Full Penetration Testing Experience: From Start to Gaining Admin Control

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Video Overview

This video is a comprehensive, real-world penetration testing walkthrough, showing the process from scratch all the way to gaining admin access on a target system. The creator condenses a one-hour session into a 30-minute video to keep things engaging and efficient, but leaves the footage unedited so beginners can follow every step and learn how to apply the techniques themselves.

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Introduction & Approach

• The video starts with:

  "In the name of God, this video is a penetration testing experiment."

• The creator emphasizes that the video is sped up but not edited, so viewers can pause and replay as needed:

  "If you feel the video is fast, you can pause and go back, look at the screen, and understand like everyone else."

• The environment is brand new—nothing is pre-configured:

  "Even the environment is freshly installed, nothing is ready, so we start from zero."

• The creator encourages beginners:

  "If you feel the video is hard, that's normal. Step by step, it will become as easy as water."

• He suggests watching previous videos for better understanding:

  "If you follow the previous videos, you'll be ready when you get here."

• The goal is to let learners evaluate their progress and get a general idea of real-world hacking:

  "The course isn't over, but why do a penetration test in the middle? So learners can evaluate their performance, and those who haven't hacked before can get a general idea."

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Setting Up & Mindset

• The creator deliberately acts as a beginner:

  "I decided to do this video as if I'm a beginner, in a new environment, not knowing anything, learning with you."

• He highlights the importance of information gathering:

  "As we learned before, when you do a penetration test, you need to be organized so you know how to examine the target."

• Key advice:

  "Most people just show you the final result. I want to show you how much work goes in before that."

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Information Gathering (Reconnaissance)

• Testing Inputs:
  The creator starts by inputting incorrect data to see if the backend filters inputs:

  "I'm entering inputs incorrectly to see if the backend filters them, or if I can talk to the server any way I want."

• Understanding Frontend vs Backend:

  "Websites are made of frontend and backend. The frontend is what you see, the backend is mostly programming and databases."

• Using Browser Extensions:

  "I prefer browser extensions because they're the fastest way to get information."

• Collecting Data:

  "We saw Apache with a specific version, found some emails, saw the HTTP server and its version, and the IP address."

• Storing Information:

  "I was saving info in the terminal, which is bad. I decided to open a note and put the data there. Usually, I store data in bigger, more organized places."

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Technology & Vulnerability Scanning

• Identifying Technologies:

  "We tried to find out what technologies the site uses."

• Using SearchSploit:

  "SearchSploit is like a database of all vulnerabilities. You search for a specific technology and see if it's in the database."

• If a vulnerability is found:

  "If the vulnerability exists, hacking becomes very easy. You just search for the exploit online and use it."

• Checking SSH and Apache:

  "We saw OpenSSH on port 22 with a certain version. I searched for vulnerabilities for that version."

• Looking for Admin Pages:

  "I tried to find the admin page, but I was just typing random words. I wanted to see the error page, because if it's not well-handled, it can show you information."

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Directory & Page Enumeration

• Using Dirb for Brute Force:

  "I found a tool called Dirb. It needs a wordlist, so I searched for one and found 'general'."

• Error Handling:

  "If the error page isn't handled well, it can show you information. Since they didn't handle errors well, it's likely they didn't hide other pages either."

• Troubleshooting:

  "If you get errors, stop and ask yourself what's wrong. There's nothing wrong with searching for help."

• Robots.txt:

  "I checked robots.txt to see if there are pages the site doesn't want search engines to visit. These are usually sensitive pages."

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CMS & Deeper Enumeration

• Identifying the CMS:

  "CMS is the framework behind the site. You need to know which CMS is used to help you build the site faster."

• Trying Other Tools:

  "The tool I used for finding pages wasn't good, so I looked for another one and found 'ffuf'."

• Learning New Tools:

  "If you don't know a tool, go to its official page or manual and see how to use it."

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Discovering a Vulnerable Subdomain

• Finding a Subdomain:

  "I found a subdomain called 'crm' and a brand called 'Dolibarr'. I searched for what Dolibarr is."

• Default Credentials:

  "I tried the default login information, and boom! It worked. They didn't change the default credentials."

• Emphasized Warning:

  "This is a weakness. The admin should have changed these credentials."

• Default credentials found online:

  "I searched Google and found it's 'admin:admin'."

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Exploiting the Vulnerability

• Looking for Exploits:

  "I searched for Dolibarr vulnerabilities in Metasploit and SearchSploit."

• Checking CVE:

  "I found a CVE with a score of 8.8. That's a very high vulnerability. If you exploit it, you can control the whole server."

• Learning from Others:

  "There are people who hacked it before me. I can learn from them and see what vulnerabilities worked for them."

• Trying Exploit Scripts:

  "I found an exploit on GitHub. The README file explains how to use it."

• Troubleshooting Again:

  "If the script doesn't work, you might have to fix it yourself. Most hackers give up at this point because it's tiring to fix someone else's code."

• Manual Exploitation:

  "Since the script didn't work, I decided to exploit it manually. You have to really understand the vulnerability to do it by hand."

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Gaining Admin Access

• Configuring the CMS:

  "I tried to create a new page in the CMS. You have to configure it, enter specific information, and sometimes trick it into letting you create a page you control."

• Key Takeaway:

  "Just finding the default credentials is a vulnerability by itself. You can stop there, that's already a big win."

• For Advanced Learners:

  "The rest is just for those who want to go deeper. Creating a page and configuring it is more advanced and not necessary for beginners."

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Final Thoughts & Encouragement

• On Difficulty:

  "If you found this hard, that's normal. With time, it will become easy."

• On Learning:

  "The best way to learn is to see examples, then explanations, then more examples."

• On Persistence:

  "You'll always face new things. If you don't know something, search for it and learn."

• On Progress:

  "If you found this easy, that means you're on the right track!"

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Key Quotes & Takeaways

• "Nothing is easy from the beginning."
• "Step by step, it will become as easy as water."
• "Most people just show you the final result. I want to show you how much work goes in before that."
• "If you don't know a tool, go to its official page or manual and see how to use it."
• "If you get errors, stop and ask yourself what's wrong. There's nothing wrong with searching for help."
• "Just finding the default credentials is a vulnerability by itself. You can stop there, that's already a big win."
• "You'll always face new things. If you don't know something, search for it and learn."

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Summary Table of Key Steps

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Final Encouragement

"With time and practice, you'll get better. Don't give up if you get stuck—search, learn, and keep going!" 🚀

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Keywords:

• Penetration Testing
• Information Gathering
• Vulnerability Scanning
• Directory Enumeration
• CMS Identification
• Default Credentials
• Manual Exploitation
• Persistence in Learning

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Remember:

• Pause and replay as needed.
• Take notes and organize your findings.
• Search for help when stuck.
• Practice makes perfect! 💪

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If you want to go deeper, check out the creator's other videos for more advanced techniques