In Part 1, we built the Sandboxed Sanctuary—the physical room for our Dojo. But a warrior cannot practice with a straw man that never moves. To learn how to hunt threats, we must create a city that is actually worth hunting.

As a Mindful Architect, we are now going to intentionally “downgrade” our security. We are going to build a city with high walls but rotten gates. By installing these vulnerabilities, we create the “breadcrumbs” that we will follow in the next parts of the series.

1. The “Lazy Admin” Setup

We need to create a scenario where a hacker can actually move through the network. We’ll start by creating The Weak Link:

• The User: Create a user named B.Smith on the Windows Workstation.
• The Sin: Give them a simple, predictable password like Password123 or Welcome2026!.
• The Mistake: Make B.Smith a member of the Local Administrators group on that workstation. This is the #1 mistake in real-world IT—giving users more power than they need.

2. Re-Opening the Back Doors (Legacy Protocols)

Remember Level 3, Part 3 where we closed the “Back Doors”? For the Dojo, we are going to open them back up.

• Enable LLMNR: Ensure Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution is active (it’s on by default in a fresh Windows install).
• Enable SMBv1: (Optional/Advanced) If you want to simulate older attacks, you can enable this ancient file-sharing protocol on your Domain Controller.

3. The “Service Account” Trap

Create a service account for a “Legacy SQL Server.”

• The Sin: Set this account to “Password Never Expires.” * The Vulnerability: We will use this later to demonstrate Kerberoasting—an attack where hackers steal a service ticket and crack it offline to get the password.

[Image: A “Security Checklist” showing all the red ‘X’ marks on the lab configuration]

The Architect’s Reflection

In life, we often try to hide our flaws. We put on a brave face and pretend our “City” is perfect. But a Mindful Architect knows that Vulnerability is the greatest teacher.

By intentionally building a flawed lab, you are practicing Intellectual Honesty. You are admitting that even the best systems have weak points. You aren’t “breaking” your lab; you are creating a map of the shadows. To truly protect the light, you must understand exactly how the darkness creeps in.

You cannot fix what you are afraid to look at.

Next in the Series: The Thief’s Perspective — Seeing the city through Kali Linux.

How “Bad” is your lab? It feels strange to intentionally set a weak password, doesn’t it? That discomfort is your “Admin Instinct” kicking in! Tell me in the comments: what’s the worst security “sin” you’ve ever seen in a real network?

Tags: #Vulnerability #LabSetup #ActiveDirectory #CyberSecurity #RedTeaming #Dojo.