Learn About Black Hats by Putting on a White One

Cybersecurity is a critical skill for modern developers, yet it often remains a theoretical subject. This project aims to change that by providing a practical, "learning by doing" approach to understanding security vulnerabilities, attacks, and mitigation strategies.

GitHub Repository: Security Testing

Project Overview

This repository provides a hands-on environment for learning cybersecurity concepts through practical exercises. It uses Vagrant to automate the setup of two Docker containers:

1. Attack Container: Preloaded with common security testing tools to identify and exploit vulnerabilities.
2. Victim Container: Configured with known vulnerabilities that can be targeted by the Attack Container.

How It Works

The repository contains a set of examples demonstrating various security concepts. These examples include scripts executed on either the Attack Container or the Victim Container to simulate real-world security scenarios.

Setting Up the Environment

To get started:

1. Install Vagrant and Docker.
2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/svo/security-testing.git
   cd security-testing
   

3. Start the containers:

   vagrant up
   

4. Access the machines:
   • Attack Container: vagrant ssh
   • Victim Container: vagrant ssh victim

Security Tools Introduced

The following tools are included to facilitate different aspects of security testing:

Reconnaissance & Enumeration

• nmap - Port and IP scans/enumeration
• theHarvester - User information harvesting
• arachni, skipfish, htcap, wapiti - Web security reconnaissance
• dnsmap, dnsrecon - Domain name discovery
• dig - DNS queries and information gathering

Exploitation & Attacks

• ncrack - Brute force authentication attack
• mitmproxy - Man-in-the-middle attacks
• hping3, slowhttptest, ab (Apache Bench), mz (Mausezahn) - Denial of service attacks

Practical Exercises

Each example script provides a step-by-step guide for performing security tests, such as:

• Scanning for open ports and services
• Conducting brute-force attacks
• Exploiting known vulnerabilities
• Simulating denial-of-service attacks
• Performing MITM attacks
• Harvesting information about users and networks

Important Considerations

• This project is intended for educational purposes only. Unauthorized use of security testing tools on systems without permission is illegal and unethical.
• Always use these tools in a controlled environment, such as the containers provided.
• Understanding these attacks helps developers build stronger security defenses in real-world applications.