Understanding Windows internals helps detect 68% of advanced attacks that bypass traditional security tools. This tutorial explores critical system components, security mechanisms, and forensic investigation techniques used by Microsoft's own security teams.
Windows Internals: Security Professional's Deep Dive
Windows Attack Surface Distribution (2023)
1. Windows Security Architecture
Critical Components:
- Security Reference Monitor (SRM): Enforces access checks
- Local Security Authority (LSA): Authentication core
- Windows Filtering Platform (WFP): Network stack filtering
Security Mechanisms:
- Mandatory Integrity Control (MIC): IE protected mode
- User Account Control (UAC): Privilege separation
- Control Flow Guard (CFG): Memory corruption protection
Enterprise Insight:
Credential Guard virtualizes LSA to prevent Mimikatz attacks
2. Process & Memory Security
Key Structures:
- EPROCESS: Contains security context and handles
- PEB: Process environment block
- VAD Tree: Virtual address descriptors
Investigation Commands:
# List processes with security context
tasklist /V /FO CSV
# Dump process memory
procdump -ma [PID]
# Check for code injection
handle -p [PID] | findstr ".dll"
Attack Example:
Process hollowing replaces legitimate process memory with malicious code
3. Registry & Configuration Security
Security-Critical Hives:
- HKLM\SAM: Account credentials
- HKLM\SECURITY: Policy settings
- HKLM\SOFTWARE: Installed programs
Forensic Commands:
# Export registry keys
reg export HKLM\SYSTEM system.hiv
# Check persistence locations
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run"
# Audit service permissions
accesschk.exe -kvucs *
Malware Technique:
Registry Run keys for persistence (e.g., HKCU\...\Run)
4. Authentication & Credential Security
Security Components:
- LSASS: Stores credentials in memory
- Kerberos: Domain authentication protocol
- DPAPI: Data protection API
Hardening Measures:
- LSA Protection: Prevents credential dumping
- Windows Hello: Hardware-backed auth
- Protected Users Group: Restricts credential caching
Enterprise Defense:
Microsoft Defender Credential Guard virtualizes auth processes
Windows Security Quick Reference
| Component | Security Feature | Investigation Tool | Common Attack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processes | ASLR, DEP | Process Explorer | Process Injection |
| Registry | ACLs, Auditing | Regshot | Persistence |
| Authentication | Credential Guard | Mimikatz | Pass-the-Hash |
5. Forensic Investigation Tools
Sysinternals Suite
- Process Explorer
- Autoruns
- Procmon
Native Commands
- wevtutil (Event Logs)
- logparser
- powershell -c "Get-WinEvent"
Enterprise Solutions
- Windows Defender ATP
- Azure Sentinel
- Velociraptor
Windows Security Hardening
✓ Enable LSA Protection (RunAsPPL)
✓ Configure SACL for critical registry keys
✓ Deploy Credential Guard
✓ Audit service permissions
Microsoft Security Expert Insight: The 2023 Microsoft Threat Report shows that 82% of enterprise compromises exploit Windows internals knowledge. Understanding components like the registry, authentication processes, and memory management is crucial for both attack detection and system hardening.
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