Building Secure PowerShell Solutions with Jake Hildreth

Feb 10, 2025

Jake Hildreth, a security-focused PowerShell expert and creator of Locksmith and PowerPUG, dives into the evolution of Locksmith v2, highlighting automation and user-friendly security enhancements. He also discusses the importance of the Protected Users group in Active Directory for eliminating outdated authentication vulnerabilities. The conversation touches on learning Crescendo with certutil.exe and improving PowerShell workflows through scripting and community resources. Jake shares his journey of continuous learning, emphasizing the value of documentation and collaboration in the tech space.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

The Humor of PowerShell Wednesdays and Dad Jokes

01:56 • 2min

Navigating the PowerShell Journey

03:45 • 6min

Securing Active Directory with Protected Users

09:56 • 22min

Enhancing Focus and Building Connections

32:24 • 2min

Engaging the PowerShell Community and Embracing Security

33:58 • 2min

In this episode of the PowerShell Podcast, we welcome back security-focused PowerShell expert Jake Hildreth for an insightful conversation about PowerShell, security tools, and his continued journey in the PowerShell community. Jake shares updates on Locksmith v2, his work with PowerPUG, and his experience learning new PowerShell techniques to refine and improve his tools.

Bio: I'm a husband, a dad, and a recovering sysadmin. I've worked in technology since the year 2000, when I got my first tech job as Tier 1 support for cable modem companies. After that, I transitioned into systems & network administration, always with a security focus. In the last three years, I pivoted into security, focusing on Active Directory. When I'm not working, I enjoy cooking, drinking whiskey, lifting weights, traveling, reading... and writing code. Coding is like creating and solving little puzzles for yourself! So soothing.

Key topics in this episode include:

The evolution of Locksmith and the road to v2, including improvements in automation, PowerShell best practices, and making security more accessible.
PowerPug and the protected users group, a tool that helps sysadmins secure their environments by eliminating outdated authentication vulnerabilities.
Learning Crescendo, explore how Jake wrapped certutil.exe.
Improving PowerShell workflows, including scripting automation, optimizing profiles, and using community resources for best practices.
The importance of documentation, automation, and making security easier for sysadmins.

Jake also shares insights from his time working with the PowerShell community, including PowerShell Wednesdays, learning from peers, and the power of building in public.

Join the conversation:

Follow Jake at JakeHildreth.com for links to all his projects and socials.
Catch PowerShell Wednesdays every Wednesday at 2 PM EST in the PDQ Discord community (discord.gg/pdq) for live discussions and demos.

Links:

The PowerShell Podcast: https://pdq.com/the-powershell-podcast

The PowerShell Podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/A6ycrxQRIns