This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by ahmed Awad (Nullc0d3)

1. Initial Access Isn’t the Win - Escalation Is
Whether it’s a phishing link, a leaked RDP login, or a credential dump - attackers usually gain access as a standard user. What happens next makes or breaks the breach.
Common escalation paths I’ve seen:
Unpatched privilege escalation vulnerabilities
Misconfigured local admin permissions
Stored credentials in lsass.exe or registry
Reused passwords across privileged accounts

2. Lateral Movement Is What Builds the Empire
Once they’re in, attackers move fast - mapping out internal architecture using simple tools:
net view and net user /domain
WMI and PowerShell remoting
RDP hopping
Exploiting file shares with dropped payloads

Defensive tip: Most of this activity uses built-in tools and doesn’t trigger alerts unless you’re actively watching behavior.

3. How Defenders Can Catch It
What works in the field (as I share in Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Toolkit):
Enable detailed PowerShell logging (and actually review it)
Use Sysmon with Sigma rules for process relationships
Build correlation rules for new service creation + admin access
Hunt for lateral movement paths using tools like BloodHound

What attackers automate, defenders must contextualize.

Learn More
This is a key lesson in Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Toolkit - based on real cases I’ve worked from breach to remediation.
Grab the Toolkit book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFG7NFY7
  Read the mindset stories from the field: https://a.co/d/gIwvppM

CyberSecurity #PrivilegeEscalation #LateralMovement #RedTeam #SOC #ThreatHunting #CTI #DFIR #HackerHunter #AhmedAwad #Nullc0d3 #InfoSec

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by ahmed Awad (Nullc0d3)