Seth Barrett

Daily Blog Post: July 11th, 2023

post

July 11th, 2023

Part 4: Basic Exploitation Techniques

Once you've identified potential vulnerabilities in a target system through reconnaissance and scanning, the next step is to exploit those vulnerabilities to gain access to the system. In this post, we'll cover some basic exploitation techniques that you can use to take advantage of potential vulnerabilities in a target system.

  1. Password Cracking
    Password cracking involves using tools like John the Ripper, Hashcat, or Hydra to guess or crack passwords for user accounts on a target system. This can be done using various techniques, such as dictionary attacks, brute-force attacks, or hybrid attacks.
  2. Remote Code Execution
    Remote code execution involves exploiting vulnerabilities in software running on a target system to execute arbitrary code remotely. This can be done using tools like Metasploit, which provides a framework for exploiting known vulnerabilities in various software.
  3. File Inclusion
    File inclusion vulnerabilities allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on a target system by including a file from an external source. This can be done using tools like Burp Suite, which can identify potential file inclusion vulnerabilities in web applications.
  4. SQL Injection
    SQL injection vulnerabilities allow attackers to execute arbitrary SQL queries on a target system, potentially exposing sensitive information or even taking control of the system. This can be done using tools like SQLMap, which automates the process of exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities.
  5. Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
    Cross-site scripting vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially exposing sensitive information or taking control of their accounts. This can be done using tools like the Browser Exploitation Framework (BeEF), which provides a framework for exploiting XSS vulnerabilities.

It's important to note that exploiting vulnerabilities without permission is illegal and unethical. Always obtain permission from the target organization before attempting any type of exploitation.

In the next post, we'll cover some basic post-exploitation techniques that you can use to maintain access to a target system and exfiltrate data.