Episode 175: NetTools - The Free Active Directory Swiss Army Knife for IT Admins & Pen Testers

In Episode 175, Spencer and Tyler break down NetTools — a free, self-contained Active Directory management and troubleshooting tool that’s become a go-to for their internal penetration testing engagements.

They start with the backstory: years of relying on AD Explorer from Microsoft Sysinternals, and the growing need to evade EDR detections. At one point, that meant manually obfuscating binaries with a hex editor. NetTools eliminates that friction entirely — no installation, no dependencies, no signatures to fight.

Topics covered include:

• Why NetTools replaced AD Explorer and how EDR pressure forced the shift
• Group Policy enumeration, including how to spot dangerous GPO permissions like authenticated users with write access to server OUs
• LDAP Search & Browser for querying AD, identifying risky data (like passwords in descriptions), and exploring object relationships
• Assigned Trustees & Permissions Reporter for fast, visual identification of misconfigurations
• How to run NetTools from non-domain-joined machines using saved credential profiles
• Password checker functionality for targeted validation without spraying the environment

For pentesters, it’s a faster way to get visibility into AD risk. For IT admins, it’s a practical way to audit and harden your environment.

NetTools combines the functionality of multiple tools into one portable utility. Learn more at nettools.net. Credit to creator Gary Reynolds.

NetTools | The Swiss army knife of AD troubleshooting

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