Lateral Movement: An Overview

Regardless of the method utilized for gaining the initial foothold, penetration testers are often looking for ways to move around the client’s network (referred to as lateral movement or lateral spread).  Other machines may hold goodies that further the engagement, whether it is documents that contain the company’s “crown jewels” or stored credentials that give access to databases, Domain Controllers, or other important assets.  

While there is an art to gaining situational awareness and understanding the “lay of the land” once the initial foothold is established, this article will instead focus on a subset of tools and techniques for moving around the victim’s Windows environment.