Speaker 1: Welcome to the deep dive. In a world just overflowing
Speaker 1: with information, wouldn't it be incredible to cut through all
Speaker 1: that noise and get straight to those you know, aha
Speaker 1: moments on topics that really matter. Absolutely, Today we're diving
Speaker 1: headfirst into a realm that's both fascinating and frankly critical
Speaker 1: for our digital safety. Ethical hacking.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's true. The word hacking often conjures up images
Speaker 2: of malicious activity, right, dark rooms, hoodies, right exactly, But
Speaker 2: ethical hacking, sometimes called penetration testing, completely flips that perception
Speaker 2: on its head. It's really about strategically simulating those very attacks,
Speaker 2: but not to cause harm, No, not at all. It's
Speaker 2: to proactively uncover vulnerabilities before the real bad actors ever
Speaker 2: find them. When you zoom out and look at the
Speaker 2: bigger picture. It's an indispensable part of modern cybersecurity exactly.
Speaker 1: So this deep dive is custom tailored for you, and
Speaker 1: we're drawing from a really insightful source ethical hacking with
Speaker 1: Koalie Linux Learn Fast How to Hack Like a Pro
Speaker 1: by Hugo Hoffman, good book.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Our mission to basically arm you with the essential concepts,
Speaker 1: the UH systematic methodologies and to peek into the powerful
Speaker 1: tools ethical hackers.
Speaker 2: Use, but always, always with that white hat perspective.
Speaker 1: That's the key, and you might be surprised at how
Speaker 1: accessible some of these fundamental ideas can be even if
Speaker 1: you don't have like a super deep technical background.
Speaker 2: Well, that white hat distinction is truly paramount. It's, you know,
Speaker 2: the cornerstone of everything we'll talk about. Yeah, the information
Speaker 2: we're sharing is strictly for educational purposes. It's designed to
Speaker 2: improve security posture, improve understanding. Any actions we describe here
Speaker 2: must be undertaken with explicit written authorization and only in
Speaker 2: carefully controlled, isolated environments. Think of it like your own
Speaker 2: personal home lab.
Speaker 1: Cannot stress that enough.
Speaker 2: Seriously, we really can't stress enough the severe legal and
Speaker 2: ethical implications of unauthorized use of these kinds of powerful techniques.
Speaker 1: Okay, So to properly set the stage for understanding ethical hacking,
Speaker 1: we kind of need to start with a Linux. If
Speaker 1: you're thinking about an IT career, especially in this field.
Speaker 1: Why is Linux so foundational? I mean we see it dominating.
Speaker 2: Everywhere, right, Oh, absolutely, cloud environments, IoT devices, DevOps, pipelines,
Speaker 2: massive enterprise servers, it's everywhere.
Speaker 1: So what's the magic.
Speaker 2: The real insight I think lies in understanding the core
Speaker 2: philosophy behind Linux's open nature. It's just fundamentally different from
Speaker 2: proprietary software. So well, we generally talk about three main
Speaker 2: licensing models that sort of underpin this freedom. First, you
Speaker 2: get the Free Software Foundation, the FSF, the Champion, the
Speaker 2: g and U General Public License or GPL. This license
Speaker 2: gives users incredible freedom, freedom to use, modify, even redistribute
Speaker 2: the software, maybe even sell it as long as the
Speaker 2: original conditions like those for the Linux kernel itself aren't changed.
Speaker 1: And that's free, as in freedom, not free beer.
Speaker 2: Exactly, not necessarily free of charge. Then you have the
Speaker 2: Open Source Initiative OSI. They tend to favor more flex
Speaker 2: licenses like BSD, MIT Apache. These are often easier for
Speaker 2: commercial use because they have fewer complex restrictions. And finally,
Speaker 2: there's creative comments.
Speaker 1: Ah yeah, I've seen those icons.
Speaker 2: Right. Let's creators pick exactly which rights they want to reserve,
Speaker 2: like requiring attribution or only allowing non commercial use, or
Speaker 2: even making it public domain.
Speaker 1: So what does this open philosophy practically mean for you know,
Speaker 1: someone wanting to get into ethical hacking.
Speaker 2: Well, it translates to incredible flexibility, just massive flexibility. You
Speaker 2: can install multiple Linux versions on tons of devices without
Speaker 2: commercial limits.
Speaker 1: Which makes experimenting super easy.
Speaker 2: Totally spin up, test deployments, try things out, bitch them
Speaker 2: if they don't work, no big deal. Plus it's remarkably
Speaker 2: cost effective, right.
Speaker 1: You can run complex stuff on pretty cheap hardware.
Speaker 2: Exactly, run complex processes on a you know, sub three
Speaker 2: hundred dollars PC, whereas you might need really expensive systems
Speaker 2: for Windows or Mac, especially for heavy tasks like say
Speaker 2: video editing or complex simulations. Okay, And this inherent flexibility
Speaker 2: gives rise to what we call Linux distributions or.
Speaker 1: Distros, right, like Obuntu or Mint.
Speaker 2: Yeah, those are popular ones. Think of Linux itself as
Speaker 2: the engine and chassis of a car. A distro is
Speaker 2: like the fully assembled vehicle customized for a specific.
Speaker 1: Purpose, like Android for phones.
Speaker 2: Perfect example, Android is a Linux distro optimized for mobile,
Speaker 2: or scientific Linux for scientific computing, and for what we're
Speaker 2: talking about today, network security testing. Kali Linux is a
Speaker 2: prime example.
Speaker 1: Because it comes with all the tools pre.
Speaker 2: Installed, exactly, prepackaged with hundreds of tools, saves you immense
Speaker 2: setup time. Let's you focus on the strategy you know not.
Speaker 2: Just fiddling with configurations makes sense.
Speaker 1: And there are families of these distros, right yeah.
Speaker 2: The big ones are Debian, which includes a Buntu Mint
Speaker 2: and Collie itself, then red Hat with Sentos and Fedora,
Speaker 2: SUS and Arch. Lots of flavors.
Speaker 1: So when you install Linux you usually get a choice,
Speaker 1: right do you I or command line yep?
Speaker 2: Graphically use interface GUI that's the point click most people know,
Speaker 2: or the command line interface CLI, which is text based.
Speaker 1: And for security, probably best not to live as the
Speaker 1: root user all the time.
Speaker 2: Oh definitely not for normal operations. Better to harden your
Speaker 2: system use standard user accounts. And for storage, there are
Speaker 2: cool options like Logical Volume Manager LVM.
Speaker 1: What does that do?
Speaker 2: It offers really flexible disc manipulation. Imagine you have like
Speaker 2: three hard drives. LVM lets you pull them together into
Speaker 2: one big dynamic storage.
Speaker 1: Space so you can resize things easily.
Speaker 2: Exactly, resize virtual discs, create new ones on the fly.
Speaker 2: Or Another common setup is combining a fast SSD for
Speaker 2: your system files with slower, bigger hard drives for data storage.
Speaker 2: LVM can manage that too.
Speaker 1: Okay, cool, so we've got the OS down. What about
Speaker 1: the specific gear the software.
Speaker 2: And hardware right the toolkit. The source mentions a lot
Speaker 2: of essential software tools network sniffers and analyzers like tcpdump,
Speaker 2: Microsoft netmond Land Detective Channelizer, utter Cap, Network Minor, Fiddler
Speaker 2: and the big one.
Speaker 1: Wire Shark and Collie Linux itself obviously, plus virtualization stuff
Speaker 1: like VMware or virtual box.
Speaker 2: Yep for running your labs. But on the hardware side,
Speaker 2: one area that's often overlooked but really really important for
Speaker 2: pen testing is your wireless adapter.
Speaker 1: Why isn't the one in my laptop good enough?
Speaker 2: Probably not? Actually, most built in Wi Fi cards just
Speaker 2: aren't up to the task for serious pen testing.
Speaker 1: Okay. Why not?
Speaker 2: Well, mainly because they typically lack two key capabilities, monitor
Speaker 2: mode and packet injection.
Speaker 1: Right. Monitor mode lets you listen to everything, not just
Speaker 1: stuff addressed to you.
Speaker 2: Exactly passively listen to all the traffic flying around. And
Speaker 2: packet injection lets you actually craft and send specific packets
Speaker 2: onto the network.
Speaker 1: Which you need for a lot of Wi Fi attacks.
Speaker 2: Absolutely essential. Plus, virtual machines often have trouble accessing those
Speaker 2: built in cards directly anyway, so it's less.
Speaker 1: About the brand name on the adapter and more about
Speaker 1: what's inside the chip set precisely.
Speaker 2: It's all about the chipset. For instance, it's the atheros
Speaker 2: AR nine two to seven to one chipset is a
Speaker 2: huge favorite.
Speaker 1: Why that one?
Speaker 2: It fully supports monitor mode, packet injection, even creating fake
Speaker 2: access points. Super versatile for tons of calie Linux attacks.
Speaker 1: But only two point four geta Hurts Right, that's the catch.
Speaker 2: Yeah, if your target network is only on five gigahertz,
Speaker 2: you won't even see it. Then there's the real Tech
Speaker 2: RTL eight eight one two AU chipset.
Speaker 1: What's the deal with that one?
Speaker 2: Well, the big advantage is it supports both two point
Speaker 2: four geta Hurts and five geta HURTZ. Sure, plus monitor
Speaker 2: mode and packet injection. Sounds perfect almost. The book does
Speaker 2: note it can sometimes be a bit less reliable for
Speaker 2: certain attacks, might occasionally need you to like replug the
Speaker 2: card or just retry the attack.
Speaker 1: So there's a trade off.
Speaker 2: Definitely. You can find really cheap unbranded adapters with these chipsets.
Speaker 2: They're small, discrete, which can be.
Speaker 1: Handy, or you go for the bigger guns, right.
Speaker 2: You can opt for the more robust all for brand adapters.
Speaker 2: They're usually larger, maybe less subtle, but they tend to
Speaker 2: offer better build quality, better range, and just overall reliability.
Speaker 1: So the takeaway is check the chip set.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. Compatibility for serious pen testing almost entirely boils down
Speaker 2: to getting an adapter with the right chipset inside it,
Speaker 2: not just a popular brand, got it?
Speaker 1: So hardware sorted, Let's get this ethical hacking lab actually
Speaker 1: up and running. You mentioned virtual Box.
Speaker 2: Yeah, virtual Box is fantastic for this. It's free, works
Speaker 2: on Windows, Mac, Linux, cross platform, lets you run multiple
Speaker 2: virtual machines on your computer. Highly recommended for setting up
Speaker 2: Collie and.
Speaker 1: Collie Linux itself is like the Swiss Army Knife exactly.
Speaker 2: It's a really user friendly distribution, but it's specifically built
Speaker 2: for pen testing, packed with hundreds of built in tools
Speaker 2: for everything you can.
Speaker 1: Imagine, like information gathering, forensics.
Speaker 2: Reverse engineering, stress testing, vulnerability assessment, you name it. It's
Speaker 2: designed to be a comprehensive toolkit for finding weaknesses and
Speaker 2: ultimately helping improve security.
Speaker 1: So setting it up in virtual Box, what are the
Speaker 1: key steps?
Speaker 2: The source recommends giving it at least four gigs a RAM,
Speaker 2: maybe twenty gigs for the virtual hard drive, enough space
Speaker 2: to work and networking. Crucial step bridge the VM to
Speaker 2: your router. That makes it act like any other device
Speaker 2: on your home network. Gets it online.
Speaker 1: Okay, Then you boot it up yep.
Speaker 2: After the initial boot, if you're at the command line,
Speaker 2: just type start EGGX to get the graphical interface.
Speaker 1: And the default login.
Speaker 2: For the command line. It's usually a username, route password
Speaker 2: tour but you'll want to change that.
Speaker 1: Good point and network canfig static IP?
Speaker 2: Yeah, assign it a static IP address, like giving it
Speaker 2: a permanent address on your network. Then set the default
Speaker 2: gateway so it knows how to reach the internet.
Speaker 1: Then test it ping the router, ping Google.
Speaker 2: Exactly, ping ten dot ten, dot Deal dot one or
Speaker 2: whatever your router is than ping www dot Google dot com.
Speaker 2: Just make sure it's all work.
Speaker 1: Okay, Collie is installed. What's the absolute first thing you
Speaker 1: should do?
Speaker 2: Update it? This is the single most critical task after
Speaker 2: a clean install. Seriously, think of it like tuning up
Speaker 2: a race card before you hit the track.
Speaker 1: Right, get all the latest patches and tool.
Speaker 2: Version Precisely, Collie uses advanced packaging tools APT to manage
Speaker 2: it software. You'll run a sequence of commands.
Speaker 1: Okay, what are they?
Speaker 2: First? App get update. That's like refreshing your app store catalog,
Speaker 2: so Collie knows about all the newest software and security patches.
Speaker 1: Makes sense.
Speaker 2: Then app Get Upgrade I the why just answers yes automatically.
Speaker 2: It actually installs the newest versions of the stuff you
Speaker 2: already have got it and finally app to get disted upgrade.
Speaker 2: This one handles more complex upgrades, make sure all the
Speaker 2: dependencies work together, and removes any old obsolete.
Speaker 1: Packages and reboot after all that.
Speaker 2: Always best practice. Reboot after that sequence to make sure
Speaker 2: everything is fresh and clean and running correctly.
Speaker 1: And for just managing packages day to day, listing removing Yeah.
Speaker 2: Basic commands let you list installed packages, maybe filter With
Speaker 2: GP you can show a package's description and dependencies, or
Speaker 2: remove something you don't need anymore with Pseudo app Get Removed.
Speaker 1: The book also mentions some useful extras to install.
Speaker 2: It does things like preload for potentially faster app access,
Speaker 2: bleach bit to free up disk base and help with privacy,
Speaker 2: boot up manager to disabled services you don't need running.
Speaker 1: Also Nome do for keyboard launching, Yeah.
Speaker 2: App file to search inside packages, scrub for more secure
Speaker 2: file deletion, Shutter for taking screenshots, and figle it for
Speaker 2: fun custom console messages. Little quality of life improvements.
Speaker 1: What about SSH secure shell?
Speaker 2: Ah, good point. A smart step is to harden your
Speaker 2: SSH setup. Collie comes with default SSH keys, right well,
Speaker 2: fundamental security practice is disable those and generate unique ones
Speaker 2: just for your machine. Use DPKG, reconfigure open server so.
Speaker 1: Your lab isn't using predictable keys.
Speaker 2: Exactly verify the new key hashes, then start the SSH
Speaker 2: service that lets you securely connect to your COLLIVM from
Speaker 2: another computer, which is often really convenient. It's a small
Speaker 2: step but significantly improves your security posture right off the bat.
Speaker 1: Okay, foundations laid Linux, Collie, basic Setuple's get into the
Speaker 1: actual process, the penetration testing life cycle. Why even do
Speaker 1: a pen test?
Speaker 2: Yeah? The fundamental question right beyond just finding bugs, it's
Speaker 2: about evaluating an organization's actual security posture by actively simulating
Speaker 2: real world attacks, so.
Speaker 1: You find the specific holes a hacker could use.
Speaker 2: Exactly find those specific vulnerabilities, and then crucially use those
Speaker 2: findings to help create and redesign more robust security measures.
Speaker 1: And the reports are key to Absolutely.
Speaker 2: A good pen test delivers comprehensive reports detailing everything found.
Speaker 2: Plus it really aids in disaster recovery and business continuity
Speaker 2: planning because you're anticipating how at tax might actually happen.
Speaker 1: What makes a PEN test actually successful, though.
Speaker 2: Well, several critical factors. You absolutely need to follow a
Speaker 2: well defined methodology, Meticulous documentation is non.
Speaker 1: Negotiable, and the right tools.
Speaker 2: Yep, using the right mix of proprietary and open source tools.
Speaker 2: Also ensuring legitimate ethical individuals conduct the tests, and maybe most.
Speaker 1: Importantly, giving actionable recommendation.
Speaker 2: Precisely providing actionable recommendations for fixing the issues. It's not
Speaker 2: just about finding flaws, it's about offering clear paths to
Speaker 2: stronger defenses.
Speaker 1: And the benefits go beyond just fixing holes.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, much broader. It helps identify needed infrastructure changes,
Speaker 2: prepares the org to prevent future exploits, evaluates how well
Speaker 2: security devices like firewalls are actually.
Speaker 1: Working, confirms defenses, maybe trains the security team.
Speaker 2: Definitely trains the team by exposing them to realistic scenarios.
Speaker 2: It helps identify specific threats relevant to that organization or industry,
Speaker 2: optimizes security spending for better ROI, helps create solid policies
Speaker 2: and ensures compliance with regulations to avoid breaches and lawsuits.
Speaker 2: Lots of benefits.
Speaker 1: How does a PEN test differ from say, a security audit.
Speaker 2: Good question, think of a security audit more like a checklist.
Speaker 2: Does the company follow its own policies and procedures? Yes
Speaker 2: or no? Okay?
Speaker 1: And a vulnerability assessment that goes a step further.
Speaker 2: It discovers vulnerability, finds potential weaknesses, but it doesn't necessarily
Speaker 2: confirm if they're actually exploitable or what the real damage
Speaker 2: could be.
Speaker 1: So the pen test is the one that actually tries
Speaker 1: to break in exactly.
Speaker 2: A penetration test is a systematic assessment that includes an
Speaker 2: audit component, but also demonstrates successful exploitation of weaknesses. It
Speaker 2: gives a much clearer, more impactful picture of the actual
Speaker 2: real world risk.
Speaker 1: Gotcha. The book also talks about teams Red Team, Blue Team.
Speaker 2: Right, it's a helpful analogy. The Red team acts as
Speaker 2: the aggressor the ethical hackers. They often have limited internal access,
Speaker 2: maybe attack with or without warning. Sometimes it even includes
Speaker 2: sissemins from other departments to simulate insider.
Speaker 1: Threats, and the Blue team is defense yep.
Speaker 2: The Blue Team is the defensive force. They have full
Speaker 2: access to resources and their main job is to detect
Speaker 2: and mitigate the Red team's activities. Basically anticipating how a
Speaker 2: real attack might unfold. Usually includes the company's IT staff,
Speaker 2: often involved in the less expensive, more frequent assessments.
Speaker 1: Okay, and the type of tests depends on how much
Speaker 1: info the tester gets upfront. White box black box exactly.
Speaker 2: A white box test means the tester gets complete knowledge
Speaker 2: network maps, asset lists, diagrams ideal for a really thorough
Speaker 2: security audit.
Speaker 1: Black box is the opposite.
Speaker 2: Tester knows nothing pretty much simulates a real external attacker.
Speaker 2: In a blind test version, the tester knows nothing, but
Speaker 2: the target company is told about the test.
Speaker 1: Scope and double blind.
Speaker 2: That's where neither the tester nor the target company knows
Speaker 2: the scope beforehand. Really tests everyone's alertness. Very popular approach.
Speaker 1: What about gray box?
Speaker 2: Green box is somewhere in the middle, partial knowledge maybe
Speaker 2: just a domain name. Saves time compared to black box,
Speaker 2: but still offers perspectives from both a developer and an attacker, and.
Speaker 1: The overall strategy can be announced or unannounced.
Speaker 2: Right announced strategy, tester gets the full tour physical access,
Speaker 2: less network impact usually since the company is ready unannounced.
Speaker 1: Is style mode.
Speaker 2: Pretty much only top management knows. Really tests security personnel
Speaker 2: alertness social engineering defenses, but it tends to have a
Speaker 2: higher potential impact and needs a super strict process.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's dive into the first stage, pre engagement information gathering.
Speaker 2: This is foundational. The whole focus here is gathering as
Speaker 2: much information as possible about the target, often through scanning
Speaker 2: or footprinting techniques. It sets the stage for everything else,
Speaker 2: like a detective building their case.
Speaker 1: And this is where the rules of engagement or ROE
Speaker 1: come in. The permission slip.
Speaker 2: Exactly, it's the formal permission document. Yeah. It spells out everything,
Speaker 2: what activities are allowed, the specific IP ranges you can test,
Speaker 2: and critically what's off limits.
Speaker 1: Testing times too, business hours versus after hours.
Speaker 2: Yep, acceptable methods is social engineering? Okay, Denial of service
Speaker 2: specific tools like n MAP, aggressive scans, the duration of
Speaker 2: the test which can be months.
Speaker 1: Sometimes emergency contact is crucial too, I.
Speaker 2: Bet absolutely vital. And measures to prevent calling the cops
Speaker 2: because of a fall alarm.
Speaker 1: From the test, ah, yeah, that would be awkward.
Speaker 2: A critical insight here, stressed in the source is how
Speaker 2: you handle the information you gather. Best practice use laptops
Speaker 2: provided by the client for the test and reporting.
Speaker 1: Then return them immediately after.
Speaker 2: Exactly prevents any accusations of the test holding on to
Speaker 2: sensitive data vital for data security. The book even suggests
Speaker 2: pulling the hard drives for secure storage later since tech
Speaker 2: gets old fast.
Speaker 1: So this pre engagement involves checklists too, defining what gets tested.
Speaker 2: Meticulous checklists, reviewing what the customer actually needs tested servers, workstations, routers, firewalls, databases, apps,
Speaker 2: physical security, loip, mobile devices, even printers and cameras, sometimes.
Speaker 1: Mapping the Internet presence, what's visible from outside.
Speaker 2: YEP, identifying oz's on the network, assessing wireless analog systems,
Speaker 2: mobile worker devices, scrutinizing web apps, front facing sites, redirects,
Speaker 2: even checking ad networks as potential malware vectors.
Speaker 1: And defining the scope clearly.
Speaker 2: Absolutely key. What are the deliverables? What reports? Defining data,
Speaker 2: verifying functionality, outlining the technical structure with flow diagrams. It
Speaker 2: ensures everyone's on the same page.
Speaker 1: What if things change during the test, client updates.
Speaker 2: Something that's a great point The source highlights client changes,
Speaker 2: business processes. Tech apps can definitely impact the test. It's
Speaker 2: crucial to the's a review to the engagement lead.
Speaker 1: Before they happen, so the testers know what they're dealing with,
Speaker 1: what specific areas should they focus on?
Speaker 2: The advice is broad system software security, network security, especially
Speaker 2: default canfigs, client side apps, and the whole client to
Speaker 2: server and server side communication chain. Aim for comprehensive coverage.
Speaker 1: This also includes social engineering if it's in scope.
Speaker 2: Right, gathering passwords or project details through human interaction, documenting
Speaker 2: existing security measures, checking secure document destruction like literally checking
Speaker 2: the trash sometimes wow.
Speaker 1: Assessing application comms, physical security.
Speaker 2: All of it. Can you intercept comms? Can you get
Speaker 2: into the building? Test honeypots?
Speaker 1: Thorough and contracts are obviously huge here NDAs.
Speaker 2: Non disclosure agreements are standard clear terms on fees, schedules,
Speaker 2: sensitive information documents covering assets, confidentiality contracts for trade secrets,
Speaker 2: customer lata and critically and indemnification.
Speaker 1: Claus to protect the tester legally exactly.
Speaker 2: Protects the pen tester from legal or financial liabilities if
Speaker 2: something goes wrong despite following the rowe and the reporting
Speaker 2: section needs to clearly outline the methodology and promise constructive,
Speaker 2: actionable reporting.
Speaker 1: So summing up stage one. It's time consuming, but essential
Speaker 1: for setting expectations and protecting everyone. Methods range from passive
Speaker 1: Google searching to active surveillance.
Speaker 2: Right passive recon aggressive active surveillance, web profiling to map
Speaker 2: out sites. It takes time because it lays the groundwork
Speaker 2: for a safe and effective test.
Speaker 1: Okay, Stage one done. Now Stage two the attack stage.
Speaker 2: This is where the ethical hacker actively tries to compromise
Speaker 2: the target using all that intel gathered before the critical insight.
Speaker 2: An attacker only needs one.
Speaker 1: Way in, while the company has to defend everything.
Speaker 2: Exactly a tough position to be in.
Speaker 1: So what are the steps here? Perimeter penetration, testing.
Speaker 2: Firewalls, right sending crafted packets, fragmented overlapping floods to see
Speaker 2: if you can bypass ACL's filtering, triggered off thresholds, testing
Speaker 2: web services to how they handled different requests.
Speaker 1: Then enumerting machines, finding out what's on the network.
Speaker 2: YEP, discovering machine IDs, descriptions, locations, network accessibility, systematically mapping
Speaker 2: the internal landscape.
Speaker 1: Acquiring the target. That sounds serious.
Speaker 2: It means launching probing assaults like vulnerability scans or maybe
Speaker 2: using info gain from social engineering about trusted systems, getting
Speaker 2: that initial foothold.
Speaker 1: And once you're in, escalating privileges that's.
Speaker 2: The goal, taking advantage of OS or app bugs, misconfigurations,
Speaker 2: or somehow elevating a normal user's permissions to admin level.
Speaker 1: Which lets you to do what files, install.
Speaker 2: Backdoors, all of that access sensitive info, installed trojans or viruses,
Speaker 2: often possible due to weak policies, untested code route force attacks,
Speaker 2: or again social engineering.
Speaker 1: Then execution implantation retraction sounds like a spy movie.
Speaker 2: Huh. Yeah. It means establishing your presence, maybe with root
Speaker 2: kits or trojans there, meticulously covering your tracks, erasing logs,
Speaker 2: hiding modifications.
Speaker 1: Changing settings to stay hidden.
Speaker 2: Right, and finally verifying your back door still works and
Speaker 2: checking if any alert systems were triggered.
Speaker 1: Okay, attack complete, seems like the job's done.
Speaker 2: Not even close. Stage three post attack cleanup. I'd argue
Speaker 2: this is actually the most critical stage of the whole thing, really,
Speaker 2: because it's the ethical pen tester's absolute responsibility to meticulously
Speaker 2: clean up everything, return all systems to their exact pretest state.
Speaker 2: It's about trust, professionalism, leaving no trace.
Speaker 1: So what does that involve? Removing uploaded files YEP.
Speaker 2: Removing files, restoring any modified data or settings, undoing privileged
Speaker 2: escalations resetting user settings, reverting network changes like DNS.
Speaker 1: Rips, and doing registry changes, shares, connections, everything.
Speaker 2: You have to put it back exactly as you found it.
Speaker 1: And documentation is key here too.
Speaker 2: Absolutely paramount. Documenting all captured logs and every single modified
Speaker 2: entry during the attack and the cleanup. This record is
Speaker 2: vital for the final report improves precisely what happened and
Speaker 2: that the system was restored correctly.
Speaker 1: So what's the final interaction with the client?
Speaker 2: Like? You analyze all the results, then develop actual solutions,
Speaker 2: not just pointing out problems but giving concrete advice on
Speaker 2: how to fix them.
Speaker 1: Presenting the documentation constructively.
Speaker 2: Exactly clearly identifying the critical risks, providing a prioritized list
Speaker 2: of needed changes. The whole tone needs to be helpful, constructive,
Speaker 2: not accusatory or mocking. It's about helping them improve this.
Speaker 1: What process sounds complex? Are there standards to guide it?
Speaker 2: Oh? Yes? Following established standards is essential. It ensures the
Speaker 2: pen test is comprehensive, systematic, covers all the bases consistently.
Speaker 2: It's the blueprint for success.
Speaker 1: What are some examples? Open source ones.
Speaker 2: Several prominent ones OSTMM the Open source Security Testing methodology
Speaker 2: manual is great for high security matrix testing. OWASS, the
Speaker 2: Openweb Application Security Project, focuses on web app security and
Speaker 2: they have tools like ZP the Zatack proxy project for
Speaker 2: finding webvolns any others. There's ISAF, the Information System Security
Speaker 2: Assessment Framework and other open source guide and of course
Speaker 2: NIST the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US.
Speaker 2: Their standards are widely adopted everywhere.
Speaker 1: Are their proprietary ones too.
Speaker 2: Paid methodologies sure EC Council has its LPT license Penetration
Speaker 2: testor certification, which requires a course, application fee and submitting
Speaker 2: a report from a test environment. Historically there were things
Speaker 2: like McAfee, Foundstone now owned by Intel and IBMISS, though
Speaker 2: that's discontinued. They often come with their own specific tools
Speaker 2: and structures.
Speaker 1: But across all these common phases emerge absolutely.
Speaker 2: They almost all follow a similar pattern. Starts with information
Speaker 2: gathering from public sources, then an external pen test looking
Speaker 2: for outside vulnerabilities, followed by vulnerability analysis finding.
Speaker 1: Weak points, then moving inside right.
Speaker 2: An internal network pen test testing firewalls and DMZs ideas.
Speaker 2: Verification can use sneak past alarms, password cracking against various attack.
Speaker 1: Types social engineering tests, web AP tests definitely social engineering,
Speaker 1: human or computer based web application tests looking for code flaws.
Speaker 1: SQL injection still a huge one. Testing routers, internal nexter.
Speaker 2: Wireless networks too, yep, wireless network pen testing, checking accessibility, encryption,
Speaker 2: signal leakage, denial of service, tests to find breaking points,
Speaker 2: even tests for stolen machines, offline attacks on tisk contents.
Speaker 1: Source code review, physical security.
Speaker 2: Source code pen tests for in house apps, physical security,
Speaker 2: trying to get into the building, lock picking, drone surveillance,
Speaker 2: database pen tests for direct data access or SEQL in data.
Speaker 1: Leakage, SAP VPNs. This list is huge.
Speaker 2: It really is comprehensive data leakage tests, SAP, platform vulnerability checks,
Speaker 2: VPN pen tests, VOYIP pen test, recording calls, DOUYS cloud
Speaker 2: security assessments. Virtual devices vms can have vulns.
Speaker 1: Too, Malware logs, mobile.
Speaker 2: Malware, ransomware checks, log management security mobile devices, especially with
Speaker 2: the YD Telecom broadband tests, and crucial email security. Since
Speaker 2: it's such a common attack vector, especially targeting execs, it
Speaker 2: covers pretty much every angle.
Speaker 1: Okay, wow, that's the theory and structure. Now for the
Speaker 1: really compelling part, let's look at how ethical hackers actually
Speaker 1: get their hands dirty, starting with practical information gathering or
Speaker 1: foot printing.
Speaker 2: Right foot printing, it's all about finding publicly available info
Speaker 2: about your target network layout, PCs, apps users mostly passive research.
Speaker 2: You're not actively poking their systems.
Speaker 1: Yet, like a digital detective.
Speaker 2: Exactly and a critical point. If you find something really
Speaker 2: sensitive during this phase, report it to your emergency contact immediately,
Speaker 2: don't wait for the final report helps prevent leaks.
Speaker 1: What kinds of methods are you? Search engines, social media.
Speaker 2: All of the above, Google being Yahoo obviously, but also Facebook, Twitter,
Speaker 2: LinkedIn for employee info. People share a lot. There's even
Speaker 2: Google hacking using specific search terms to find exposed printers, cameras,
Speaker 2: sensitive documents. Companies don't realize our.
Speaker 1: Public website footprinting too.
Speaker 2: Downloading sites, Yeah, Tools like black widow or website copier
Speaker 2: can download entire sites for offline analysis. You look for
Speaker 2: hidden folders, admin pages, comments in the code. Email footprinting
Speaker 2: uses tools like enslokup to find mail servers, encryption details,
Speaker 2: whis lookups, find domain owners, ip ranges, DNS reconnaissance maps,
Speaker 2: out keyservers, network recon maps, packet.
Speaker 1: Paths, and don't forget low tech social engineering. Shoulder surfing,
Speaker 1: dumpster diving.
Speaker 2: Still relevant, shoulder serving for passwords, dumpster diving for discarded documents,
Speaker 2: eavesdropping all can yield valuable clues about security products, network layout,
Speaker 2: et cetera.
Speaker 1: And throughout this meticulous documentation is key. Right building that.
Speaker 2: Map absolutely vital. You're building that comprehensive map of the
Speaker 2: target's security posture. Every piece of data matters for later
Speaker 2: analysis and for showing the client exactly what's exposed.
Speaker 1: Okay, footprinting done. Next up host discovery with port scanning,
Speaker 1: finding live systems exactly.
Speaker 2: Now we start actively probing carefully find live systems, see
Speaker 2: which ports are open, identify running services, maybe grab banners
Speaker 2: for OS fingerprinting, and.
Speaker 1: The main tool here is enmap.
Speaker 2: Dmap is the workhorse often used with its Gui zen map.
Speaker 2: It's incredibly versible for finding live hosts and determining port
Speaker 2: states open closed or filtered by a firewall. Is like
Speaker 2: your network Flashlight.
Speaker 1: Can use simpler tools like telnet for banner grabbing too.
Speaker 2: You can yeah connect to a port, see what welcome
Speaker 2: message it gives back, can offer clues about the service
Speaker 2: or OS.
Speaker 1: Then vulnerability scanning tools like Retina nessus right once you know.
Speaker 2: What's a lot and what services are running. Tools like
Speaker 2: core Impact, Retina, MBSA, GFI, languord or nessus is another
Speaker 2: popular one help identify known security weaknesses in those systems
Speaker 2: and services.
Speaker 1: And network diagramming tools help visualize all this.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Tools like solar Winds Network Topology Manager turn that
Speaker 2: raw data into understandable maps. Makes it much easier to
Speaker 2: grasp the network structure.
Speaker 1: What about proxies hiding your tracks?
Speaker 2: Proxies like proxy, workbench, TOR or proxifier are crucial for
Speaker 2: masking the attacker's source IP makes attribution much harder. It's
Speaker 2: an essential part of operational security for a pen tester,
Speaker 2: and their use must be documented.
Speaker 1: Beyond just finding hosts. An eumeration digs deeper, user accounts,
Speaker 1: shares exactly.
Speaker 2: Enumeration goes beyond basic recon. You're trying to identify specific
Speaker 2: user groups, service accounts, network shares, installed apps, specific network
Speaker 2: devices like routers, switches, idsps, firewalls, Getting granular details.
Speaker 1: Using what kinds of tools are commands?
Speaker 2: Specific tools for specific protocols, Who's for network ranges, NMAPT
Speaker 2: SP or angry IP scanner for ping sweeps though angry
Speaker 2: IP is often detectable. Detailed en map port scans, net
Speaker 2: BIOS enumeration tools for Windows Shares users, maybe passwords, SNMP
Speaker 2: enumeration tools like solar ins, op pudles for network device details,
Speaker 2: LDAP enumeration for user info names department's great for social engineering,
Speaker 2: NTP numeration for time servers, SMTP numeration for email addresses,
Speaker 2: DNS enumeration for mapping names to IPCE systematically pulling info
Speaker 2: from every available service.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this. We're seeing how an attacker methodically
Speaker 1: builds this incredibly detailed picture piece by piece. Now let's
Speaker 1: get into actually executing some external tests.
Speaker 2: Right. So, doing an external pen test often starts with
Speaker 2: drawing visual diagrams, mapping routes, using trace rode with different
Speaker 2: protocols like ICMB or TCP, and doing those ping sweeps.
Speaker 2: Understanding the TCP three way handshake is critical here.
Speaker 1: The s yn CYANAC ack sequence exactly.
Speaker 2: Syn scans leverage this to s YN. If you get
Speaker 2: a SUNAC back, the cord is open. If you get
Speaker 2: a reset RST, it's closed. If you get nothing or
Speaker 2: maybe an ICMP error, it's likely filtered by a firewall.
Speaker 2: N MAP interprets these responses.
Speaker 1: And NMP has tons of options for different scans.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, the book gives examples, but basically you can
Speaker 2: do simple host discovery and map dash SP comprehensive scans
Speaker 2: checking all ports, service versions, OS detection, and map tashed
Speaker 2: P one six, Y five, five three five sv SST
Speaker 2: four target or even more aggressive scans A for OS
Speaker 2: version detection scripts h T five for faster timing. You
Speaker 2: tailor the scan to your needs and the rules of engagement.
Speaker 1: What about HING three sounds powerful?
Speaker 2: It is extremely powerful, great for device discovery because it
Speaker 2: can use TCPUDP to bypass icmplocks. It can manipulate source ips,
Speaker 2: craft almost any packet, and yes, create denial of service attack,
Speaker 2: which means it's dangerous, hugely dangerous. The source explicitly warns
Speaker 2: Aging three commands, especially flood attacks like Hing three s
Speaker 2: target at PA, spoofed ep port flood can absolutely recondivice
Speaker 2: the CPU very quickly. This demands immense responsibility. Practice only
Speaker 2: with written permission in your isolated home lab avoids severe
Speaker 2: damage and serious legal trouble.
Speaker 1: Okay, message received, Now for something really interesting infiltrating communications
Speaker 1: man in the middle attacks right.
Speaker 2: Like ARP poisoning, often done using ettercap, it has a
Speaker 2: graphical mode edercap G, which makes it easier.
Speaker 1: How does it work? Conceptually?
Speaker 2: It basically tricks devices on a local network. It sends
Speaker 2: out fake ARP messages telling computer A that THEMEC address
Speaker 2: for computer B, like the router, is actually the ATTACKERSMEC
Speaker 2: address and vice versa.
Speaker 1: So all traffic flows through the attacker exactly.
Speaker 2: All traffic between the source and destination gets intercepted. You
Speaker 2: start atter caps, sniff the network, scan for hosts, pick
Speaker 2: your targets like a specific PC in the router, and
Speaker 2: hit start ARP poisoning. The victim usually has no idea.
Speaker 1: But again huge warning supply crystal clear.
Speaker 2: Never use this in a live or production environment without
Speaker 2: a explicit written authorization. Extremely dangerous, serious legal repercussions. Practice
Speaker 2: only in your isolated home, LAMB.
Speaker 1: Are there other ways to capture traffic? Network taps YEP.
Speaker 2: A network tap is a physical hardware device you insert
Speaker 2: between two points like a computer in a switch that
Speaker 2: copies the traffic or port mirroring also called port spanning
Speaker 2: on a managed.
Speaker 1: Switch, where you configure the switch to copy traffic right
Speaker 1: you tell.
Speaker 2: The switch copy all traffic going to from port one
Speaker 2: over to port ten where your monitoring machine is plugged in.
Speaker 2: Requires access to configure the switch obviously, what.
Speaker 1: About passively listening to Wi Fi?
Speaker 2: That's passive reconnaissance. With Collie and wire Shark, you put
Speaker 2: your compatible wireless adapter into monitor mode. Commands like Airman
Speaker 2: check kill and Airman start. Wall and zero often do.
Speaker 1: This, turning your adapter into just an ear pretty much.
Speaker 2: Then you fire up wire Shark and tell it to
Speaker 2: listen on that monitor interface often named wall on zero
Speaker 2: mone you'll see all the raw eight oh two point
Speaker 2: on frames flying around beacons, pro requests user data if
Speaker 2: it's un encrypt did digital eavesdropping?
Speaker 1: Can you use wire Shark to analyze attacks too? Like
Speaker 1: those syn.
Speaker 2: Scans absolutely After running an n MAP syn scan you
Speaker 2: can capture the traffic and wire Shark by understanding that
Speaker 2: three way handshake logic and using wire sharks conversations window,
Speaker 2: you can quickly see the sun knots for open ports,
Speaker 2: the rsts for closed ports, or the lack of response
Speaker 2: for filtered ports. It visualizes the scan results.
Speaker 1: The book mentions Explico is another tool Yeah.
Speaker 2: Experts interesting it's an alternative for data analysis. It can
Speaker 2: take wire shark capture files, or even a direct feed.
Speaker 2: Its strength is its web based gooi.
Speaker 1: What does it show you?
Speaker 2: It does a great job of extracting and presenting things
Speaker 2: clearly visited websites, images, videos, even reconstructing VoIP calls from
Speaker 2: the captured data makes it really easy to see what
Speaker 2: was going on. The source calls it a powerful hacking
Speaker 2: tool because it simplifies that analysis so much so.
Speaker 1: The takeaway for an ethical hacker is having this whole
Speaker 1: arsenal of specialized tools.
Speaker 2: Definitely, each tool has its purpose, its niche. Like the
Speaker 2: MITM attack with SSL strip, How does that one work?
Speaker 1: Creating a fake AP?
Speaker 2: Right, You need a USB adapter that supports monitor and
Speaker 2: master modes to create a fake access point on COLLI.
Speaker 1: So victims connect to your fake Wi.
Speaker 2: Fi Exactly, they connect to your seemingly legit fake AP
Speaker 2: their traffic routes that you're calling machine. SSL strip then
Speaker 2: intercepts any HTTPS connections and tries to force them down
Speaker 2: to plane HTTP.
Speaker 1: So you can capture logins that would normally be encrypted.
Speaker 2: That's the goal, capture credentials in clear text.
Speaker 1: Setting that up sounds complicated, It.
Speaker 2: Is quite involved. Share your host internet, set up a
Speaker 2: DHCP server on TALI to give IPS to victims. Find
Speaker 2: your adapter names with air moaning, start monitor mode, create
Speaker 2: the fake ap with air basing, configure the tunnel interface,
Speaker 2: add routing tables, enable IP forwarding in the kernel.
Speaker 1: IP tables rules too.
Speaker 2: Crucially, an IP table's rule to redirect web traffic port
Speaker 2: eighty to the port SSL strip is listening on like
Speaker 2: ten thousand, Then start DHDP, start SSL strip as phoebash,
Speaker 2: make one one thousand, and finally start ttercap to watch
Speaker 2: the traffic.
Speaker 1: So the victim connects to free Wi Fi, tries to
Speaker 1: log into Facebook.
Speaker 2: And they might notice the URL changes from Https to
Speaker 2: HTTP if they enter their credentials anyway.
Speaker 1: You see them in utter cap or the sslstrip, dot log.
Speaker 2: YEP clear text. This is an extremely dangerous attack with
Speaker 2: huge legal implications. Requires authorization practice only in isolated labs.
Speaker 1: Seriously, what about skape for packet manipulation.
Speaker 2: Skapey is super advanced. It's a Python tool that lets
Speaker 2: you craft basically any network packet you can imagine, total control.
Speaker 1: Specify source destination, protocols, ports, headers.
Speaker 2: Everything you build a packet layer by layer and Python code.
Speaker 2: It can also capture replay packets, scan discovered devices incredibly flexible. Example,
Speaker 2: launch it with skapey, send a crafted ICMP packet like
Speaker 2: sent oldsrc ten ten put ten, jote off a two
Speaker 2: ten typing two ICP, sniff traffic with sniffixs sniff traffic
Speaker 2: with sniff telm pair on lamba.
Speaker 1: Xxshew sounds powerful, well and dangerous.
Speaker 2: The source calls it a rule breaker and highly dangerous.
Speaker 2: Needs authorization for any live use practice in isolation.
Speaker 1: What about authentication attacks against rogue aps using a WLC.
Speaker 2: Right, This is more of a defensive or control measure,
Speaker 2: but uses attack techniques. A wireless land controller WLC can
Speaker 2: identify unauthorized rogue access points on your network.
Speaker 1: And then kick client's office.
Speaker 2: Essentially, yes, it sends spoofed deauthentication frames pretending to be
Speaker 2: the rogue AP telling clients to disconnect, or pretending to
Speaker 2: be the clients telling the AP they're disconnecting. Creates a
Speaker 2: localized doss against the rogue AP to contain it.
Speaker 1: How does the WLC do that?
Speaker 2: It identifies rogues like an open SSID in a secure environment.
Speaker 2: You classify it as malicious and then use the wlc's
Speaker 2: contained feature. But the source warms. Doing this against the
Speaker 2: legitimate network you don't own is illegal, needs authorization.
Speaker 1: Then there's the Evil Twin authentication attack with MDK three
Speaker 1: That sounds offensive it is.
Speaker 2: This is creating a cloned AP. It looks identical to
Speaker 2: a real one, same name as end. The goal is
Speaker 2: to trick users into connecting to your fake.
Speaker 1: Twin and then what capture their Wi Fi password.
Speaker 2: Often, yeah, you use MDK three to blast the REALAP
Speaker 2: with death packets, forcing clients off. They see your identical
Speaker 2: evil twin and connect to it instead, then you might
Speaker 2: redirect them to a fake captive portal, or, as the
Speaker 2: book describes, a fake Rouder security update page that asks
Speaker 2: for the WKT two password.
Speaker 1: That setup must be even more complex.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, share Internet DHGP server download or create a
Speaker 2: fake update web page. Set up a patch in mysequel
Speaker 2: to host the page and store captured keys. Find adapter names,
Speaker 2: monitor mode, update, aero, dumping OUI database scan for the
Speaker 2: target AP, create a blacklist file with its BSSAD.
Speaker 1: Then start the Evil Twin AP itself.
Speaker 2: Right airbasing to create the Evil Twin on the same channel,
Speaker 2: configure it's tunnel interface, routing, IP forwarding, IP tables rules
Speaker 2: to redirect webdraft to your fake page, start DHGP.
Speaker 1: And finally the MDK three death attack exactly.
Speaker 2: MDK three one is e black last peat channel number
Speaker 2: to deauthenticate clients from the real AP using the blacklist,
Speaker 2: and maybe MDK three monitorate AMI BSSID for authentication dots
Speaker 2: two force them over to.
Speaker 1: Your twin so the victim gets kicked off wi Fi
Speaker 1: connects to the twin, gets a fake update page, enters
Speaker 1: to the.
Speaker 2: Password, and you check your my sucl database to see
Speaker 2: if you capture again. Extremely dangerous illegal without permission, authorization
Speaker 2: needed isolated labs only.
Speaker 1: MDK three can also just do denial of service.
Speaker 2: Yes, a simpler DOSATAC just flood an AP with useless
Speaker 2: traffic or generate noise to prevent legitimate users from connecting
Speaker 2: or using the network. Overwhelm it steps with attached after
Speaker 2: find interface if canfig scan aps I list trait lends
Speaker 2: zero scan, create blacklist file with target BSSID, monitor mode
Speaker 2: er marcostarbuln zero, then run the MDK three d disassociation
Speaker 2: or authentication dos attacks MDK three moment zero, DP blacklist,
Speaker 2: dot C channel MDK three money on ami BSSID. Same
Speaker 2: warnings apply, severe legal consequences, need authorization.
Speaker 1: Okay, shifting gear slightly brute force at with hydra right TCP.
Speaker 2: Hydrate is a classic tool for boot forcing logins. You
Speaker 2: give it a list of usernames or just one, and
Speaker 2: a dictionary of passwords and it just.
Speaker 1: Tries them all against a service like telnet or SSH.
Speaker 2: YEP systematically tries commodations until it finds one that works,
Speaker 2: like hydrate, dash feed dashel username, pactopasswords, dot TXTST sixteen,
Speaker 2: target tip tellin the options control verbosity, username, password, file,
Speaker 2: number of parallel tasks, target IP and the service likes sash, FTP.
Speaker 1: Tell neet and if it succeeds, the hacker logs in.
Speaker 1: How does the pent tester analyze this?
Speaker 2: In wire shark capture the traffic during the brute force attempt.
Speaker 2: If the protocol is unencrypted like telnet or FTP, you
Speaker 2: can use follow TCP.
Speaker 1: Stream and see the failed attempts.
Speaker 2: You'll see all the failed log in attempts and then bam,
Speaker 2: the successful log in with the username and password in
Speaker 2: clear text. It's a glaring demonstration of why clear text
Speaker 2: protocols HTTP, FTP, pop im s, MTP, telnet VIP are
Speaker 2: so dangerous and need replacing with secure VERSI, HTTPS, SFTP,
Speaker 2: SP etc.
Speaker 1: What about Armitage that's related to metasploit.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Armitage is a graphical front end for the metasploit framework.
Speaker 2: Makes metasploiits powerful capabilities more visual and arguably easier to manage,
Speaker 2: especially for beginners or for managing multiple targets. Helps understand
Speaker 2: how attacks are deployed.
Speaker 1: What can it do?
Speaker 2: You launch it Armitage. It connects to metasplits back end.
Speaker 2: You get panels from modules, targets, tabs showing console output.
Speaker 2: You can run scans MSF scans to find open port services,
Speaker 2: use fine attacks to see relevant exploits, configure and launch them.
Speaker 1: What's the hail Mary option?
Speaker 2: Huh Yeah, if you're stuck, hail Mary throws a bunch
Speaker 2: of likely exploits at the target, automatically hoping one sticks.
Speaker 2: Less precise, but sometimes effective if you get a shell
Speaker 2: like interpret different windows. Armitage gives you graphical ways to
Speaker 2: interact browse files, etc. But again needs authorization and.
Speaker 1: Metasploit Framework MSF itself the engine behind armitage.
Speaker 2: MSF is the open source powerhouse ROVIE based. Its strength
Speaker 2: is its modularity. You have different module.
Speaker 1: Types like exports and payloads.
Speaker 2: Right. Exploit modules target specific volons. Payloads are the code
Speaker 2: delivered by the exploit eg A command shell, metipreter. Auxiliary
Speaker 2: modules do other things like scanning, fuzzing, sniffing. Post modules
Speaker 2: are for post exploitation gathering info after you compromise a system.
Speaker 2: Encoders try to bypass avnops. No operations help with buffer overflows.
Speaker 1: So how do you use MSF to exploit something?
Speaker 2: So process, start the database, post criscal, launch the console
Speaker 2: and missif console. Maybe create a workspace search for an exploit.
Speaker 2: Search unreal extrty get info info exploit with blotenix, circon
Speaker 2: reelers D three two eight one back door select it,
Speaker 2: show options, show options, set the target IP, set rho's
Speaker 2: target tip, show available payloads, choose one, set payloads the
Speaker 2: end of us, reverse set your listening IP, set LA showsterrip.
Speaker 1: Then exploit and if it works you get a shell.
Speaker 2: Hopefully yeah, a command prompt or meterpreter session on the
Speaker 2: target machine.
Speaker 1: Then post exploitation gathering more info.
Speaker 2: Right assess the environment quickly, find sensitive files, create new accounts,
Speaker 2: maybe escalate privileges, vertical movement, pivot to attack other systems,
Speaker 2: horizontal movement, install backdoors and crucially cover your tracks.
Speaker 1: Metasploit has modules for that too.
Speaker 2: Tons of them sessions to list active shells, hashtump to
Speaker 2: get password hashes in them configs and m networks, and
Speaker 2: in protections find av firewalls in msystem users packages, services
Speaker 2: in amuser's history. All require authorization, of course.
Speaker 1: Lastly, the social engineering Toolkit asset.
Speaker 2: Set is another open source framework, Python based specifically for
Speaker 2: social engineering attacks. It integrates tightly with metasploit for payloads
Speaker 2: and listeners. Is it easy to use, deceptively easy launch
Speaker 2: it set toolkit and its menu driven just pick numbers?
Speaker 1: What kinds of attacks are in there?
Speaker 2: Lots Under social engineering attacks you have spear phishing, crafting,
Speaker 2: targeted emails with exploits. Website attack vectors has things like
Speaker 2: Java applet attacks, metasploit browser exploits, The Credential Harvester owans
Speaker 2: a website like Facebook or Gmail to steal logins, tab nabbing, webjacking.
Speaker 1: Other modules do yeah.
Speaker 2: Infectious Media Generator makes malicious autoorun files for USBs payload
Speaker 2: and listener setup, mass mailer or ADNO based attacks. Similarly
Speaker 2: to keyboard view USB wireless access point attack creates a
Speaker 2: fake AP with the HCPD and S redirection QR code
Speaker 2: generator for malicious links powershow attacks. It greates third party
Speaker 2: tools too.
Speaker 1: So it makes complex attacks.
Speaker 2: Accessible dangerously accessible. Almost anyone can launch really sophisticated attacks
Speaker 2: just by following the menus, which makes it incredibly powerful
Speaker 2: but also incredibly risky if misused.
Speaker 1: Final warning time.
Speaker 2: Absolutely set requires explicit written authorization for any use practice
Speaker 2: only in isolated home labs. The potential for real world
Speaker 2: harm and legal trouble is immense.
Speaker 1: Wow. Okay, and just like that we've covered a ton
Speaker 1: of ground. You've really taken a deep dive into the
Speaker 1: world of ethical hacking and pen testing.
Speaker 2: We sure have.
Speaker 1: From the basics of Linux and open source, through all
Speaker 1: those stages of a pen test, and into the nitty
Speaker 1: gritty of tools like end map, ettercap metasploy CESC. You
Speaker 1: should now have a much better picture of what goes
Speaker 1: on behind that digital curtain.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and hopefully this journey highlights that ethical hacking isn't
Speaker 2: just about finding flaws. It's about understanding how things can
Speaker 2: be broken so you can ultimately strengthen the defenses.
Speaker 1: Knowledge is power, It really.
Speaker 2: Is knowledge when you understand it and apply it responsibly,
Speaker 2: is your best tool against cyber threats. Critical thinking is
Speaker 2: just so vital with all the information overload today, and
Speaker 2: hopefully this deep dive gives you a framework for that.
Speaker 1: So what does all this mean for you listening right now?
Speaker 1: It means you're better equipped to think like a security pro,
Speaker 1: to ask the right questions about system vulnerabilities, and to
Speaker 1: appreciate that constant back and forth, that dance between attack
Speaker 1: and defense.
Speaker 2: And the key takeaway something Hugo Hoffmann really emphasizes in
Speaker 2: the source is practice, constant practice, but always in a
Speaker 2: controlled and environment, and always always for white hat purposes.
Speaker 1: Only thinking about the tools we discussed, Knowing how a
Speaker 1: depth attack or an evil twin works helps you defend
Speaker 1: against it.
Speaker 2: Right exactly Understanding the offense informs the defense, which actually
Speaker 2: brings up an interesting question to ponder. Yeah, thinking about
Speaker 2: everything we covered, all those vulnerabilities, those attack methods, those
Speaker 2: defensive postures, what specific vulnerability or maybe what specific defense
Speaker 2: mechanism will you choose to explore further in your own learning,
Speaker 2: maybe even starting safely, carefully in your own isolated home
Speaker 2: lab environment.
Speaker 1: Ooh, that's a great provocative thought. To leave everyone with
Speaker 1: an excellent challenge. This deep dive was designed to be
Speaker 1: your shortcut to being well informed, hopefully with some surprising
Speaker 1: facts and maybe just enough humor to keep you hooked.
Speaker 2: Hope it was useful.
Speaker 1: Absolutely until our next deep dive, Keep learning, keep questioning,
Speaker 1: and definitely stay curious.