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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VM-335: VMware Cloud Essentials and vCloud – Architecting the VMware Cloud FastTrack

 

Course Overview:

This FastTrack course combines combines two VMware courses (VMware Cloud Essentials and vCloud Architecting the VMware Cloud) into a single week course that adds extra exercises and labs to exemplify the techniques presented.  The course begins with how to adopt, operate, and govern the cloud. The course enables participants to successfully complete the associated CompTIA Cloud Essentials™ Exam to become a Cloud Essentials™ Professional(CEP). This course also covers the subject matter specified by the VCP-Cloud certification.

This course is designed to guide students through the decision points and policy choices available for designing and implementing a VMware vCloud environment. Detailed labs and exercises for VMware vSphere™, VMware vCloud Director, VMware vCenter™ Chargeback, and the VMware® vShield Edge capability that is included with vCloud Director. A comprehensive VMware cloud design is demonstrated and discussed.

Attendees to VM-335:  VMware Cloud Essentials and vCloud – Architecting the VMware Cloud FastTrack will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Understand the common terms and definitions of cloud computing.
  • Understand the business benefits and business considerations of cloud computing.
  • Understand cloud computing from a technical perspective and recognize the various techniques, methods, challenges, and types of clouds.
  • Understand the impact and changes of cloud computing on IT service management.
  • Explain typical steps that lead to the successful adoption of cloud computing and understand the implications for organizations.
  • Recognize the compliance, risk, and regulatory consequences of cloud computing and its financial and strategic impact on an organization.
  • Evaluate and design a multitenant environment to address both private cloud and public cloud customer needs.
  • Configure vCloud providers that can accommodate heterogeneous server, storage, and network resources
  • Design a network infrastructure optimized for vCloud.
  • Integrate vCloud Director security with existing LDAP systems and design appropriate security hierarchies with security rolesnderstand the common terms and definitions of cloud computing.
  • Understand the business benefits and business considerations of cloud computing.
  • Understand cloud computing from a technical perspective and recognize the various techniques, methods, challenges, and types of clouds.
  • Understand the impact and changes of cloud computing on IT service management.
  • Explain typical steps that lead to the successful adoption of cloud computing and understand the implications for organizations.
  • Recognize the compliance, risk, and regulatory consequences of cloud computing and its financial and strategic impact on an organization.
  • Evaluate and design a multitenant environment to address both private cloud and public cloud customer needs.
  • Configure vCloud providers that can accommodate heterogeneous server, storage, and network resources.
  • Design a network infrastructure optimized for vCloud.
  • Integrate vCloud Director security with existing LDAP systems and design appropriate security hierarchies with security roles.
  • Design a vCenter Chargeback implementation.

Course Prerequisites:

  • VM-315  or equivalent experience.
  • Managing or administering at least one of UNIX, Windows, databases, networking, or security.

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TN-335: Advanced Penetration Testing Using Open Source Tools

Course Overview:

This is an advanced course that assumes the attendee is a qualified security professional with experience using security tools and understands the concepts behind penetration testing. Courses that build up the expertise that enables a student to succeed in this course is Security+, CEH, CISSP, and any of the GIAC certifications. This course is completely hands-on and utilizes the BackTrack tool suite from backtrack-linux.org. The course covers, in detail, various attacks and tools that are contained in the BackTrack tool suite.

Attendees to TN-335: Advanced Penetration Testing Using Open Source Tools will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Dates/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Information Security and Open Source Software
  • Operating System Tools
  • Firewalls
  • Scanners
  • Vulnerability Scanners
  • Network Sniffers
  • Intrusion Detection Systems
  • Analysis and Management Tools
  • Encryption Tools
  • Wireless Tools
  • Forensic Tools
  • More on Open Source Software

Prerequisites:

  • Experience in IT Security
  • Solid basic knowledge of networks and TCP/IP
  • Experience in command line under Linux and Windows is required

 

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RH-355: RHCSA Rapid Track Course

Course Overview:

The RHCSA Rapid Track Course  is designed for experienced Linux® system administrators who want to expand their technical skill sets and become accredited with the Red Hat® Certified System Administration (RHCSA) certification. To successfully navigate this course, students should have experience with the Linux command line—including the necessary skills to execute common commands, such as cp, grep, sort, mkdir, tar, mkfs, ssh, and dnf—and be familiar with accessing man pages for help. At the completion of the course, students will be adequately prepared to take the RHCSA exam (EX200) .

Date/Locations:

No Events

Duration: 5 days

Course Objectives:

  • Introduce Linux and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux ecosystem.
  • Run commands and view shell environments.
  • Manage, organize, and secure files.
  • Manage users, groups and user security policies.
  • Control and monitor systemd services.
  • Configure remote access using the web console and SSH.
  • Configure network interfaces and settings.
  • Manage software using DNF
  • Access security files, file systems, and networks
  • Execute shell scripting and automation techniques
  • Manage storage devices, logical volumes, and file systems
  • Manage security and system access
  • Control the boot process and system services
  • Running containers

Prerequisites:

Experience in the field system administration.

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TN-913: Cloud Security Fundamentals

 

Course Overview:

TechNow Cloud Security Fundamentals addresses the loss of hands-on control of system, application, and data security in the Cloud computing environment.  Security teams wrestle with the impact and liability of Cloud computing on an organization.  This course enables the security team to assist in contract language and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) when utilizing Cloud Service Providers (CSPs).

Compliance and auditing are introduced with strategies for control verification and audit analysis in the CSP environment.  Software as a Service (SaaS) to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and everything in between require a compliance strategy.  Students will go in-depth into the architecture and infrastructure fundamentals for private, public, and hybrid clouds.   Topics covered include: patch and configuration management, virtualization security, application security, and change management. Policy, risk assessment, and governance within cloud environments will be covered with recommendations for both internal policies and contract provisions to consider.

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

Attendees to TN-913: Cloud Security Fundamentals will receive TechNow approved course materials and expert instruction.

Date/Locations:

No Events

Course Duration: 3 days

Course Objectives:

  • Cloud computing introduction
  • Security challenges in the cloud
  • Infrastructure security in the cloud
  • Policy, risk, and governance for cloud computing
  • Compliance and legal considerations
  • Audit and assessment for the cloud
  • Data security in the cloud
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning (DR/BCP) in the cloud
  • Intrusion detection and incident response

Course Prerequisites:

  • GSEC, CISSP, CASP or equivalent experience in managing enterprise infrastructures
  • Managing or administering at least one of UNIX, Windows, Databases, networking, or security

Comments

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User: reedrobt

Instructor comments: Dave is like an encyclopedia of technical topics...what "doesn't" he have expertise in?

Facilities comments: Home2 location was well-kept and convenient to other services.

 

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