Nerdpedes,
have a look at
https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/64915/what-are-the-biggest-security-concerns-on-pxe
Best of:
I can capture a full machine image. Do your systems automatically connect to the domain controller after setting up the machine? If so, this image probably has domain controller credentials on it, that I can capture and use elsewhere.
Computer makes a DHCP request --> DHCP server responds with address and PXE parameters --> Computer downloads boot image using TFTP over UDP
If the good guys got the traffic on that low level, unencrypted. Then they would have it all.
Are you talking about the winPE environment, I've never seen the ability to download and run an iso in ram without touching the HDD like a live cd. Can you please provide info or instruction on this?
TAILS linux.
Yes but we are talking about pxe booting tails then, I've never seen that done.
I haven't either, I just meant an OS from an ISO image. I suppose you could put the image on a disk and serv that from PXE or something like it.
It would run all in RAM and not touch the HD. That's sort of like an old WYSE dumb terminal.
I see what you are saying, I just don't know if it's possible to 'stream' an OS like that. Modern OSs are generally large and complex. The way this would work could be potentially a thin client or similar, but then we are talking about terminal services rather than PXE.
WinPE can run from RAM, you could boot to a virtual disk over the network, most linux flavors can run as a Live CD...
You can get a lot of stuff running in a WinPE environment, especially if you're the one writing the software.
Yes, this is all true but you need to exit the winPE environment to run the OS. You say you can boot to a virtual disk over the network. Wouldn't this be a thin client / terminal services rather than PXE?
WindowsPE runs in RAM I boot to it from a flash drive and pull out the drive once it’s up all the time
Yes, but have you pxe booted a live cd or similar, that's what we are talking about here. The pxe environment is meant for installing on hdd not running live, I don't know that it's possible.
ah, indeed. So....this is from microsoft. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/mem/configmgr/understand-pxe-boot
"The NBP downloads the operating system loader and the boot files via TFTP, which include the following:
smsboot\x64\pxeboot.com smsboot\x64\bootmgr.exe \SMSBoot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf \SMSBoot\boot.sdi \SMSImages\RR200004\boot.RR200004.wim A RAMDISK is created using these files and the WinPE WIM file in memory.
RAMDISK is created
The client boots from the RAMDISK."
Looks like pxe does boot from RAM? I was under the impression that PXE was for deploying an image/images out easily to clients for installation of said images onto the clients drive. I am not certain anymore due to reading through the doc I linked from microsoft.
OK but where is it saving the .wim file? These files are often large and far too big to simply store it in ram, so, when it downloads, where does it write it, if not the hdd?
Could it be where the infamous thumb drives come into play? to serve up the required software overrides across a LAN?
It's possible, yes.