Michael Waterman

Ramblings on IT and Security

Enable RDP hardware acceleration on a Linux VM in Microsoft Hyper-V

How to pass through a GPU and optimize remote performance in Ubuntu

Running a GPU-accelerated remote desktop on a Linux virtual machine (VM) in Microsoft Hyper-V can significantly improve performance for graphical applications, GPU intensive workloads, and even remote testing. However, Hyper-V does not support full PCI passthrough like VMware or Proxmox. Instead, it provides Discrete Device Assignment (DDA), which allows passing a GPU directly to a VM.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Windows Event Forwarding and NTLMv1 Monitoring

Did you know that Windows has had a built-in capability to function as a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system for years, provided you stay within the Windows ecosystem? This powerful feature, known as Windows Event Forwarding (WEF), allows you to centralize event logs from multiple Windows machines, giving you a comprehensive view of your network’s activities.

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Mastering AppLocker: Security Group Exceptions

I’ll promise to keep this blog post short—well, shorter than usual (hopefully). Last week, I worked on a project involving application allow listing. In the Windows ecosystem, this can be achieved using Windows AppLocker. While AppLocker has been around for quite some time, it’s only recently become available on Windows 11 Professional. Previously, it was an exclusive feature for Enterprise versions.

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Exploring Persistent Access in Active Directory: The AdminSDHolder Backdoor

Hey there, tech enthusiasts and Active Directory adventurers! Today, let’s talk about something really cool yet often overlooked in the world of Microsoft Active Directory: the AdminSDHolder. Now, you might be thinking, “What’s so special about this AdminSDHolder?” Well, let me tell you, it’s a game-changer in how security permissions are managed in your organization’s digital realm.

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Advanced QEMU/KVM Networking on Ubuntu

Transitioning between Operating Systems can be a challenge. Many aspects of what you’re used to work differently and you should expect a learning curve.

Well, that was a weird intro for a blog post that has Linux networking in the title! Actually I’m saying goodby to Windows as my primary system…. yes you read that correctly. It’s not that I don’t like the system anymore, it’s the direction Microsoft is taking with AI and the integration into the OS that made me take this decision.

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Privileged Access Workstation Shenanigans

Do you know what really ticks me off? Stuff that doesn’t work as expected. Exactly that happened to me today while I revisited configuring a “Privileged Access Workstation” (PAW). Now a PAW is used to safeguard highly privileged credentials in a domain or cloud environment. In essence it’s a workstation used solely for admin work, all infrastructure management is done from this machine. While talking about configuring a PAW is beyond the scope of this blog post, I do need to point out that “Domain Admins” and equivalent groups should never ever have local admin rights on a PAW, they should be regular users, reducing the risk of credential theft and the obvious malware infection that usually follows.

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