You're reading from Metasploit for Beginners

Product typeBook

Published inJul 2017

PublisherPackt

ISBN-139781788295970

Edition1st Edition

Tools

Metasploit

Concepts

Cybersecurity

Author (1)

Sagar Rahalkar

Setting up Your Environment

In the preceding chapter, you got familiarized with vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and the Metasploit Framework in brief. Now, let's get practically started with Metasploit by learning how to install and set up the framework on various platforms along with setting up a dedicated virtual test environment. In this chapter, you will learn about the following topics:

Using the Kali Linux virtual machine to instantly get started with Metasploit and supporting tools
Installing the Metasploit Framework on Windows and Linux platforms
Setting up exploitable targets in a virtual environment

Using the Kali Linux virtual machine - the easiest way

Metasploit is a standalone application distributed by Rapid7. It can be individually downloaded and installed on various operating system platforms such as Windows and Linux. However, at times, Metasploit requires quite a lot of supporting tools and utilities as well. It can be a bit exhausting to install the Metasploit Framework and all supporting tools individually on any given platform. To ease the process of setting up the Metasploit Framework along with the required tools, it is recommended to get a ready-to-use Kali Linux virtual machine.

Using this virtual machine will give the following benefits:

Plug and play Kali Linux--no installation required
Metasploit comes pre-installed with the Kali VM
All the supporting tools (discussed in this book) also come pre-installed with the Kali VM
Save time and effort in setting...

Installing Metasploit on Windows

Metasploit Framework can be easily installed on a Windows based operating system. However, Windows is usually not the platform of choice for deploying Metasploit Framework, the reason being, that many of the supporting tools and utilities are not available for Windows platform. Hence it's strongly recommended to install the Metasploit Framework on Linux platform.

The following are the steps for Metasploit Framework installation on Windows:

Download the latest Metasploit Windows installer from: https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/wiki/Downloads-by-Version.
Double click and open the downloaded installer.
Click Next, as seen in the following screenshot:

Accept the license agreement:

Select the location where you wish to install the Metasploit Framework:

Click on Install to proceed further:

The Metasploit installer progresses...

Installing Metasploit on Linux

For the scope of this book, we will be installing the Metasploit Framework on Ubuntu (Debian based) system. Before we begin the installation, we first need to download the latest installer. This can be done using wget command as follows:

Open a terminal window and type:

wget http://downloads.metasploit.com/data/releases/metasploit-latest-linux-installer.run

Once the installer has been downloaded, we need to change the mode of the installer to be executable. This can be done as follows:
- For 64-bit systems: chmod +x /path/to/metasploit-latest-linux-x64-installer.run
- For 32-bit systems: chmod +x /path/to/metasploit-latest-linux-installer.run
Now we are ready to launch the installer using the following command:
- For 64-bit systems: sudo /path/to/metasploit-latest-linux-x64-installer.run
- For 32-bit systems: sudo /path/to/metasploit-latest-linux...

Setting up exploitable targets in a virtual environment

Metasploit is a powerful penetration testing framework which, if not used in a controlled manner, can cause potential damage to the target system. For the sake of learning and practicing Metasploit, we can certainly not use it on any live production system for which we don't have any authorized permission. However, we can practice our newly acquired Metasploit skills in our own virtual environment which has been deliberately made vulnerable. This can be achieved through a Linux based system called Metasploitable which has many different trivial vulnerabilities ranging from OS level to Application level. Metasploitable is a ready-to-use virtual machine which can be downloaded from the following location: https://sourceforge.net/projects/metasploitable/files/Metasploitable2/

Once downloaded, in order to run the virtual...

Summary

In this chapter we have learned how to quickly get started with the Metasploit Framework by installing it on various platforms. Having done with the installation part, we'll proceed further to the next chapter to get an overview of structure of Metasploit and component level details.

Exercises

You can try the following exercises:

Download Kali Linux virtual machine and play it in VMPlayer or VMware Workstation
Try installing the Metasploit Framework on Ubuntu

The rest of the chapter is locked

You have been reading a chapter from

Metasploit for Beginners

Published in: Jul 2017Publisher: PacktISBN-13: 9781788295970

A free Packt account unlocks extra newsletters, articles, discounted offers, and much more. Start advancing your knowledge today.

undefined

Unlock this book and the full library FREE for 7 days

Get unlimited access to 7000+ expert-authored eBooks and videos courses covering every tech area you can think of

Start free trial

Renews at €14.99/month. Cancel anytime

Author (1)

Sagar Rahalkar

Sagar Rahalkar is a seasoned information security professional having more than 10 years of comprehensive experience in various verticals of IS. His domain expertise is mainly into breach detection, cyber crime investigations, digital forensics, application security, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, compliance for mandates and regulations, IT GRC, and much more. He holds a masters degree in computer science and several industry-recognized certifications such as Certified Cyber Crime Investigator, Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Security Analyst, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, IBM certified Specialist-Rational AppScan, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and PRINCE2. He has been closely associated with Indian law enforcement agencies for more than 3 years dealing with digital crime investigations and related training and received several awards and appreciations from senior officials of the police and defense organizations in India. Sagar has also been a reviewer and author for various books and online publications.
Read more about Sagar Rahalkar

Other recommended products

Related to this chapter

Metasploit 5.0 for Beginners

Metasploit 5.x for Beginners will provide a good starting point to perform penetration testing and identify threats and vulnerabilities to secure your IT environment. You will be able to analyze, identify, and exploit threats and vulnerabilities to secure your IT environment.

BookApr 2020246 pages

Network Vulnerability Assessment

Being able to identify security loopholes has become critical to many businesses. That's where learning network security assessment becomes very important. This book will not only show you how to find out the system vulnerabilities but also help you build a network security threat model.

BookAug 2018254 pages

Metasploit Penetration Testing Cookbook

Metasploit is the world's leading penetration testing tool and helps security and IT professionals find, exploit, and validate vulnerabilities. Metasploit allows penetration testing automation, password auditing, web application scanning, social engineering, post exploitation, evidence collection, and reporting. Metasploit's integration with InsightVM (or Nexpose), Nessus, OpenVas, and other vulnerability scanners provides a validation solution that simplifies vulnerability prioritization and remediation reporting. Teams can collaborate in Metasploit and present their findings in consolidated reports.

BookFeb 2018426 pages

Hands-On Web Penetration Testing with Metasploit

Metasploit is one of the best frameworks used for enumeration and exploitation of vulnerabilities. This book will not only give you a practical understanding of Metasploit but will also cover some less known modules and auxiliaries for pentesting Web Applications.

BookMay 2020544 pages

Metasploit Bootcamp

Metasploit Bootcamp will enable readers to gain hands-on knowledge on Penetration testing with Metasploit in various environments using a boot camp style approach. The readers will learn about Scanning, fingerprinting and exploiting different software. They will also learn about testing on services like Databases, VOIP and other known and unknown services. Attacking client side and scripting attacks would be made easy with this book. Overall the readers would learn how to test various devices and learn how to integrate Metasploit with industry’s leading tools.

BookMay 2017230 pages

Mastering Metasploit

Metasploit is a popular penetration testing framework that has one of the largest exploit databases around. This book will show you exactly how to prepare yourself for the attacks you will face every day by simulating real-world possibilities.

BookJun 2020502 pages

Mastering Metasploit

Metasploit is a popular penetration testing framework that has one of the largest exploit databases around. This book will show you exactly how to prepare yourself for the attacks you will face every day by simulating real-world possibilities.

BookMay 2018492 pages

Kali Linux Network Scanning Cookbook

With the ever-increasing amount of data flowing in today’s world, information security has become vital to any application. This is where Kali Linux comes in. Kali Linux focuses mainly on security auditing and penetration testing. This step-by-step cookbook on network scanning trains you in important scanning concepts based on version 2016.2. It will enable you to conquer any network environment through a range of network scanning techniques and will also equip you to script your very own tools.

BookMay 2017634 pages

Hands-On Red Team Tactics

Red teaming is a process in which you use an attacker-like approach to secure your system, data, and network from getting breached. The main goal of the book is to equip the readers with the means to a smooth transition from a pen tester to a red teamer by focusing on the uncommon yet effective methods in a red teaming activity.

BookSep 2018480 pages

Learn Kali Linux 2019

The current trend of various hacking and security breaches displays how important it has become to pentest your environment, to ensure end point protection. This book will take you through the latest version of Kali Linux to efficiently deal with various crucial security aspects such as confidentiality, integrity, access control and authentication.

BookNov 2019550 pages

Learn Penetration Testing

A penetration test, also known as a pen test, is a simulated cyberattack against your computer system to check for exploitable vulnerabilities. In the context of web application security, penetration testing is commonly used to augment a web application firewall (WAF). This book teaches you various penetration testing techniques in order to become a proficient Penetration tester.

BookMay 2019424 pages

Kali Linux Intrusion and Exploitation Cookbook

Born from it predecessor, Kali Linux 2.0 is the most popular Linux distribution designed for security professionals who build defensive strategies around their systems with an offensive mindset. This book aims at introducing you to the most common and not -so- common pre-installed penetration testing tools and create custom complex images in the form of easy to follow recipes. Right Information gathering, vulnerability assessment & penetration testing for Web, wired and wireless Network this book will help you get grips on exploiting vulnerabilities in your system and fix those security anomalies in no time.

BookApr 2017512 pages

Personalised recommendations for you

Based on your interests and search pattern

Attacking and Exploiting Modern Web Applications

Attacking and Exploiting Modern Web Attacks will help you understand how to identify attack surfaces and detect vulnerabilities. This book takes a hands-on approach to implementation and associated methodologies and equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively combat web attacks.

BookAug 2023338 pages

Automotive Cybersecurity Engineering Handbook

This Automotive Cybersecurity Engineering Handbook untangles the complexities of building secure automotive products and helps you to comply with cybersecurity standards. It provides practical tools, tips, and techniques coupled with real-world examples to enable you to create cyber-resilient automotive products with ease.

BookOct 2023392 pages

Official Google Cloud Certified Professional Cloud Security Engineer Exam Guide

This book will help you to design, develop, and operate security controls on Google Cloud as well as discover best practices for relevant security domains, including identity and access management, network, and data.

BookAug 2023496 pages

Cloud Penetration Testing for Red Teamers

The advent of cloud networks and the AWS, Azure, and GCP platforms has revolutionized how companies of all sizes in all industries do business online. This book will help you meet the emerging demand for pentesting as it guides you through the tools, techniques, and security measures used by pentesters and red teamers in the 2020s and beyond.

BookNov 2023298 pages

ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC®) Exam Guide

ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC®) Certification Guide is an enterprise IT risk management professional’s dream. With its in-depth approach and various self-assessment exercises, this book arms you with knowledge of every single aspect of the certification, and is a fantastic career companion after you’re certified.

BookSep 2023316 pages5

Burp Suite Cookbook

Burp Suite is an immensely powerful and popular tool for web application security testing. This book provides a collection of recipes that address vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. It offers guidance on how to configure Burp Suite, make the most of its tools, and explore into its extensions.

BookOct 2023450 pages

Building and Automating Penetration Testing Labs in the Cloud

This hands-on guide will help you design and build a variety of penetration testing labs that mimic modern cloud environments running on AWS, Azure, and GCP. In addition to these, you will explore a number of practical strategies on how to manage the complexity, cost, and security risks involved when setting up vulnerable cloud lab environments.

BookOct 2023562 pages

Ethical Hacking Workshop

As cyber-attacks grow and APT groups advance their skillset, you need to be able to protect your enterprise against cyber-attacks. In order to limit your attack surface, you need to ensure that you leverage the same skills and tools that an adversary may use to hack your environment and discover the security gaps. This book will teach you how to think like a hacker, use state-of-the-art hacking tools, and protect yourself and your organizaiton.

BookOct 2023220 pages

Windows Forensics Analyst Field Guide

This book contains step-by-step processes to guide you in any investigation related to Windows OS. You’ll find out how to acquire evidence using multiple tools as well as examine and analyze the collected artifacts, while discovering multiple techniques used in real-world forensic incidents.

BookOct 2023318 pages

Implementing DevSecOps Practices

This book is a comprehensive, hands-on guide for individuals new to DevSecOps who want to implement DevSecOps practices successfully and efficiently. With its help, you’ll be able to shift security toward the left, enabling you to merge security into coding in no time.

BookDec 2023258 pages