Kali Linux CTF Blueprints

Cameron Buchanan

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781783985982
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Cyber Security
• Index: Computer Science

In Detail

As attackers develop more effective and complex ways to compromise computerized systems, penetration testing skills and tools are in high demand. A tester must have varied skills to combat these threats or fall behind. This book provides practical and customizable guides to set up a variety of exciting challenge projects that can then be tested with Kali Linux.

Learn how to create, customize, and exploit penetration testing scenarios and assault courses. Start by building flawed fortresses for Windows and Linux servers, allowing your testers to exploit common and not-so-common vulnerabilities to break down the gates and storm the walls. Mimic the human element with practical examples of social engineering projects. Facilitate vulnerable wireless and mobile installations and cryptographic weaknesses, and replicate the Heartbleed vulnerability. Finally, combine your skills and work to create a full red-team assessment environment that mimics the sort of corporate network encountered in the field.

Approach

Taking a highly practical approach and a playful tone, Kali Linux CTF Blueprints provides step-by-step guides to setting up vulnerabilities, in-depth guidance to exploiting them, and a variety of advice and ideas to build and customize your own challenges.

Who this book is for

If you are a penetration testing team leader or individual who wishes to challenge yourself or your friends in the creation of penetration testing assault courses, this is the book for you. The book assumes a basic level of penetration skills and familiarity with the Kali Linux operating system.

Kali Linux CTF Blueprints

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Table of Contents

Kali Linux CTF Blueprints

Credits

About the Author

About the Reviewers

www.PacktPub.com

Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

Why subscribe?

Free access for Packt account holders

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Reading guide

A warning

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Microsoft Environments

Creating a vulnerable machine

Securing a machine

Creating a secure network

Basic requirements

Setting up a Linux network

Setting up a Windows network

Hosting vulnerabilities

Scenario 1 – warming Adobe ColdFusion

Setup

Variations

Scenario 2 – making a mess with MSSQL

Setup

Variations

Scenario 3 – trivializing TFTP

Vulnerabilities

Flag placement and design

Testing your flags

Making the flag too easy

Making your finding too hard

Alternate ideas

Post-exploitation and pivoting

Exploitation guides

Scenario 1 – traverse the directories like it ain't no thing

Scenario 2 – your database is bad and you should feel bad

Scenario 3 – TFTP is holier than the Pope

Challenge modes

Summary

2. Linux Environments

Differences between Linux and Microsoft

The setup

Scenario 1 – learn Samba and other dance forms

Setup

Configuration

Testing

Variations

Information disclosure

File upload

Scenario 2 – turning on a LAMP

Setup

The PHP

Variations

Out-of-date versions

Login bypass

SQL injection

Dangerous PHP

PHPMyAdmin

Scenario 3 – destructible distros

Setup

Variations

Scenario 4 – tearing it up with Telnet

Setup

Variations

Default credentials

Buffer overflows

Flag placement and design

Exploitation guides

Scenario 1 – smashing Samba

Scenario 2 – exploiting XAMPP

Scenario 3 – like a privilege

Scenario 4 – tampering with Telnet

Summary

3. Wireless and Mobile

Wireless environment setup

Software

Hardware

Scenario 1 – WEP, that's me done for the day

Code setup

Network setup

Scenario 2 – WPA-2

Setup

Scenario 3 – pick up the phone

Setup

Important things to remember

Exploitation guides

Scenario 1 – rescue the WEP key

Scenario 2 – potentiating partial passwords

Scenario 3.1 – be a geodude with geotagging

Scenario 3.2 – ghost in the machine or man in the middle

Scenario 3.3 – DNS spoof your friends for fun and profit

Summary

4. Social Engineering

Scenario 1 – maxss your haxss

Code setup

Scenario 2 – social engineering: do no evil

Setup

Variations

Scenario 3 – hunting rabbits

Core principles

Potential avenues

Connecting methods

Creating an OSINT target

Scenario 4 – I am a Stegosaurus

Visual steganography

Exploitation guides

Scenario 1 – cookie theft for fun and profit

Scenario 2 – social engineering tips

Scenario 3 – exploitation guide

Scenario 4 – exploitation guide

Summary

5. Cryptographic Projects

Crypto jargon

Scenario 1 – encode-ageddon

Generic encoding types

Random encoding types

Scenario 2 – encode + Python = merry hell

Setup

Substitution cipher variations

Scenario 3 – RC4, my god, what are you doing?

Setup

Implementations

Scenario 4 – Hishashin

Setup

Hashing variations

Scenario 5 – because Heartbleed didn't get enough publicity as it is

Setup

Variations

Exploitation guides

Scenario 1 – decode-alypse now

Scenario 2 – trans subs and other things that look awkward in your history

Automatic methods

Scenario 3 – was that a 1 or a 0 or a 1?

Scenario 4 – hash outside of Colorado

Scenario 5 – bleeding hearts

Summary

6. Red Teaming

Chapter guide

Scoring systems

Setting scenarios

Reporting

Reporting example

Reporting explanation

CTF-style variations

DEFCON game

Physical components

Attack and defense

Jeopardy

Scenario 1 – ladders, why did it have to be ladders?

Network diagram

Brief

Setting up virtual machines

DMZ

missileman

secret1

secret2

secret3

Attack guide

Variations

Dummy devices

Combined OSINT trail

The missile base scenario summary

Scenario 2 – that's no network, it's a space station

Network diagram

Brief

Setting up a basic network

Attack of the clones

Customizing cloned VMs

Workstation1

Workstation2

Workstation3

Workstation4

Workstation5

Attack guide

Variations

The network base scenario summary

Summary

A. Appendix

Further reading

Recommended competitions

Existing vulnerable VMs

Index

Kali Linux CTF Blueprints

Copyright © 2014 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: July 2014

Production reference: 1170714

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place

35 Livery Street

Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-78398-598-2

www.packtpub.com

Cover image by VTR Ravi Kumar (<[email protected]>)

Credits

Author

Cameron Buchanan

Reviewers

Abhishek Dey

Daniel W. Dieterle

Adriano dos Santos Gregório

Aamir Lakhani

Joseph Muniz

Commissioning Editor

Julian Ursell

Acquisition Editor

Sam Wood

Content Development Editor

Priyanka S

Technical Editors

Arwa Manasawala

Veena Pagare

Copy Editor

Sarang Chari

Project Coordinator

Neha Thakur

Proofreaders

Maria Gould

Paul Hindle

Indexers

Mehreen Deshmukh

Rekha Nair

Graphics

Ronak Dhruv

Production Coordinator

Manu Joseph

Cover Work

Manu Joseph

About the Author

Cameron Buchanan is a penetration tester by trade and a writer in his spare time. He has performed penetration tests around the world for a variety of clients across many industries. Previously, he was a member of the RAF. He enjoys doing stupid things, such as trying to make things fly, getting electrocuted, an...

Table of contents

• Kali Linux CTF Blueprints