The Cyber Threat Perspective

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 shiftGroup Policy enumeration, including how to spot dangerous GPO permissions like authenticated users with write access to server OUsLDAP Search & Browser for querying AD, identifying risky data (like passwords in descriptions), and exploring object relationshipsAssigned Trustees & Permissions Reporter for fast, visual identification of misconfigurationsHow to run NetTools from non-domain-joined machines using saved credential profilesPassword checker functionality for targeted validation without spraying the environmentFor 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 troubleshootingBlog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

In Episode 174, host Brad Causey is joined by guest Jordan Natter for a practical, tool-focused conversation on web application penetration testing. Together they break down the essential tools and Burp Suite Pro extensions that make up a modern web app pen testing toolkit.Topics covered include:Burp Suite Pro vs. OWASP ZAP — comparing capabilities, extensions, and use casesCSP Auditor — identifying unsafe Content Security Policy directivesJSON Web Token (JWT) extension — surfacing and tampering with JWTs in HTTP historyRetire.js — flagging outdated JavaScript libraries with known vulnerabilitiesCyberChef & JWT.io — encoding, decoding, and debugging tokensPostman & Swagger — API testing and documentation workflowsSQLMap — powerful SQL injection discovery (and why you should never run it in production)Proxy Forge — evading cloud-based WAFs and testing geo-blockingGraphQL Hunter — enumerating and testing GraphQL instancesHave a tool or extension you swear by? Drop it in the comments — Brad and Jordan want to hear from you!---Burp Suite is an integrated platform for attacking web applications. http://portswigger.net/burp/Blog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

How do you find insecure permissions in Active Directory before they turn into attack paths?In this episode, we take a practical look at how to identify insecure Active Directory permissions using ADeleg, a free security tool trusted by penetration testers.Misconfigured delegation and overly permissive access rights are a common source of risk in Active Directory environments. These gaps can create hidden attack paths—but many teams don’t know where to look or how to interpret what they’re seeing.In this episode, we cover:How to identify insecure permissions in Active DirectoryWhat to look for in high-risk users and groups like Domain Users, Everyone, and Authenticated UsersHow these misconfigurations translate into real-world attack pathsHow to use ADeleg to analyze delegated permissions and uncover hidden riskWe also include a reference to ADeleginator, a related tool that can help automate parts of this process using PowerShell. While this episode focuses on hands-on analysis with ADeleg, ADeleginator is a useful companion for scaling this work.Tools referenced:ADeleg: https://github.com/mtth-bfft/adelegBlog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

Hey folks! Greetings from the Offensive Security group at SecurIT360. Brad & Spencer are on this episode of The Cyber Threat Perspective to break down The Biggest Security Blind Spots in Mid-Size Companies.In this episode, we expose the most common (and dangerous) gaps that leave mid-sized organizations wide open: poor asset inventory, flat networks, flat identities, overconfidence in security tools, credential reuse, and the emerging risks with AI.If any of these hit home, go to offsec.blog/pentesting, fill out the form on our website, and see if we’re a fit for you.Blog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

Pentesting is quickly evolving with the integration of AI, fundamentally changing how cybersecurity professionals approach their work. In this episode, Spencer and Brad discuss the real shifts they’re seeing in the industry and what the future may look like.The pivotal changes in AI that have impacted pentesting over the past yearThe emergence of agents, orchestration, and single-pane-of-glass platforms for streamlined operationsHow AI is enabling rapid tool creation, customization, and administrative efficiencyThe effect of AI on skillsets, closing the gap between junior and senior pentestersWhy human expertise remains irreplaceable despite advancements in AI-driven toolsTune in to hear straight-forward perspectives on the future of pentesting and actionable insights for professionals looking to stay ahead.Blog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

They unpack social engineering strikes like Chatty Spider and Scattered Spider that break in via help-desk tactics and voice phishing. They cover click-grab lures that paste PowerShell payloads and malware-free living-off-the-land intrusions. They discuss AI speeding attacks, rapid breakout timelines, zero-day edge exploits, supply-chain risks in NPM packages, and cloud identity/session theft techniques.

In this episode, we’re digging into malicious browser extensions...the quiet, often overlooked attack vector living inside nearly every organization. While we focus on patching servers, hardening Active Directory, and deploying EDR, attackers are increasingly abusing the browser as their initial foothold. We’ll break down how these extensions work, why they’re so dangerous, and what IT leaders can realistically do about it.Check out these resources:Annex - Enterprise Software Extension Security & Managementhttps://crxaminer.tech/https://x.com/tucknerhttps://x.com/IceSolstbrad@securit360.comBlog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

Brad and Jordan talk bout web app pen testing, why you might need it, and why other forms of app sec might not be good enough.Blog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

You've got Tyler & Brad and In this episode, we break down the early versions of Transport Layer Security (TLS) — TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 — and explain why these once-standard encryption protocols are now considered insecure. We’ll cover when they were released, how modern attacks and cryptographic weaknesses caught up with them, and why today’s internet relies on newer, more secure protocols like TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3.We’ll also discuss how even “secure” protocols can become vulnerable when weak ciphers are enabled, using Sweet32 as a real-world example of cipher-level risk.Blog: https://offsec.blog/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cyberthreatpovTwitter: https://x.com/cyberthreatpovFollow Spencer on social ⬇Spencer's Links: https://spenceralessi.comWork with Us: https://securit360.com | Find vulnerabilities that matter, learn about how we do internal pentesting here.

Tyler Roberts, an offensive security practitioner and penetration tester, explains why pentests often fail to improve real security. He discusses organizational vs tester responsibilities. He highlights false confidence from checklist thinking, compliance-driven limits, realistic scoping, ownership and remediation, and using tests to validate detection and response.