Week 10

Week 10 marked the start of our final project, where we’ll apply everything we’ve learned so far in a real-world penetration testing scenario. The goal is to simulate a complete ethical hacking engagement over the course of four weeks.

Project Overview

  • Target: server1.pentest.id

  • Start Date: May 10, 10:00 AM

  • Challenge: The target is protected by Cloudflare, which masks its real IP address using a reverse proxy.

Project Tasks

  1. Identify the real IP hidden behind Cloudflare.

  2. Exploit vulnerabilities using known or custom techniques.

  3. Gain root access through privilege escalation.

  4. Document the entire process through:

    • A 10-minute executive presentation

    • A detailed technical report (DOCX)

Important rules:

  • No DoS/DDoS attacks

  • You may clear logs and plant backdoors

  • System configurations must not be altered or patched

Lecture Recap: Vulnerability Research & Exploitation

In addition to launching the project, this week’s lecture revisited the importance of vulnerability research — a core skill in understanding how systems are attacked.

We reviewed skills and tools like:

  • Programming & reverse engineering (Python, C/C++, Assembly)

  • Debuggers, fuzzers, profilers, and memory monitors

  • Exploit databases and tools such as:

    • Exploit-DB

    • Metasploit Framework

    • Public PoC (proof of concept) scripts

Privilege Escalation Techniques

After gaining access, the next step is to escalate privileges. We studied:

  • Vertical escalation – e.g., going from a standard user to root

  • Horizontal escalation – accessing accounts or services with the same privilege level

Common techniques include:

  • Local exploits (like Dirty COW or Baron Samedit)

  • Weak or reused passwords

  • Misconfigured SSH keys or home directories

  • Credential harvesting via packet sniffing (Wireshark, tcpdump)

  • ARP spoofing for MITM attacks

We were also introduced to tools for both offline and online attacks:

  • Offline: John the Ripper, Hashcat, RainbowCrack

  • Online: Hydra, Medusa, CeWL

  • Sniffing/Spoofing: Ettercap, Dsniff, Arpspoof

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Final Reflection

Image
Week 13 was dedicated to presenting our final project. Each team delivered a short presentation summarizing their ethical hacking engagement, from reconnaissance to exploitation based on their submitted report. Final Thoughts & Reflection When I first enrolled in this course, I saw ethical hacking as just another requirement in my academic program, something to get through. But over the weeks, especially after the hands-on labs and final penetration test, my view changed completely. This course turned out to be one of the most engaging and eye-opening parts of my study so far. Learning how systems can be tested, broken, and hardened was fascinating. It taught me not only technical skills, but also how attackers think, and how defenders must think smarter. Now, cybersecurity is something I’m seriously considering for my future career. It’s exciting, fast-paced, and more impactful than I expected. Honestly, it made choosing a career path even harder, in a good way.
Read more

Week 8

The weakest link in an organization chain are humans. Some of the most damaging and well-known cyber attacks are not caused due to weak technology or a crack in the code, instead, humans. This week, we explored the most powerful and common forms of attack: social engineering . Rather than targeting software or hardware, these attacks focus on exploiting human behavior to gain unauthorized access or information.  Social Engineering Attack Process We broke down the social engineering attack lifecycle into four main phases: Intelligence Gathering – Researching the target through social media, company websites, or public records. Identifying Vulnerabilities – Pinpointing weak spots in communication channels or personal behaviors. Planning the Attack – Choosing a method, setting a goal, and crafting the approach. Execution – Carrying out the deception, such as sending a phishing email or impersonating an employee. Common Attack Techniques We studied psychological ...
Read more