▶Book Description
Securing an IT environment can be challenging, however, effective penetration testing and threat identification can make all the difference. This book will help you learn how to use the Metasploit Framework optimally for comprehensive penetration testing.
Complete with hands-on tutorials and case studies, this updated second edition will teach you the basics of the Metasploit Framework along with its functionalities. You'll learn how to set up and configure Metasploit on various platforms to create a virtual test environment. Next, you'll get hands-on with the essential tools. As you progress, you'll learn how to find weaknesses in the target system and hunt for vulnerabilities using Metasploit and its supporting tools and components. Later, you'll get to grips with web app security scanning, bypassing anti-virus, and post-compromise methods for clearing traces on the target system. The concluding chapters will take you through real-world case studies and scenarios that will help you apply the knowledge you've gained to ethically hack into target systems. You'll also discover the latest security techniques that can be directly applied to scan, test, ethically hack, and secure networks and systems with Metasploit.
By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to use the Metasploit 5.0 Framework to exploit real-world vulnerabilities.
▶What You Will Learn
- Set up the environment for Metasploit
- Understand how to gather sensitive information and exploit vulnerabilities
- Get up to speed with client-side attacks and web application scanning using Metasploit
- Leverage the latest features of Metasploit 5.0 to evade anti-virus
- Delve into cyber attack management using Armitage
- Understand exploit development and explore real-world case studies
▶Key Features
- Perform pentesting in highly secured environments with Metasploit 5.0
- Become well-versed with the latest features and improvements in the Metasploit Framework 5.0
- Analyze, find, exploit, and gain access to different systems by bypassing various defenses
▶Who This Book Is For
If you are a penetration tester, ethical hacker, or security consultant who wants to quickly get started with using the Metasploit Framework to carry out elementary penetration testing in highly secured environments, then this Metasploit book is for you. You will also find this book useful if you're interested in computer security, particularly in the areas of vulnerability assessment and pentesting, and want to develop practical skills when using the Metasploit Framework.
▶What this book covers
- Chapter 1, Introduction to Metasploit and Supporting Tools, introduces the reader to concepts such as vulnerability assessment and penetration testing. Then, it explains the need for a penetration testing framework along with a brief introduction to the Metasploit Framework. Moving ahead, the chapter explains how the Metasploit Framework can be effectively used across all stages of the penetration testing life cycle, along with some supporting tools that extend the Metasploit Framework's capabilities. This chapter also introduces some of the new features of Metasploit 5.x.
- Chapter 2, Setting up Your Environment, guides you through setting up the environment for the Metasploit Framework. This includes setting up the Kali Linux virtual machine, independently installing the Metasploit Framework on various platforms (such as Windows and Linux), and setting up exploitable or vulnerable targets in the virtual environment, along with Metasploit Vulnerable Services Emulator.
- Chapter 3, Metasploit Components and Environment Configuration, covers the structure and anatomy of the Metasploit Framework, followed by an introduction to various Metasploit components. This chapter also covers the local and global variable configuration, along with how to keep the Metasploit Framework updated.
- Chapter 4, Information Gathering with Metasploit, lays the foundation for information gathering and enumeration with the Metasploit Framework. It covers information gathering and enumeration for various protocols, such as TCP, UDP, FTP, SMB, HTTP, SSH, DNS, and RDP. It also covers extended usage of the Metasploit Framework for password sniffing, along with advanced search for vulnerable systems using Shodan integration.
- Chapter 5, Vulnerability Hunting with Metasploit, starts with instructions on setting up the Metasploit database. Then, it provides insights on vulnerability scanning and exploiting using NMAP, Nessus, and the Metasploit Framework, concluding with the post-exploitation capabilities of the Metasploit Framework. It also provides a brief introduction to MSF utilities.
- Chapter 6, Client-Side Attacks with Metasploit, introduces the key terminology related to client-side attacks. It then covers the usage of the msfvenom payload creator to generate custom payloads, along with the Social-Engineer Toolkit. The chapter concludes with advanced browser-based attacks using the browser_autopwn auxiliary module.
- Chapter 7, Web Application Scanning with Metasploit, covers the procedure of setting up a vulnerable web application such as Hackazon and OWASP Juice Shop. It then covers the wmap module within the Metasploit Framework for web application vulnerability scanning, and concludes with some additional Metasploit auxiliary modules that can be useful in web application security assessment.
- Chapter 8, Antivirus Evasion and Anti-Forensics, covers the various ways to prevent your payload from getting detected by various antivirus programs. These techniques include the use of encoders, binary packages, and encryptors, along with the latest evasion modules. The chapter also introduces various concepts for testing payloads and concludes with various anti-forensic features of the Metasploit Framework.
- Chapter 9, Cyber Attack Management with Armitage, introduces a cyber attack management tool called Armitage, which can be used effectively along with the Metasploit Framework for complex penetration testing tasks. This chapter covers the various aspects of Armitage, including opening the console, performing scanning and enumeration, finding suitable attacks, and exploiting the target.
- Chapter 10, Extending Metasploit and Exploit Development, introduces the various exploit development concepts, followed by how the Metasploit Framework can be extended by adding external exploits. The chapter concludes with an explanation of the Metasploit exploit templates and mixins that can be readily utilized for custom exploit development.
- Chapter 11, Real-World Case Study, helps the reader to put all the knowledge they have learned throughout the book together to hack into targets in real-world scenarios. This will immensely help the reader to understand the practical importance of all the modules and plugins they've learned about throughout the book.
