NodeZero vs. GOAD:
Get the Full Story
GOAD in under 15 minutes — no shortcuts, no simulation
GOAD is one of the most realistic Active Directory labs ever created — a multi-domain, multi-forest environment used by red teamers to prepare for certifications like the OSCP and by defenders to practice hardening real-world AD.
It’s built to punish mistakes — with real-world misconfigurations like weak Kerberos policies, exposed credentials, vulnerable certificate templates, and mismanaged trust relationships.
NodeZero® didn’t just complete GOAD.
It conquered it — in under 15 minutes.
No credentials. No CVEs. No simulation.
Just real attacks, executed autonomously.
NodeZero’s campaign — explained
Starting point: unauthenticated
NodeZero launched inside GOAD with no credentials, no inside knowledge, and no manual tuning. It discovered an exposed SMB share allowing anonymous access — and immediately began gathering intelligence.
From there, it extracted user lists, identified weak accounts, and cracked its first password — just like an attacker would in the wild.
Building the chain in parallel
With that initial foothold, NodeZero moved quickly. It discovered scripts with embedded credentials, pivoted to systems where those credentials had local admin, and deployed a RAT — all while executing other tasks in parallel.
It escalated privileges, dumped LSASS, and harvested more credentials to expand access — accelerating the kill chain faster than a human red team could.
Domain compromise, then full forest takeover
NodeZero didn’t stop at one domain. It abused Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS), exploited a vulnerable certificate template (ESC3), impersonated a domain admin, and moved laterally across trust boundaries into the parent domain.
In under 15 minutes, NodeZero had full control — without triggering alerts, crashing systems, or requiring a single manual command.
No LLMNR. No CVEs. No shortcuts.
Just autonomous software chaining real weaknesses into real impact.
Why this matters
What would take an expert red teamer 6–12 hours took NodeZero
Every technique maps to real adversary tradecraft — including TTPs used by APT29, Volt Typhoon, and other nation-state actors.
This wasn’t a simulation or a scan. NodeZero performed real attacks, against real misconfigurations, in a production-like environment.
Every action is logged. Every escalation path is traceable. You don’t have to guess — the proof is in the evidence.
This is offense-driven defense — operationalized through autonomous software.
What GOAD made clear
Attackers don’t need hours — they need minutes
NodeZero demonstrated how quickly a full domain and forest can fall. Your detection and response must operate on that same timeline.
This is real risk — not theoretical
The path to compromise was built entirely from common misconfigurations and overlooked exposures — the kind that persist in most environments.
Software can now replicate expert adversaries
NodeZero made its own decisions. No seeded knowledge. No CVEs. No manual intervention. Just smart, attacker-like logic — encoded in software.
Your own AD is the next proving ground
GOAD was the benchmark. Now it’s time to test your own environment — and see how it holds up under pressure.
Want the full attack breakdown?
This is what AI-driven offensive security looks like in action.