SEC580: Metasploit for Enterprise Penetration Testing

IMPORTANT: BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP CONFIGURED USING THESE DIRECTIONS

A properly configured system is required to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will likely leave the class unsatisfied because you will not be able to participate in hands-on exercises that are essential to this course. Therefore, we strongly urge you to arrive with a system meeting all the requirements specified for the course.

Host Operating System: Latest version of Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15.x or later, or Linux that also can install and run VMware virtualization products described below. Those who use a Linux host must also be able to access exFAT partitions using the appropriate kernel or FUSE modules. Note: Apple systems using the M1 processor cannot perform the necessary virtualization at this time and cannot be used for this course.

You also must have 8 GB of RAM or higher for the two virtual machines to function properly in the class.

It is critical that your CPU and operating system support 64-bit instructions so that our 64-bit guest virtual machines will run on your laptop.

In addition to having 64-bit capable hardware, AMD-V, Intel VT-x, or the equivalent must be enabled in BIOS/UEFI.

Download and install either VMware Workstation Pro 15.5.x, VMware Player 15.5.x or Fusion 11.5.x or higher versions before class. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation or Fusion, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial at their website.

Other virtualization software, such as VirtualBox and Hyper-V, are not appropriate because of compatibility and troubleshooting problems you might encounter during class.

VMware Workstation Pro and VMware Workstation Player on Windows 10 is not compatible with Windows 10 Credential Guard and Device Guard technologies. Please disable these capabilities for the duration of the class, if they're enabled on your system, by following instructions in this document.

MANDATORY SEC580 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

• CPU: 64-bit 2.0+ GHz processor or higher-based system is mandatory for this class (Important - Please Read: a 64-bit system processor is mandatory)
• BIOS/UEFI: VT-x, AMD-V, or the equivalent must be enabled in the BIOS/UEFI
• RAM: 8 GB (gigabytes) of RAM or higher is mandatory for this class (Important - Please Read: 8 GB of RAM or higher is mandatory)
• Wireless Ethernet 802.11 B/G/N/AC
• Disk: 60 Gigabytes of free disk space
• Latest version of Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15.x or later, or Linux
• VMware Workstation Pro 15.5.X+, VMware Player 15.5.X+ or Fusion 11.5+

Your course media will now be delivered via download. The media files for class can be large, some in the 40 - 50 GB range. You need to allow plenty of time for the download to complete. Internet connections and speed vary greatly and are dependent on many different factors. Therefore, it is not possible to give an estimate of the length of time it will take to download your materials. Please start your course media downloads as you get the link. You will need your course media immediately on the first day of class. Waiting until the night before the class starts to begin your download has a high probability of failure.

SANS has begun providing printed materials in PDF form. Additionally, certain classes are using an electronic workbook in addition to the PDFs. The number of classes using eWorkbooks will grow quickly. In this new environment, we have found that a second monitor and/or a tablet device can be useful forby keeping the class materials visible while the instructor is presenting or while you are working on lab exercises.

Metasploit is the most popular free exploitation tool available today. It is in widespread use by penetration testers, vulnerability assessment personnel, auditors, and real-world threat actors. However, most of its users rely on and understand only about 10 percent of its functionality, not realizing the immensely useful other features that Metasploit offers. This course will enable students to master the 10 percent they currently rely on (applying it in a more comprehensive and safe manner), while unlocking the other 90 percent of features they can then apply to make their tests more effective. By attending this course, students will learn how to make a free tool achieve the power of many much more costly commercial tools.

- Jeff McJunkin