Polenum
Overview
Polenum is a Python-based security tool that extracts password policies and domain information from Windows domain controllers via RPC (Remote Procedure Call) protocol. It can query password complexity requirements, lockout policies, and other security settings without requiring valid domain credentials, making it essential for security assessments and penetration tests targeting Active Directory environments.
Installation
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip
pip3 install polenum
From Source (Impacket Required)
git clone https://github.com/Wh1t3Fox/polenum.git
cd polenum
pip3 install impacket
python3 polenum.py
Install Dependencies
pip3 install impacket
pip3 install pycrypto
pip3 install pycryptodome
Verify Installation
python3 polenum.py --version
python3 polenum.py --help
Core Concepts
RPC Protocol
Polenum uses RPC to communicate with domain controllers without authentication, exploiting the information disclosure inherent in Active Directory.
Password Policy Fields
- Minimum Password Length: Minimum characters required
- Password History: Number of previous passwords remembered
- Maximum Password Age: Days before password expiration
- Minimum Password Age: Minimum days between password changes
- Password Complexity: Requirement for uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols
- Account Lockout Threshold: Failed login attempts before lockout
- Account Lockout Duration: Minutes account remains locked
- Account Lockout Observation Window: Reset period for failed login counter
Domain Information Extracted
- Domain name
- Forest name
- Domain functional level
- Trust relationships
- Default domain policy
- Password complexity requirements
- Kerberos settings
Basic Commands
Query Single Domain Controller
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com
python3 polenum.py 192.168.1.10
Query with Target Specification
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -t 192.168.1.100
Query Specific User Account
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -U username
List Domain Controllers
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -l
Common Usage Patterns
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | Query domain password policy |
python3 polenum.py 192.168.1.10 | Query DC by IP address |
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -t DC_IP | Target specific DC |
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -U admin | Query user account info |
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -l | List domain information |
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com -o output.txt | Save results to file |
Password Policy Enumeration
Basic Policy Query
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.local
Verbose Output
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -v
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.local -vv
Query Specific DC
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -t domain-controller.domain.com
Output Results to File
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com > policy_output.txt
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.local -o domain_policy.txt
Domain Enumeration
Query Domain Information
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com
Get DC List
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -l
Enumerate Trust Relationships
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com --trusts
Query User Information
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -U username
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -U "domain\username"
Advanced Techniques
Query Multiple Domains
for domain in domain1.com domain2.com domain3.com; do
python3 polenum.py $domain >> all_policies.txt
done
Extract Kerberos Settings
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -i kerberos
Find Weak Password Policies
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -i "minimum password length"
Query with Network Range
for ip in 192.168.1.{10..20}; do
python3 polenum.py $ip 2>/dev/null
done
Policy Analysis
Parsing Policy Output
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -A 5 "Password Policy"
Extract Specific Policy Fields
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep "Password required"
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep "Lockout"
Generate Policy Report
echo "=== Domain Password Policies ===" > report.txt
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com >> report.txt
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -t DC2 >> report.txt
Security Assessment Scenarios
Multi-Domain Assessment
#!/bin/bash
DOMAINS=("DOMAIN1.com" "DOMAIN2.com" "DOMAIN3.local")
for domain in "${DOMAINS[@]}"; do
echo "=== Querying $domain ===" >> assessment_report.txt
python3 polenum.py $domain >> assessment_report.txt
echo "" >> assessment_report.txt
done
Find Weak Password Requirements
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -i "minimum password length" | awk '{print $NF}'
Check Default Policies
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -i "default\|standard\|minimum"
Account Lockout Assessment
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -i "lockout"
Troubleshooting
Connection Refused
# Ensure network connectivity to DC
ping domain-controller.domain.com
# Verify RPC port 135 is accessible
nmap -p 135 192.168.1.10
DNS Resolution Issues
# Specify DC by IP instead of hostname
python3 polenum.py 192.168.1.10
# Add domain to hosts file
echo "192.168.1.10 domain.com" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts
RPC Protocol Errors
# Try different RPC binding
python3 polenum.py -u DOMAIN.com -t DC_IP --rpc-port 135
Timeout Issues
# Increase timeout
timeout 60 python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com
Output Examples
Standard Policy Output
[+] Attempting to connect to 192.168.1.10
[+] Successfully connected to domain.local
[+] Domain Admins: domain\Domain Admins (S-1-5-21-xxx)
[+] Domain Users: domain\Domain Users (S-1-5-21-xxx)
Password Policy:
Complexity: Enabled
Minimum Length: 8
History: 5 previous passwords
Maximum Age: 90 days
Minimum Age: 1 day
Lockout Threshold: 5 attempts
Lockout Duration: 30 minutes
Domain Trust Information
[+] Trust Relationships Found:
DOMAIN.local (Parent)
CHILD.local (Child)
EXTERNAL.com (External)
Integration with Other Tools
Export to JSON
python3 -c "
import json
# Parse polenum output and convert to JSON
policy_data = {
'domain': 'DOMAIN.com',
'min_length': 8,
'complexity': True,
'lockout_threshold': 5
}
print(json.dumps(policy_data, indent=2))
"
Feed to Password Attack Tools
# Use minimum password length to optimize wordlist generation
MIN_LEN=$(python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com | grep -i "minimum length" | awk '{print $NF}')
echo "Target minimum password length: $MIN_LEN"
Document Assessment Findings
python3 polenum.py DOMAIN.com > domain_policy_$(date +%Y%m%d).txt
Best Practices
- Obtain Authorization: Ensure written permission before enumeration
- Document Findings: Record all policy findings for reporting
- Compare Baselines: Track policy changes across assessments
- Risk Assessment: Identify weak policies vs. organizational standards
- Recommendation Mapping: Map findings to security benchmarks (CIS, NIST)
- Multiple Targets: Query multiple DCs to identify policy variations
- Time Stamps: Log when enumeration was performed
- Network Segmentation: Ensure assessment system has proper network access
Remediation Recommendations
Strong Password Requirements
Minimum Length: 14+ characters
Complexity: Enabled (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, symbols)
History: 5-12 previous passwords
Maximum Age: 60-90 days
Account Lockout Configuration
Threshold: 5 failed attempts
Duration: 30 minutes minimum
Observation Window: 30 minutes
Security Baseline Mapping
- CIS Benchmark: Password policy settings
- NIST SP 800-63B: Digital identity guidelines
- Windows Security Baseline: Default secure configurations
Related Tools
- Enum4Linux: Linux enumeration tool for Windows domains
- ADRecon: Active Directory reconnaissance tool
- Bloodhound: AD data visualization and analysis
- Impacket: Network protocol suite for Python
- Crackmapexec: Multi-protocol credential validation
- Ldapsearch: LDAP directory search tool