Windows Security Internals

Power up your Windows security skills with expert guidance, in-depth technical insights, and dozens of real-world vulnerability examples from Google Project Zero’s most renowned researcher!

Learn core components of the system in greater depth than ever before, and gain hands-on experience probing advanced Microsoft security systems with the added benefit of PowerShell scripts.

Windows Security Internals is a must-have for anyone needing to understand the Windows operating system’s low-level implementations, whether to discover new vulnerabilities or protect against known ones. Developers, devops, and security researchers will all find unparalleled insight into the operating system’s key elements and weaknesses, surpassing even Microsoft’s official documentation.

Author James Forshaw teaches through meticulously crafted PowerShell examples that can be experimented with and modified, covering everything from basic resource security analysis to advanced techniques like using network authentication. The examples will help you actively test and manipulate system behaviors, learn how Windows secures files and the registry, re-create from scratch how the system grants access to a resource, learn how Windows implements authentication both locally and over a network, and much more.

You’ll also explore a wide range of topics, such as:

Windows security architecture, including both the kernel and user-mode applications

The Windows Security Reference Monitor (SRM), including access tokens, querying and setting a resource’s security descriptor, and access checking and auditing

Interactive Windows authentication and credential storage in the Security Account Manager (SAM) and Active Directory

Mechanisms of network authentication protocols, including NTLM and Kerberos

In an era of sophisticated cyberattacks on Windows networks, mastering the operating system’s complex security mechanisms is more crucial than ever. Whether you’re defending against the latest cyber threats or delving into the intricacies of Windows security architecture, you’ll find Windows Security Internals indispensable in your efforts to navigate the complexities of today’s cybersecurity landscape.