Courseware Changelog

21 May 2024

Updates and corrections in the following chapters:

• 2.2 Installing Kali Linux (Removed Parrot OS)
• 2.3 VPN Access (The Openfortivpn VPN client is the recommended VPN client)
• PDF Updated.
• VHL Kali Linux VMs updated to 2024.1

22 September 2023

Updated and revised chapter 9 of the courseware: Networking & Shells:

• 9.2 Reverse Shells
• 9.3 Bind Shells
• 9.4 Upgrading Netcat shells
• PDF Updated.

2 August 2023

Minor updates and corrections in the following chapter:

• 2.2 Installing Kali Linux
• PDF Updated.

28 July 2023

Minor updates and corrections in the following chapters:

• 2.2 Installing Kali Linux
• 2.3 VPN Access
• 4.5 Vulnerability Scanning with OpenVAS
• PDF Updated.

23 March 2023

Updated the following chapter:

• 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux
• PDF Updated.

5 August 2022

Updated the following chapter:

• 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux
• PDF Updated.

10 May 2022

Added new chapter: Attacking management interfaces.

10 February 2022

Revised the following chapters:

• 2.2 Installing Kali Linux
• 3.2 Passive Information Gathering
• PDF Updated.

9 December 2021

Revised the following chapters:

• 2.2 Installing Kali Linux (Installing Kali Linux on a Mac M1)
• 2.3 VPN Access (Network Manager VPN and ARM64 client)
• PDF Updated.

17 November 2021

Minor updates in the following chapters:

• 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux
• PDF Updated.

24 June 2021

Minor updates in the following chapters:

• 7.5 SQL Injection Basics
• 5.5 Transferring exploits
• PDF Updated.

14 June 2021

Minor updates in the courseware: typos, broken links etc.

• PDF Updated.

18 May 2021

Updated Docker privilege escalation in the following chapter:

• 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux
• PDF Updated.

12 May 2021

Minor updates in the following chapters:

• 5.4 Compiling Windows exploits on Linux
• 5.5 Transferring exploits
• 5.6 Exploiting Vulnerabilities in Practice
• PDF Updated.

6 May 2021

Updated the following chapters:

• 3.2 Passive Information Gathering
• 3.3 Active information gathering
• 4.2 Metasploitable 2 enumeration information & vulnerabilities
• 4.3 Vulnerability & Exploit databases
• 4.4 Nmap scripts
• 4.5 Vulnerability Scanning with OpenVAS
• 5.2 How to work with exploits and where to find them
• PDF Updated.

31 December 2020

Minor changes in Chapter 5 Exploitation:

• 5.5 Transfering Exploits
• PDF Updated.

22 December 2020

Updated Chapter 7: SQL injection basics:

• 7.5 SQL Injection Basics

5 August 2020

• Updated Chapter 4: Vulnerability Assessment:
  • 4.5 Vulnerability scanning with OpenVAS 11
• Minor changes in Chapter 5 Exploitation:
  • 5.5 Transfering Exploits
• PDF Updated.

1 July 2020

• Updated Chapter 6: Privilege Escalation
  • 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux
  • 6.3 Privilege Escalation on Windows
• Minor changes in Chapter 3 Information Gathering
  • 3.3 Active information gathering
• PDF Updated.

27 April 2020

• Minor updates Courseware PDF

22 January 2020

• Updated Chapter 3 Information Gathering
  • 3.3 Active information gathering (SMB enumeration section)

4 December 2019

• Updated Chapter 3 Information Gathering
  • 3.2 Passive information gathering (Recon-ng section)
  • 3.3 Active information gathering (Dirbuster section)
• Updated Chapter 4 Vulnerability Assessment
  • 4.3 Vulnerability & Exploit databases

16 August 2019

• Updated Chapter 10 Metasploit
  • 10.1 Intro
  • 10.2 Basic commands
  • 10.4 Meterpreter basics

9 April 2019

• Updated Chapter 9 Networking & Shells
  • 9.1 Intro
  • 9.2 Netcat shells
  • 9.3 Upgrading a Netcat shell to Meterpreter

15 March 2019

• Updated Chapter 2.7 Certificate of Completion
  • 2.7 Certificate of Completion

11 March 2019

• Updated Chapter 9: Networking & Shells
  • 9.2 Netcat shells

14 February 2019

• Revised and updated Chapter 7: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
  • 7.8 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

24 January 2019

• Revised and updated Chapter 7: File Upload Vulnerabilities
  • 7.7 File Upload Vulnerabilities

15 January 2019

• Replaced Tamper Data instructions by Burp suite:
  • 7.2 Local and Remote File Inclusion (LFI/RFI)

4 December 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 7: Web Shells
  • 7.6 Web Shells

22 November 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 7: Web Applications
  • 7.5 SQL Injection Basics

1 November 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 8. Password Attacks
  • 8.3 Windows passwords and hashes
  • 8.4 Cracking hashes with John
  • 8.5 Web application passwords

25 October 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 8. Password Attacks
  • 8.1 Intro
  • 8.2 Generating password lists
  • 8.3 Windows passwords and hashes

18 October 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 7: Web Applications
  • 7.1 Intro
  • 7.2 Local and Remote File Inclusion (LFI/RFI)
  • 7.3 Remote Code Execution
  • 7.4 Remote Command Execution

9 October 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 6: Privilege Escalation
  • 6.1 Intro
  • 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux
  • 6.3 Privilege Escalation on Windows

25 September 2018

• Revised and updated Chapter 5: Exploitation
  • 5.1 Intro
  • 5.2 How to work with exploits and where to find them
  • 5.3 Compiling Linux kernel exploits
  • 5.4 Compiling Windows exploits on Linux
  • 5.5 Transferring exploits
  • 5.6 Exploiting vulnerabilities in practice

18 September 2018

• Revised Chapter 4: Vulnerability Assessment
  • 4.5 OpenVAS automated vulnerability scanning

21 August 2018

• Revised Chapter 4: Vulnerability Assessment
  • 4.1 Intro
  • 4.2 Metasploitable 2 enumeration information & vulnerabilities
  • 4.3 Vulnerability & Exploit databases
  • 4.4 Nmap scripts

17 August 2018

• Revised Chapter 3: Information Gathering
  • All chapters

23 July 2018

• Revised Chapter 2: Accessing the labs
  • All chapters.

10 July 2018

• Revised Chapter 1: Penetration testing basics
• All chapters.

5 July 2018

• Updated chapter 9.2 Netcat shells

30 May 2018

• Updated chapter 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux

11 May 2018

• Added chapter 7.8 Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).

7 May 2018

• Updated the course introduction.

17 April 2018

• Revised chapter 5.3 Compiling Linux kernel exploits
  • Added a more detailed description on how to compile exploits and troubleshoot compilation errors.

28 March 2018

• Updated chapter 6.3 Privilege Escalation on Windows
  • Added Windows Exploit Suggester section.

15 March 2018

Updated the following chapters:

• Minor revisions in chapter 2.8 Where to start from here?
• Minor revisions in chapter 3.2 Passive information gathering
• Revisions in chapter 3.3 Active information gathering
  • Updated Host discovery section.

24 February 2018

• Fully revised chapter 4.5 OpenVAS Automated Vulnerability Scanning
  • Courseware is now based on OpenVAS 9.

6 February 2018

• Updated chapter 7.6 Web shells
  • Added Python SimpleHTTPServer instructions.

16 January 2018

Updated the following chapters:

• Updated chapter 2.2 Installing Kali Linux
  • Added installation guide for Virtualbox on Mac OS X and Linux.
  • The Virtualbox VM images are available in the download section of your user panel or on request (contact support).
• Revised chapter: 9.2 Netcat shells

6 December 2017

Updated the following chapters:

• Revisions in chapter 3.2 Passive information gathering
• Revised: Zone transfers, Fierce & Dig.
• Added: Wildcard domains & Sublist3r.

15 November 2017

• Revisions in chapter 5.5 Transferring exploits: Added more PowerShell file transfer methods.

19 October 2017

• Revisions in chapter 3.3 Active information gathering: WPScan section

13 October 2017

Updated the following chapters:

• Revisions in chapter 9.3 Upgrading a Netcat shell to Meterpreter
• Revisions in chapter 8.1 intro
• Revised chapter 8.2 Generating password lists

13 September 2017

• Added chapter 10.4 Meterpreter Basics

29 September 2017

Some minor changes in 6.2 Privilege Escalation on Linux.