Hack Like a Pro: How Windows Can Be a Hacking Platform, Pt. 1 (Exploit Pack) « Null Byte :: WonderHowTo

Welcome back, my tenderfoot hackers!As most of you know, I am strong advocate forusing Linux as a hacking platform. In fact, I would say thatwithout knowing Linux, you will never become a professional hacker/pentester.On the other hand, there are many here who come to Null Byte who do not have the time or inclination tostudy Linuxin order to hack. They are looking for relatively sophisticated hacks/exploits, but want to do them on a Windows or Mac platform. Although Metasploit will run on either of those platforms, it does not work well. Many of its capabilities are non-functional on, for instance, a Windows platform.There are some excellent hacking/pentesting applications that work well on Windows, such asCain and Abel,Wikto, andFOCA, but a new hacking framework calledExploit Packhas emerged that is platform independent.Exploit Pack, developed byJuan Sacco, is similar toMetasploitbut written in Java. Besides its universality and easy-to-use GUI, Exploit Pack allows you to develop exploits in the language of your choice (Metasploitexploits must be written in Ruby). We will examine that at a later time.Exploit Pack is open-source and released under the GPL license. Its free edition has over 350 exploits, while its Pro edition has nearly 35,000 exploits. Although we will be using the free edition here, the Pro edition costs 300 Euros (about $320 USD). As exploit frameworks go, that is very inexpensive.It is my hope that by demonstrating some of these hacks with Windows tools, that newbies will get a taste of what is possible and be inspired to continue on Null Byte tolearn Linuxand its tools and capabilities. This is because Linux is really the only operating system to use as a professional hacker, but in the meantime—let's explore and use Exploit Pack!Step 1: Download & Install JavaThe first step, of course, is to download and install Exploit Pack. As I mentioned above, it is written in Java, so it is requisite that you have Java 8 installed. You can go toOracle's websiteand download Java 8 for your architecture. Since I will be working on a 64-bit Windows 7 system, I downloaded the Windows x64 Java, as circled in the screenshot below.Of course, if you are using a different architecture, make certain to download the Java specific to your architecture. Please note that before downloading it, you must accept the license agreement, and you need to have a free account with Oracle, as well.Next, go ahead and install Java on your system after downloading it.Step 2: Download & Install Exploit PackNow, we can download and install Exploit Pack fromthe Exploit Pack website. Note that the MD5 hash is next to each of the downloads. It is a good practice to check to see if the MD5 of the downloaded code matches this MD5 to make certain that the code was not corrupted or otherwise altered.For those of you who want to use Exploit Pack withKali Linuxas a VMware virtual machine, note that Exploit Pack is available with Kali 2.0 as a VMware image (the last of the download choices).Step 3: Start Exploit PackOnce you have completed the Exploit Pack download, go to the directory you installed in. In my case, I created a directory named "Exploit Pack" and extracted all the components there.When you go to the directory with Exploit Pack, look for the executable .jar file as I circled above. Click on it and it will begin to open Exploit Pack.Click on "Continue" when this you see this splash screen to open the Exploit Pack GUI.Step 4: The Exploit Pack GUIWhen Exploit Pack is done executing, you should be greeted by a user friendly GUI like that below. For those that more comfortable with "point and click" rather than the command line ofLinux, you should find this interface intuitive and familiar, I hope.Click on image to enlarge.Step 5: Explore the InterfaceExploit Pack has a clean and easy-to-use interface. As you can see, if you go to the far left window, we can see three tabs, Exploits, Auxiliary and Target. If we click on Exploits, it brings up a long list of exploit categories, primarily classified by the target operating system (although there some some non-OS categories such as cgi, etc.).Click on image to enlarge.If we scroll down that list a bit, we will find the Windows exploits. Click and expand that list and it reveals a long list of Windows exploits that we might use to hack Windows systems. We will be using some of those in future tutorials.Click on image to enlarge.We can click on the "Auxiliary" tab and—similar to Metasploit—it contains the Scanner and DoS modules.We can search for modules by going to the "Module Search" box beneath the Exploit window, as seen below.Click on image to enlarge.In the Module Search window, we can choose to show active, recent, or everything, as well as search by name, author, or platform.Now that we have installed and have a basic understanding of Exploit Pack, come back to explore how to use it to hack nearly any type of system!Want to start making money as a white hat hacker?Jump-start your hacking career with our2020 Premium Ethical Hacking Certification Training Bundlefrom the newNull Byte Shopand get over 60 hours of training from cybersecurity professionals.Buy Now (90% off) >Other worthwhile deals to check out:97% off The Ultimate 2021 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle99% off The 2021 All-in-One Data Scientist Mega Bundle98% off The 2021 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle62% off MindMaster Mind Mapping Software: Perpetual LicenseRelatedHack Like a Pro:How to Exploit and Gain Remote Access to PCs Running Windows XPHow to Hack Like a Pro:Hacking Windows Vista by Exploiting SMB2 VulnerabilitiesHack Like a Pro:How to Exploit IE8 to Get Root Access When People Visit Your WebsiteHack Like a Pro:Remotely Add a New User Account to a Windows Server 2003 BoxHack Like a Pro:Hacking Windows XP Through Windows 8 Using Adobe Flash PlayerHack Like a Pro:Metasploit for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 1 (Primer & Overview)How To:Hack Lets You Fully Activate a Bootleg Copy of Windows 8 Pro for FreeHack Like a Pro:How to Take Control of Windows Server 2003 Remotely by Launching a Reverse ShellHack Like a Pro:How to Find  Exploits Using the Exploit Database in KaliHack Like a Pro:How to Cover Your Tracks So You Aren't DetectedHow to Hack Like a Pro:Getting Started with MetasploitHow To:Hack Your Kindle Touch to Get It Ready for Homebrew Apps & MoreHack Like a Pro:How to Use Hacking Team's Adobe Flash ExploitHow To:Run an VNC Server on Win7Hack Like a Pro:How to Remotely Grab Encrypted Passwords from a Compromised ComputerHow To:How to Henna Your Hair _Tutorial *Part.2Hack Like a Pro:Exploring the Inner Architecture of MetasploitHack Like a Pro:How to Remotely Grab a Screenshot of Someone's Compromised ComputerHack Like a Pro:How to Hack Windows Vista, 7, & 8 with the New Media Center ExploitHow To:Watch This Sunday's 2013 Pro Bowl Football Game OnlineHack Like a Pro:How to Save the World from Nuclear AnnihilationHow to Hack Windows 7:Sending Vulnerable Shortcut FilesHack Like a Pro:How to Exploit Adobe Flash with a Corrupted Movie File to Hack Windows 7How To:Hack Android Using Kali (Remotely)News:How to Study for the White Hat Hacker Associate Certification (CWA)Hack Like a Pro:How to Crash Your Roommate's Windows 7 PC with a LinkHack Like a Pro:Hacking Samba on Ubuntu and Installing the MeterpreterNews:What does Pro Tools HD Native mean for you?How To:Keep Stroke Patients Active at Home w/ Wii FitHow To:How Hackers Use Your IP Address to Hack Your Computer & How to Stop ItWeekend Homework:How to Become a Null Byte Contributor (1/12/2012)WTI:The Hangover Pt. 2Weekend Homework:How to Become a Null Byte ContributorNews:The Root Beer Hack Circle Caper