TN-963: Windows Security Automation with PowerShell

Course Overview:

PowerShell is made for Security Operations (SecOps) automation on Windows. SecOps requires automation in order to scale out security changes and monitoring beyond a handful of hosts. For example, when a vulnerability must be remediated but there is no patch for it yet, automation is needed to quickly and consistently enact the changes necessary. PowerShell “remoting” is encrypted remote command execution of PowerShell scripts in a way that can scale to thousands of endpoints and servers.

Imagine being able to hunt for indicators of compromise across thousands of machines with just a few lines of PowerShell code. Or imagine having the local Administrator account password reset every night on thousands of endpoints in a secure way, and being able to retrieve that password securely too.

We will show you to do these tasks and more. Transcription logging for forensics, strong encryption code signing, application whitelisting of scripts, IPSec port control, and Just Enough Admin (JEA).

As more and more of our systems are moved up to the cloud, PowerShell will become even more important. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Hyper-V and VMware already support PowerShell administration for many tasks.

Attendees to TN-963: Windows Security Automation with PowerShell will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 3 days

Course Objectives:

Day One
PowerShell Overview and Tips

    • Getting started running commands
    • Using and updating the built-in help
    • Execution policies
    • Fun tricks with the ISE graphical editor
    • Piping .NET and COM objects, not text
    • Using properties and methods of objects
    • Helping Linux admins feel more at home
    • Aliases, cmdlets, functions, modules, etc.
    • Customizing your profile script

What Can We Do With PowerShell

    • PowerShell remote command execution
    • Fan-out remoting and security
    • File copy via PowerShell remoting
    • Capturing the output of commands
    • Parsing text files and logs with regex patterns
    • Searching remote event logs faster with XPath
    • Mounting the registry as a drive
    • Exporting data to CSV, HTML and JSON files
    • Parsing and mining nmap port scanner XML output
    • Running scripts as scheduled jobs
    • Pushing out scripts through Group Policy
    • Importing modules and dot-sourcing functions
    • http://www.PowerShellGallery.com

Write your own scripts

    • Writing your own functions
    • Passing arguments into your scripts
    • Function parameters and returning output
    • Flow control: if-then, do-while, foreach, switch
    • The .NET Framework class library: a playground
    • How to pipe data in/out of your scripts

Day Two
Continuous Secure Configuration Enforcement

    • How to use Group Policy and PowerShell together
    • Automate with INF security templates
    • How to customize INF templates
    • Microsoft Security Compliance Manager (SCM)
    • SECEDIT.EXE scripting
    • Building an in-house security repository for SecOps/DevOps
    • NSA’s Secure Host Baseline GPOs

Group Policy Precision Targeting

    • Managing Group Policy Objects (GPOs) with PowerShell
    • LSDOU, Block Inheritance, Enforced GPOs
    • Group Policy permissions for targeting changes
    • ADMX templates for mass registry editing
    • Deploying PowerShell startup and logon scripts
    • WMI item-level targeting of GPO preferences
    • GPO scheduled tasks to run PowerShell scripts
    • Remote command execution via GPO (not remoting)
    • Empowering the Hunt Team to fight back!

Server Hardening for SecOps/DevOps

    • Server Manager scripting with PowerShell
    • Adding and removing roles and feature
    • Remotely inventory roles, features, and apps
    • Why Server Nano or Server Core
    • Running PowerShell automatically after service failure
    • Service account identities, passwords, and risks
    • Tools to reset service account passwords securely

Day Three
PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC)

    • DSC is Configuration Management built in for free
    • Using DSC for continuous reinforcement of settings
    • Writing your own DSC configuration scripts
    • Free DSC resource modules: www.PowerShellGallery.com
    • How to push DSC configurations to many targets
    • DSC background job processing in push mode
    • Examples: sync files, install roles, manage groups
    • Auditing a remote target against a DSC MOF template
    • “ApplyAndAutoCorrect” mode for continuous enforcement

PowerShell Just Enough Admin (JEA)

    • JEA is Windows sudo, like on Linux
    • JEA is Windows setuid root, like on Linux
    • Restricting commands and arguments
    • Verbose transcription logging
    • How to set up and configure JEA
    • Privilege Access Workstations (PAWs)

PowerShell and WMI

    • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service
    • What is WMI and why do hackers abuse it so much?
    • Using PowerShell to query WMI CIM classes
    • WMI authentication and traffic encryption
    • Inventory operating system versions and installed software
    • WMI remote command execution versus PowerShell remoting
    • PowerShell security best practices
    • PowerShell transcription logging to catch hackers

Prerequisites:

  • GSEC or equivalent experience
  • UNIX, Windows, Networking, and Security Experience
  • This is a hands-on skill course requiring comfort with command line interaction and network communications

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CT-215: Cloud+

 

Course Overview:

This course covers the knowledge and skills required to understand standard Cloud terminologies/methodologies, to implement, maintain, and deliver cloud technologies and infrastructures (e.g. server, network, storage, and virtualization technologies), and to understand aspects of IT security and use of industry best practices related to cloud implementations and the application of virtualization.

TechNow has worked worldwide enterprise infrastructures for over 20 years and has developed demos and labs to exemplify the techniques required to demonstrate cloud technologies and to effectively manage security in the cloud environment.

TechNow is a CompTIA partner and uses official CompTIA Cloud+ curriculum.

Attendees to CT-215: Cloud+ will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

Date/Time Event
01/06/2025 - 01/10/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
04/21/2025 - 04/25/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
07/28/2025 - 08/01/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX
11/03/2025 - 11/07/2025
08:00 -16:00 		CT-215: Cloud+
TechNow, Inc, San Antonio TX

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Prepare to deploy cloud solutions
  • Deploy a pilot project
  • Test a pilot project deployment
  • Design a secure network for cloud deployment
  • Determine CPU and memory sizing for cloud deployments
  • Plan Identity and Access Management for cloud deployments
  • Analyze workload characteristics to ensure successful migration to the cloud
  • Secure systems to meet access requirements
  • Maintain cloud systems
  • Implement backup, restore, and business continuity measures
  • Analyze cloud systems for required performance
  • Analyze cloud systems for anomalies and growth forecasting
  • Troubleshoot deployment, capacity, automation, and orchestration issues
  • Troubleshoot connectivity issues
  • Troubleshoot security issues

Course Prerequisites:

  • Security+, Network+, CASP or equivalent experience
  • Managing or administering at least one of UNIX, Windows, Databases, networking, or security

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TN-905: Cyber Threat Intelligence Analysis

 

Course Overview:

TechNow has worked worldwide enterprise infrastructures for over 30 years and has developed demos and labs to exemplify the techniques required to demonstrate technologies that effectively support CTI.  This course integrates well with our courses TN-575: Open Source Network Security Monitoring and TN-865: Wireshark Network Traffic and Security Analysis .

TechNow develops Cyber Ranges and makes them available for conferences in support of annual meetings for Cyber Threat Response Teams.  Developing scenarios and reacting to them appropriately is a big part of the value in understanding the contexts required to comprehend valuable CTI.   As with many advanced TechNow security courses, there is a large hands-on ratio.  This course helps Cyber Protection Teams (CPT), Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO), and Mission Defense Teams (MDT) to collect, analyze and apply targeted cyber intelligence to defensive operations in order to proactively act on and tune response to attacks by cyber adversaries.  CPT, DCO, and MDT can take preemptive action by utilizing CTI, understanding CTI tools, techniques and procedures (TTPs) needed to generate and consume timely and relevant intelligence to improve resilience and prevention.

This course focuses on the collection, classification, and exploitation of knowledge about adversaries and their TTPs. .  MDT puts us close the mission and helps define the internal context to be analyzed against the CTI.  TechNow pushes the student to truly understand how to think about and use CTI to make a difference.

Attendees to TN-905: Cyber Threat Intelligence Analysis will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Learn to comprehend and develop complex scenarios
  • Identify and create intelligence requirements through practices such as threat modeling
  • Utilize threat modeling to drive intelligence handling and practices 
  • Breakdown tactical, operational, and strategic-level threat intelligence
  • Generate threat intelligence to detect, respond to, and defeat focused and targeted threats
  • How to collect adversary information creating better value CTI
  • How to filter and qualify external sources, mitigating low integrity intelligence
  • Create Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) in formats such as YARA, OpenIOC, and STIX
  • Move security maturity past IOCs into understanding and countering the behavioral tradecraft of threats
  • Breaking down threats mapped against their tradecraft to tweak IOCs
  • Establish structured analytical techniques to be successful in any security role
  • Learn and apply structured principles in support of CTI and how to communicate that to any security role.

Course Prerequisites:

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TN-5455: Managing Windows Environments with Group Policy

 

Course Overview: 

In this course-currently the only offering in the market devoted to Group Policy training-you will learn how to reduce costs and increase efficiencies in your network. You will discover how to consolidate the administration of an enterprise IT infrastructure with Group Policy, and learn to control and manage computer systems and domain users running Windows Server and Windows clients. Create Group Policies, implement administrative and security templates, and determine best practices when deploying software packages. Walk away with the experience and tools needed to optimize your enterprise systems and networks.

Attendees to TN-5455: Managing Windows Environments with Group Policy will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Features and functions of Group Policy
  • Use Group Policy management tools to manage security policies
  • Design a Group Policy infrastructure
  • Group Policy processing architecture
  • Back up, restore, import, and copy Group Policy Objects through the Group Policy
  • Management Console
  • Use Windows PowerShell to manage Group Policy
  • Implement security using Group Policy
  • Configure the desktop environment with Group Policy
  • Configure roaming profiles and Folder Redirection
  • Assign and publish software packages
  • Implement AppLocker and software restriction policies
  • Create and deploy Administrative Templates
  • Configure Group Policy preferences

 

 

Course Prerequisites:

  • Experience with the Microsoft Windows Server 2008/12 environments and a fundamental understanding of Active Directory

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Palo Alto Networks Firewall Training Course Lab

Working with the TechNow lab for the PA-215: Palo Alto Networks Firewall Essentials FastTrack course has been nothing less than a techie's idea of fun.  When students come in we are immediatly configuring the Cisco 3750 switches for access ports, VLANS, and trunks.  We then cable the switch to the Palo Alto Networks Firewall.  Each student gets their own Palo Alto Firewall Pod of hardware and software.  What we find as fun is the VLAN environment, with an array of virtual machines hosted on an ESXi server that can really exercise the abilities of the Palo Alto Firewall.  The DMZ VLAN hosts virtual machines that support enterprise services and also potentialy vulnerable web services.  The Trust VLAN has Windows and Linux clients.  The UnTrust VLAN has Web services and a VM of Kali. The hardware Firewall is additionally connected to a Management VLAN.  All those VLANs are trunked into an ESXi server where the student also has a VM-Series Palo Alto Networks Firewall for High Availability.  

After configuring all the trunking, VLANs, and network interfaces we learn about the firewall and configure it for the lab environment.  Using Metasploitable and Kali/Metasploit nefarious penetration attempts are executed.  Using packet captures, custom APP-ID's  and custom signatures are generated.  Custom logging and reporting are created to similate and enterprise and assist the desired Incident Response.  It is always fun in a training environment to learn all about the controls available in a product, even though specific controls may not be used in the operational environment.  In the end we have a good understanding of the Palo Alto Networks Firewall.