KLIST - CMD

Overview

The klist command in Windows Command Prompt is used to manage Kerberos tickets. This tool is primarily useful in environments where Kerberos authentication is used, allowing users to view and manage their Kerberos ticket-granting tickets (TGTs) and service tickets. System administrators can use klist to troubleshoot Kerberos authentication issues and ensure that the proper tickets are being issued and used.

Syntax

klist [commands] [options]

Commands:

  • tickets or tgt: Display ticket-granting tickets.
  • purge: Delete Kerberos tickets.

Options:

  • -lh [LogonID] – Specify the logon session ID.
  • -li [LogonID] – Specify the logon session ID (as 0x format).

Options/Flags

  • tickets or tgt: Shows all the ticket-granting tickets available in the user’s session.
  • purge [-quiet]: Clears all Kerberos tickets from the cache. When -quiet is used, the command will perform the purge without any output.
  • -lh [LogonID] and -li [LogonID]: These can be used to target a specific logon session; useful in scenarios where multiple logon sessions need individual management.

Examples

1. Viewing all Kerberos Tickets:

klist tickets

This command lists all the Kerberos tickets in the user’s cache.

2. Purging all Kerberos Tickets Quietly:

klist purge -quiet

This will remove all Kerberos tickets from the cache without providing any output.

3. Targeting a Specific Logon Session:

klist -li 0x3e7 purge

This purges the Kerberos tickets for the specific session with LogonID 0x3e7.

Common Issues

Issue: Error Message “Kerberos tickets not found”

  • Cause: No Kerberos tickets are present in the cache.
  • Solution: Ensure that you are authenticated to a service or domain that uses Kerberos for authentication.

Issue: Permissions Error

  • Cause: Insufficient permissions to execute klist commands.
  • Solution: Run the command prompt as an administrator.

Integration

klist can be integrated with other Windows CMD commands for scripting or automation purposes. For example:

Automated Ticket Management Script:

@echo off
echo Checking Kerberos tickets...
klist tickets
if errorlevel 1 (
    echo No tickets found. Attempting re-authentication...
    rem Insert re-authentication command here
) else (
    echo Tickets are present.
)
  • kinit: Used to obtain and cache Kerberos ticket-granting tickets.
  • ktab: Manages Kerberos key table entries.

For more information and advanced usage, consult the Microsoft documentation related to Kerberos and authentication services: Kerberos Authentication.