Setting up Hexo was one problem after another. It's finally more or less ready, with a few plugins and optimizations still to do. Time to start posting...

Well, that was rough.

Why I'm writing this series

Preparing for OSCP is going to be a long road. I'll use this space to record the process and what I learn (though I can hardly call it experience before I've passed). That includes setting up my own pentesting system, preparation tips, and probably a bit of everything else.

Most of the posts to follow will be writeup series.

Why write up each series?

  1. I already take notes on my computer, but I still need somewhere to record the solutions in detail.
  2. Writing helps me reinforce what I've learned and connect the pieces.
  3. I want to get more practice and review my work as I prepare for OSCP.
*Under the OSCP exam rules, MSF can only be used once, so these posts will focus on manual solutions. I'll also include MSF approaches for exploitation and privilege escalation, but in less detail. With MSF, even if you don't understand a vulnerability, you can quickly find an exploit by its CVE number, set the options, and run it automatically. Mostly, it comes down to choosing a different exploit and payload. Simple and blunt. I'll spend a little more time on it in the first machine, then move through it quickly in later writeups.*

Writeup structure

Most walkthroughs will follow these sections.

  1. Reconnaissance: Gather the initial information, such as open ports on the server.
  2. Vulnerability enumeration: Examine each exposed service and identify vulnerabilities.
  3. Getting a shell: Combine the information and vulnerabilities to get a shell and an initial foothold.
  4. Privilege escalation: Escalate privileges when the initial access is only a regular user.
  5. Attack steps: Review the steps that mattered in the solution.
  6. What I learned: Record what this machine taught me.