

Final Steps

The walkthrough is now complete.

Best Approach

That's it. I hope you find this walkthrough helpful.

Would you like a more in-depth explanation on a specific part of the walkthrough?

The Forest machine on Hack The Box is an "Easy" rated Windows box designed to teach the fundamentals of Active Directory (AD) enumeration and exploitation. It is a classic entry point for learning techniques like AS-REP Roasting and BloodHound path analysis. Machine Overview Operating System: Windows

Difficulty: Easy (though some rate it as "Bit Hard" for AD beginners)

Key Skills: AD Enumeration, AS-REP Roasting, BloodHound, ACL Abuse, DCSync. Step-by-Step Walkthrough 1. Reconnaissance & Enumeration

Start with an Nmap scan to identify open ports and services.

Key Ports: 88 (Kerberos), 135 (RPC), 389/636 (LDAP), 445 (SMB), 5985 (WinRM).

LDAP Enumeration: The machine often allows anonymous LDAP binds. Use tools like ldapsearch or enum4linux-ng to enumerate users and domain objects.

SMB/RPC: Use rpcclient to enumerate users via a null session if LDAP is restricted. 2. Foothold: AS-REP Roasting

During enumeration, you will find a list of domain users. One specific user (e.g., svc-alfresco) typically has the "Do Not Require Kerberos Pre-authentication" property set.

The Attack: Use Impacket's GetNPUsers.py to request a TGT for this user. AS-REP Roasting works when a user has "Do

Cracking: If successful, you will receive a hash. Use Hashcat or John the Ripper to crack the password offline.

Access: Log in via Evil-WinRM using the cracked credentials to grab the user flag. 3. Privilege Escalation: ACL Abuse Once inside, you need to find a path to Domain Admin.

BloodHound: Upload and run the BloodHound ingestor (SharpHound.exe) on the target. Export the data and analyze it on your attacking machine.

The Vulnerability: Your user (svc-alfresco) is likely a member of the Account Operators group, which has permissions to create and modify users. Exploitation Path: Create a new user on the domain.

Add that user to high-privilege groups like Exchange Windows Permissions.

Use PowerView (a PowerSploit script) to grant your new user DCSync rights (Add-DomainObjectAcl). 4. Domain Compromise: DCSync

With DCSync rights, you can impersonate a Domain Controller to request password hashes for any user.

DCSync Attack: Use Impacket’s secretsdump.py with your new user's credentials to dump all domain hashes, including the Administrator NTLM hash.

Pass-the-Hash: Log in as the Administrator using psexec.py or evil-winrm with the NTLM hash to claim the root flag. Expert Tips HackTheBox: Forest Walkthrough - Sanaullah Aman Korai

The Forest machine on Hack The Box is a classic "Easy" Windows box that focuses heavily on Active Directory (AD) enumeration and exploitation. Its most interesting feature is the complete lack of a web application. Instead of searching for a website vulnerability, you must attack the core Windows services directly. Best Walkthrough Steps

According to top-rated guides like those from 0xdf and IppSec, the optimal path follows these stages:

Reconnaissance: Use nmap to find open ports like 88 (Kerberos), 135 (RPC), and 389 (LDAP).

User Enumeration: Exploit an RPC Null Session using rpcclient to list valid domain users without a password.

Initial Access: Perform an AS-REP Roasting attack against the identified users to grab a password hash and crack it offline.

Internal Access: Use the cracked credentials to log in via Evil-WinRM.

Privilege Escalation: Run BloodHound to visualize the AD environment and find a path from your current user to Domain Admin.

Root Execution: Abuse ACL permissions (specifically for the "Exchange Windows Permissions" or "Exchange Trusted Subsystem" groups) to grant yourself DCSync rights.

Final Step: Use the secretsdump tool from the Impacket suite to dump the Administrator's hash and gain full control. 🌟 Interesting Feature: No Web Surface

Most CTF machines begin with a web server, but Forest forces you to engage with Active Directory misconfigurations immediately. This makes it a premier training ground for the OSCP exam and real-world enterprise pentesting. 🛠️ Key Tools Used BloodHound: Essential for mapping complex AD attack paths.

Impacket: Used for AS-REP Roasting and dumping domain secrets.

Evil-WinRM: The primary method for gaining a shell once you have credentials.

For a visual guide on the methodology used to tackle Windows Active Directory machines like Forest, watch this walkthrough: Getting Started with HackTheBox in 2025 | Cheatsheet Inside The Cyber Mentor YouTube• Jun 7, 2025 AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

We have valid credentials. Let's check if we can access the machine. Since WinRM is open, we check if svc-alfresco has remote access permissions.

We can use evil-winrm to attempt a login.

evil-winrm -u svc-alfresco -p s3rvice -i 10.10.10.161

Result: Access granted!

We now have a PowerShell shell on the Domain Controller. We can grab the user.txt flag from the Desktop of svc-alfresco.