Book Image

Windows and Linux Penetration Testing from Scratch - Second Edition

By : Phil Bramwell
Book Image

Windows and Linux Penetration Testing from Scratch - Second Edition

By: Phil Bramwell

Overview of this book

Let’s be honest—security testing can get repetitive. If you’re ready to break out of the routine and embrace the art of penetration testing, this book will help you to distinguish yourself to your clients. This pen testing book is your guide to learning advanced techniques to attack Windows and Linux environments from the indispensable platform, Kali Linux. You'll work through core network hacking concepts and advanced exploitation techniques that leverage both technical and human factors to maximize success. You’ll also explore how to leverage public resources to learn more about your target, discover potential targets, analyze them, and gain a foothold using a variety of exploitation techniques while dodging defenses like antivirus and firewalls. The book focuses on leveraging target resources, such as PowerShell, to execute powerful and difficult-to-detect attacks. Along the way, you’ll enjoy reading about how these methods work so that you walk away with the necessary knowledge to explain your findings to clients from all backgrounds. Wrapping up with post-exploitation strategies, you’ll be able to go deeper and keep your access. By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed in identifying vulnerabilities within your clients’ environments and providing the necessary insight for proper remediation.
Table of Contents (23 chapters)
1
Part 1: Recon and Exploitation
9
Part 2: Vulnerability Fundamentals
17
Part 3: Post-Exploitation

Efficiency and attack organization with Armitage

We shouldn’t consider this a true Metasploit discussion without touching on Armitage. Armitage is a graphical frontend environment for Metasploit with a couple of huge advantages:

  • Armitage allows for more efficient work. Many of the tedious aspects of working with a console are reduced, as many tasks can be automated by executing a series of actions with a single click. The user interface environment also makes organization a snap.
  • Armitage runs as a team server on a single machine, making it accessible from other Armitage clients on the network, which turns the Metasploit Framework into a fully fledged red-teaming attack platform. You can even script out your own Cortana-based red team bots. Even a single well-versed individual can become terrifying with Armitage as an interface to Metasploit. 

We’ll explore Armitage again during post-exploitation, where its power shines. For now...