Active › Module 6 › Lesson 1
DCSync Named
DCSync named at literacy level — replication rights abuse concept and defender controls on $LAB_AD, not stranger-domain cookbooks.
Visual · t25_dcsync_named
DCSync = named replication abuse concept. Defenses first. $LAB_AD only. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Know what DCSync means so blue can protect replication — not so you can pull hashes from a domain you do not own.
DCSync (named technique) refers to abusing Active Directory replication permissions — accounts with rights like DS-Replication-Get-Changes and DS-Replication-Get-Changes-All can request password data replication from a domain controller. ATT&CK T1003.006 (OS Credential Dumping: DCSync). Analyst literacy: name the permission classes, understand why Domain Admins and mis-delegated accounts are high risk, and map defender controls — tiered admin, least privilege on replication ACLs, Protected Users, monitor Event ID 4662 with suspicious GUIDs. Cyberlium teaches DCSync as named literacy on YOUR $LAB_AD per brief — NOT step-by-step Mimikatz recipes against stranger domains, NOT targeting employer DCs without signed RoE, NOT exporting NTDS.dit-style dumps from production. Lab notes: one row linking concept to detection rule and hardening action. chmod 600 under $HOME/cyberlium-lab.
1. What DCSync names
Replication API abuse to pull credential material from DC — permission-driven, not magic.
High-value rights on non-DC accounts = misconfiguration finding on $LAB_AD graph.
Command guide
Try these commands — What DCSync names
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
MITRE T1003.006 DCSync — https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1003/006/ (named for defenders) Microsoft replication — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/ad-ds-replication (why DCSync matters) adsecurity.org DCSync — https://adsecurity.org/ (literacy — no replication abuse)
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
Command — copy this
sudo apt install curl sudo apt install python3
macOS:
Command — copy this
brew install python3
Windows: Built-in (PowerShell: Invoke-WebRequest) Download https://python.org/downloads/
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
python3 - <<'PY'
print('DCSync NAMED: replicate secrets via DRU/GetChanges — defender monitors 4662')
print('BANNED: secretsdump.py, Mimikatz lsadump::dcsync against strangers')
print('Mitigation: protect Domain Admins, tiering, least privilege on replication ACLs')
PYCommand — copy this
curl -sS https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1003/006/ | head -8
Primary tools to practice this lesson: curl, python3. Reference sites: MITRE T1003.006 DCSync (https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1003/006/); Microsoft replication (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-ds/manage/ad-ds-replication); adsecurity.org DCSync (https://adsecurity.org/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Defender controls
Tier 0 protection, audit replication ACL changes, 4662 alerts for suspicious replication GUIDs.
Protected Users blocks NTLM for members — reduces some dump paths.
3. $LAB_AD boundary
Name and map on lab forest you deploy — GOAD/HTB AD only when enrolled and brief assigns.
Refused: DCSync commands against university AD, neighbor org, or internet-exposed DC.
4. What you ship: DCSync literacy card
One-line definition + ATT&CK ID + two defender controls + NEVER stranger domain line.
5. What you record before the next lesson
DCSync literacy card path.
6. Wrong vs right: stranger-domain attacks vs lab AD literacy
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
Run DCSync tooling against employer DC 'to see if it works.'
Right
DCSync literacy card with defender focus. Next: ACL Paths Named.
Mission: DCSync literacy card
1) Define DCSync in one line. 2) Name replication permission classes. 3) List two defender controls. 4) Write NEVER stranger-domain DCSync.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor: “4662 — which GUIDs matter for replication?”
Knowledge Check
APPLY: DCSync literacy on Cyberlium means:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: DCSync cookbook on university AD is lab.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Defenders detect DCSync abuse via:
Multiple choice