# 🖥️ Network Services

During a typical **penetration test**, we often encounter **networked services** designed to:

* Manage
* Edit
* Transfer
* Create content

These services are hosted with **specific permissions** and assigned to individual users.

***

### 🛠️ Common Network Services

Here are frequently encountered services during assessments:

| Category              | Services                                         |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| 📁 File Transfer      | **FTP**, **SMB**, **NFS**                        |
| ✉️ Email & Messaging  | **SMTP**, **IMAP/POP3**                          |
| 🧑‍💻 Remote Access   | **SSH**, **RDP**, **WinRM**, **VNC**, **Telnet** |
| 🗃️ Databases         | **MySQL**, **MSSQL**                             |
| 👥 Directory Services | **LDAP**                                         |

> 📚 For deeper understanding, explore the [Footprinting module on HTB Academy](https://academy.hackthebox.com/module/10).

***

### 🪟 Managing Windows Servers Remotely

When managing a **Windows server over a network**, we require services that allow:

* Executing commands
* Viewing or modifying files
* GUI-based or terminal-based control

#### ✅ Commonly Used Services:

| Service   | Description                                                  |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **RDP**   | Remote Desktop Protocol – Full GUI access                    |
| **WinRM** | Windows Remote Management – CLI-based management over HTTP/S |
| **SSH**   | Secure Shell – Rare on Windows, common on Linux              |

> ⚠️ While **SSH** is dominant on Linux, its usage on Windows is **less frequent** but growing.

***

### 🔐 Authentication Mechanisms

All these services rely on **authentication**:

* Typically: **Username + Password**
* Can be customized to use:
  * 🔑 **SSH Keys**
  * 🧾 **Certificates**
  * 🔐 **Kerberos tokens**

> 🔧 Many services run with **default configurations**, making them vulnerable to **brute-force** or **credential stuffing** attacks.