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root@sparrow:~/writeups$ cat blue.md
// writeups

Blue

28 Jul 2017 · 12 min read · root access
Blue - maquina de Hack The Box

Executive summary — Blue is the textbook Easy Windows box built entirely around EternalBlue: a Windows 7 SP1 host with legacy SMBv1 exposed and unpatched against MS17-010 (CVE-2017-0143). The bug lives in the SMB kernel driver, so a working exploit doesn't give a shell as some low-privilege user — it gives arbitrary code execution inside the kernel itself, which surfaces as SYSTEM from the very first second. One hop, no privilege escalation: SMB → SYSTEM.

PlatformHack The Box
Operating systemWindows
DifficultyEasy
StatusRetired
Target IP10.129.3.72

Attack map

[135/139/445] Windows 7 SP1 — SMBv1 exposed, signing disabled
   │  nmap NSE: smb-vuln-ms17-010 → confirmed vulnerable
   ▼
[445] SMBv1 kernel driver (srv.sys)
   │  MS17-010 / CVE-2017-0143 (EternalBlue) — crafted Trans2 request,
   │  kernel pool overflow, unauthenticated RCE
   ▼
[SYSTEM]  NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM (direct, no privesc — code runs in ring 0)

1. Reconnaissance

Standard opening: a full TCP scan with version and default-script detection.

nmap -sC -sV -Pn 10.129.3.72
135/tcp  msrpc
139/tcp  netbios-ssn
445/tcp  microsoft-ds
OS: Windows 7 Professional SP1  ·  SMB signing: disabled

The three open ports are the classic Windows file-sharing fingerprint: 135 is the RPC endpoint mapper, 139 is NetBIOS Session Service (SMB over NetBIOS), and 445 is SMB running directly over TCP/IP — the one that actually matters here. Nmap's OS detection also flags the host as Windows 7 Professional SP1, and its SMB script reports signing disabled.

Analysis: an unpatched Windows 7 SP1 with 445 exposed and signing off is about as loud an MS17-010 flag as HTB gets — this combination has been the single most common "Easy Windows" pattern since EternalBlue went public. SMB signing disabled isn't required for this particular exploit, but it's worth noting on its own: without it, an attacker in a position to intercept traffic could relay or tamper with SMB sessions (SMB relay attacks) — a second, independent weakness layered on top of the same protocol.

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