Metasploit

Metasploit is the world’s leading open-source penetrating framework used by security engineers as a penetration testing system and a development platform that allows to create security tools and exploits. The framework makes hacking simple for both attackers and defenders. The various tools, libraries, user interfaces, and modules of Metasploit allow a user to configure an exploit module, pair with a payload, point at a target, and launch at the target system. Metasploit’s large and extensive database houses hundreds of exploits and several payload options.  A Metasploit penetration test begins with the information gathering phase, wherein Metasploit integrates with various reconnaissance tools like Nmap, SNMP scanning, and Windows patch enumeration, and Nessus to find the vulnerable spot in your system. Once the weakness is identified, choose an exploit and payload to penetrate the chink in the armor. If the exploit is successful, the payload gets executed at the target, and the user gets a shell to interact with the payload. One of the most popular payloads to attack Windows systems is Meterpreter – an in-memory-only interactive shell. Once on the target machine, Metasploit offers various exploitation tools for privilege escalation, packet sniffing, pass the hash, keyloggers, screen capture, plus pivoting tools. Users can also set up a persistent backdoor if the target machine gets rebooted. 

The extensive features available in Metasploit are modular and extensible, making it easy to configure as per every user requirement. Metasploit is a powerful tool used by network security professionals to do penetration tests, by system administrators to test patch installations, by product vendors to implement regression testing, and by security engineers across industries. The purpose of Metasploit is to help users identify where they are most likely to face attacks by hackers and proactively mend those weaknesses before exploitation by hackers. 

Metasploit Uses and Benefits:

Metasploit provides you with varied use cases, and its benefits include:

• Open Source and Actively Developed: Metasploit is preferred to other highly paid penetration testing tools because it allows accessing its source code and adding specific custom modules. 
• Ease of Use: it is easy to use Metasploit while conducting a large network penetration test. Metasploit conducts automated tests on all systems in order to exploit the vulnerability. 
• Easy Switching Between Payloads: the set payload command allows easy, quick access to switch payloads. It becomes easy to change the meterpreter or shell-based access into a specific operation. 
• Cleaner Exits: Metasploit allows a clean exit from the target system it has compromised.
• Friendly GUI Environment: friendly GUI and third-party interfaces facilitate the penetrate testing project.

Purpose of Metasploit:

Metasploit is a powerful tool used by network security professionals to do penetration tests, by system administrators to test patch installations, by product vendors to implement regression testing, and by security engineers across industries. The purpose of Metasploit is to help users identify where they are most likely to face attacks by hackers and proactively mend those weaknesses before exploitation by hackers. 

Metasploit Tools:

Metasploit tools make penetration testing work faster and smoother for security pros and hackers. Some of the main tools are Aircrack, Metasploit unleashed, Wireshark, Ettercap, Netsparker, Kali, etc.

Metasploit Framework:

Following is the filesystem of Metasploit Framework (MSF):

• Data – contains editable files for storing binaries, wordlist, images, templates, logos, etc
• Tools – contains command utilities including plugins, hardware, memdump
• Scripts – contains Meterepreter scripts, resources to run functionalities
• Modules – contains actual MSF modules 
• Plugins – additional extensions for automating manual tasks
• Documentation – documents and pdfs concerning Metasploit framework
• Lib – contains libraries required to run Metasploit from start to end

Metasploit Shell Types:

There are two types of shells in Metasploit: for attacking or interacting with the target system. 

• Bind Shell – here, the target machine opens up a listener on the victim machine, and then the attacker connects to the listener to get a remote shell. This type of shell is risky because anyone can connect to the shell and run the command.
• Reverse Shell – here, the headset runs on the attacker, and the target system is connected to the attacker using a shell. Reverse shells can solve problems that are caused by bind shells. 

Metasploit Commands: 

Some basic commands of Metasploit are msfconsole, banner, search, connect, cd, back, grep, jobs, kill, load, info, show options, set, check, edit, use, exploit, exit, help, and others.