Cyberbits

  • Anonymous Kali setup on Mac

    Introduction Last week we setup a single Kali box as a daily driver. As promised, this week we take it a step further. The lab I built in July hands me an attacker box and two targets on an isolated segment, rebuilt from scratch with one command. Every VM in it still reaches the internet…

  • Single Kali VM on Apple Silicon

    Introduction A few weeks back I built a throwaway lab: an attacker box and a couple of disposable targets, all from a make up. That solved the targets problem, but I wanted more for the Kali box itself. So I gave it the same treatment: one repo, one command, a Kali workstation I can burn…

  • Metasploit EternalBlue, Hearthbleed, i.e.

    Introduction A while back I wrote a beginner Metasploit post where I popped a Metasploitable box. Since then I’ve kept poking at things, and a few features finally clicked. So here’s a more intermediate follow-up; two classic exploits, the shell upgrade trick I now use and the post-exploitation moves that make the framework feel like…

  • Automated lab setup on a Mac

    Introduction Last time I built a single Kali workstation on the Mac by hand: install the VM, update it, duplicate it, keep the clone clean. That’s fine when you need one attacker box. It stops being fine the moment you want a target to point it at, and then a second target, and then a…

  • Attacker workstation on a Mac

    Introduction I run my daily work off a MacBook, and for a while I told myself I could install nmap and a handful of tools straight onto macOS with Homebrew and call it a day. That works until the first time you run something you don’t fully understand yet against a target, on the same…

  • Passing the CompTIA Security+ exam

    Introduction After a couple of weeks of studying, which I covered in the last few posts, I passed CompTIA Security+ last June (I schedule my posts, so dates don’t line up). Going by exam day alone, I’m not sure how. Checking in About a decade ago, I studied for quite a few CompTIA exams, and…

  • Security+ Governance, Risk, and Compliance

    Introduction Last in this series! As you know by now, I’ve been working through the CompTIA Security+ curriculum these last few weeks. It has a lot of overlap with the Google Cybersecurity series I did earlier this year, but it’s all interesting interesting nevertheless. Here’s what module 4 (Cybersecurity Governance and Compliance) covers, distilled into…

  • Security+ Cybersecurity operations and controls

    Introduction I spent a chunk of this week working through the operations and controls section of my CompTIA Security+ studies, and although the AI voice-over is annoying the f#ck out of me, it has some interesting material. Quick disclaimer: it has a lot of overlap with the Google Cybersecurity series I did earlier this year,…

  • Security+ Cybersecurity threats and defense

    Introduction I’ve been working through the CompTIA Security+ curriculum and the second module, Cybersecurity Threats and Defense, covers more ground than I expected. It starts with the attack landscape and works its way through malware, physical intrusions, network exploitation, application vulnerabilities, detection techniques, defense architecture, and data security. Although it has a lot of overlap…

  • Security+ Information security foundations

    Introduction I’ve been working through the CompTIA Security+ curriculum lately, starting with the information security foundations module. It covers a lot of ground, from the basics of the CIA triad all the way through to zero-day vulnerabilities and defensive monitoring. Rather than let those notes rot in a folder, I figured I’d write them up…