Re: Lab OS Choices

["Nikhil Wagholikar" <visitnikhil () gmail com>]

Hello Peter,

For beginning your Pen-Testing skills & setting up a Lab for the same,
I feel you could easily go for setting up following OS in your test
Lab:

1. Windows 98 SE
2. Windows 2000 Prof/Server/Adv Server SP0
3. Windows XP SP0
4. RedHat Linux 8 or 9 (with no patches)
5. OpenBSD 3.0 (no patches)
6. Sun Solaris 7 or 8

Besides these, you can install some applications like vsftpd, apache
(<1.3 version), sendmail (<8.11 version) etc, since these applications
had lots of bugs in them for you to exploit them as practice session.

For practicing Pen-Testing you can make use of Metasploit framework
(http://www.metasploit.com/projects/Framework/downloads.html). Also
automated tools like Nessus will also aid in developing your
Pen-Testing skills.

Best of Luck !!

----
Nikhil Wagholikar
Information Security Analyst



On 8/12/07, Peter Manis <manis () digital39 com> wrote:
> I am new to the world of pen testing and am working on building a lab.
>  What operating systems and versions do you recommend for a good all
> around lab.  Windows of course is a big one, but do you go back to 98?
>  Being a beginner I would think having all the patches on XP or Vista
> might make it difficult to learn.  I would also think adding a secure
> OS like openbsd would be a waste of time for a beginner to try to gain
> access to.  All advice is appreciated.
>
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