As already described in the Windows Hello section, the PtH vulnerability has become a very common threat. Hacker tools such as Mimikatz can dump the system memory and debug your LSASS.exe, containing all the currently active credentials, including hashes. When PtH was weaponized, Windows 7 was already mainstream, and the design of Windows 8.0 was also completed. They could not react/redesign their kernel to prevent this memory dump. Every service was able to dump your Local Security Authority Subsystem (LSASS). With Windows 8.1, a new protected process level (PPL) was introduced. When RunAsPPL was activated, the LSASS process would run with a higher protection level (system level) and therefore no longer be accessible by illegal/corrupt services. But Mimikatz evolved and found a weak spot with device drivers. Even when running in the PPL, LSASS could be accessed...





















































