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Part IV: Hacking Operating Systems
Figure 11-18:
Remote
command
prompt
on target
system
obtained by
exploiting
a missing
patch
vulnerability.
If you choose to add a user account during this phase, be sure to remove
it when you finish. Otherwise, you can create another vulnerability on the
system — especially if the account has a weak password. Chapter 3 covers
related issues, such as the need for a contract when performing your testing.
You want to make sure you’ve covered yourself.
All in all, this is ethical hacking at its finest!
Three unique versions of Metasploit are available from Rapid7. The free edition
outlined in the preceding steps is called Metasploit Community. It may
be all you need if an occasional screenshot of remote access or similar is sufficient
for your testing purposes. There’s also Metasploit Express which adds
features such as password auditing and evidence collection. Finally, there’s a
full-blown commercial version called Metasploit Pro for the serious security
professional. Metasploit Pro adds features for social engineering, web application
scanning, and detailed reporting.
Metasploit Pro’s Overview screen is shown in Figure 11-19. Note the workflow
features in the tabs across the top including Analysis, Sessions, Campaigns,
Web Apps, and Reports. It’s a well-thought-out interface that takes the pain
out of traditional security scanning, exploitation, and reporting, which is
especially useful for the less technical IT professional.