Attacking Common Services

Common services — SSH, RDP, SMB, web and database servers — are the easiest place for attackers to gain a foothold because they’re ubiquitous and often misconfigured. Weak or reused credentials, exposed management interfaces, and over-privileged service accounts give attackers a simple path to pivot and escalate. Prioritize hardening these entry points: enforce unique credentials and MFA, restrict access with segmentation and least-privilege service accounts, keep systems patched, and instrument logging and detection. Start with those controls and you remove the low-effort wins attackers rely on.