Original Post: Part 1- 8: Hands-On Web Pentesting | by Saumya Kasthuri | Aug, 2024
The content provides a detailed guide on setting up a pentesting environment, covering various aspects essential for penetration testing. Here’s a summarized outline:
8.1 Setting Up a Pentesting Environment
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8.1.1 Installing and Configuring Virtual Machines
- Purpose: VMs offer isolated environments for testing without affecting the primary system, allowing different testing scenarios.
- Benefits: Safe experimentation, easy rollback, and network configuration simulation.
- Steps: Choose a virtualization platform (VirtualBox, VMware), download and install it, create a new VM, install an OS like Kali Linux, configure network settings, and optionally install guest additions.
- 8.1.2 Setting Up Kali Linux and Other Tools
- Installing Kali Linux: Download the latest ISO and configure a VM as outlined previously.
- Initial Configuration & Additional Tools: Further configuration steps for the testing environment and adding necessary tools.
8.2 Common Web Pentesting Techniques
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8.2.1 Information Gathering and Reconnaissance
- Purpose: Collect information to identify vulnerabilities and attack vectors using passive (WHOIS lookups, DNS queries) and active (network scanning) methods.
- Tools: Nmap for network scanning, WHOIS for domain info, Recon-ng for web reconnaissance.
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8.2.2 Scanning and Enumeration
- Purpose: Identify open ports, services, and potential vulnerabilities.
- Techniques: Port scanning and service enumeration using tools like Nmap and Netcat.
- Tools: Nessus and OpenVAS for vulnerability scanning.
- 8.2.3 Exploiting Common Vulnerabilities
- Purpose: Demonstrate vulnerability impacts and gain unauthorized access.
- Vulnerabilities: SQL Injection, XSS, Command Injection with tools like SQLmap, XSSer, Metasploit.
- Tools: Metasploit framework, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP.
8.3 Using Pentesting Tools
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8.3.1 Burp Suite Basics
- Components: Proxy, Scanner, Intruder.
- Usage: Configure proxy, scan for vulnerabilities, automate attacks.
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8.3.2 OWASP ZAP Overview
- Components: Spider, Active Scanner, Passive Scanner.
- Usage: Crawl applications, perform active scans, analyze traffic.
- 8.3.3 Network Traffic Analysis with Wireshark
- Purpose: Capture and analyze network traffic for understanding communications and identifying issues.
- Usage: Start capture sessions, inspect captured packets, use filters, and troubleshoot network problems.
This guide is aimed at providing a comprehensive setup and overview of tools necessary for effective penetration testing.
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