What is Mimikatz?

Mimikatz is a post-exploitation tool that is commonly used to obtain authentication credentials such as plaintext passwords, hash values, Kerberos tickets, and PIN codes from memory. It is often used in penetration testing and red team engagements, but can also be employed by malicious actors to escalate privileges and move laterally within a compromised network. Due to its open-source nature and wide availability, Mimikatz has become a staple in the toolkit of both security professionals and attackers.