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1. BackTrack 5r3
The mamma or best known of Linux pentesting distros. BackTrack has a very
cool strapline: The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear. That just
sounds cool.
BackTrack is based on the ever-popular Ubuntu. The pentesting distro used to be
only available within a KDE environment but Gnome become was added as an
option with the release of BackTrack v5. For those working in Information
Security or intrusion detection, BackTrack is one of the most popular pentestingdistros that can run on a live CD or flash drive. The distribution is ideal for
wireless cracking, exploiting, web application assessment, learning, or social-
engineering a client.
Here is a list of some of the awesome tools available in BackTrack 5r3 (the
latest release).
To identify Live Hosts:
dnmap Distributed NMap
address6 (which acts as a IPV6 address conversion)
Information Gathering Analysis (Social Engineering)
Jigsaw Grabs information about company employees
Uberharvest Email harvester
sslcaudit SSL Cert audit
VoIP honey VoIP Honeypot
urlcrazy Detects URL typos used in typo squatting, url hijacking, phishing
Web Crawlers
Apache_users Apache username enumerator
Deblaze Performs enumeration and interrogation against Flash remote end
points
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Database Analysis
Tnscmd10g Allows you to inject commands into Oracle
BBQSQL Blind SQL injection toolkit
* If you are interested in Database Security see our Hacker Halted summary
here.
Bluetooth Analysis
Blueranger Uses link quality to locate Bluetooth devices
Vulnerability Assessment
Lynis Scans systems & software for security issues
DotDotPwn Directory Traversal fuzzer
Exploitation Tools
Netgear-telnetable Enables Telnet console on Netgear devices
Terminator Smart Meter tester
Htexploit Tool to bypass standard directory protectionJboss-Autopwn Deploys JSP shell on target JBoss servers
Websploit Scans & analyses remote systems for vulnerabilities
Wireless Exploitation Tools
Bluepot Bluetooth honeypot
Spooftooph Spoofs or clones Bluetooth devices
Smartphone-Pentest-Framework
Fern-Wifi-cracker Gui for testing Wireless encryption strength
Wi-fihoney Creates fake APs using all encryption and monitors with Airodump
Wifite Automated wireless auditorPassword Tools
Creddump
Johnny
Manglefizz
Ophcrack
Phrasendresher
Rainbowcrack
Acccheck
smbexec
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2. NodeZero.
Like BackTrack,
NodeZero is an Ubuntu based distro used for penetration testing using
repositories so every time Ubuntu releases a patch for its bugs, you also are
notified for system updates or upgrades. Node Zero used to be famous for its
inclusion of THC IPV6 Attack Toolkit which includes tools like alive6, detect-new-
ip6, dnsdict6, etc, but I think that these days BackTrack 5r3 also includes these
tools.
Whereas BackTrack is touted as being a run-everywhere distro, i.e. running itlive, NodeZero Linux (which can also be run live) state that the distros real
strength comes from a hard install. NodeZero, in their own words, believe that a
penetration tester requires a strong and efficient system [achieved by using] a
distribution that is a permanent installation, that benefits from a strong selection
of tools, integrated with a stable Linux environment. Sounds cool. Ever tried it?
Let us know in the comments below.
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3. BackBox Linux
BackBox is getting
more popular by the day. Like BackTrack and NodeZero, BackBox Linux is an
Ubuntu-based distribution developed to perform penetration tests and security
assessments. The developers state that the intention with BackBox is to create a
pentesting distro that is fast and easy to use. BackBox does have a pretty
concise looking desktop environment and seems to work very well. Like the other
distros BackBox is always updated to the latest stable versions of the most often
used and best-known ethical hacking tools through repositories.
BackBox has all the usual suspect for Forensic Analysis, Documentation &
Reporting and Reverse Engineering with tools like ettercap, john, metasploit,
nmap, Social Engineering Toolkit, sleuthkit, w3af, wireshark, etc.
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4. Blackbuntu.
Yes, as the name
clearly suggests, this is yet another distro that is based on Ubuntu. Here is a list
of Security and Penetration Testing tools or rather categories available within
the Blackbuntu package, (each category has many sub categories) but this gives
you a general idea of what comes with this pentesting distro: Information
Gathering, Network Mapping, Vulnerability Identification, Penetration, Privilege
Escalation, Maintaining Access, Radio Network Analysis, VoIP Analysis, Digital
Forensic, Reverse Engineering and a Miscellaneous section. This list is hardly
revolutionary but the tools contained within might be different to the other distros.
5. Samurai Web Testing Framework.
This is a live Linux
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distro that has been pre-configured with some of the best of open source and free
tools that focus on testing and attacking websites. (The difference with Samurai
Web Testing Framework is that it focuses on attacking (and therefore being able
to defend) websites. The developers outline four steps of a web pen-test. These
steps are incorporated within the distro and contain the necessary tools to
complete the task.
Step 1: Reconnaissance Tools include Fierce domain scanner and Maltego.
Step 2: Mapping Tools include WebScarab and ratproxy.
Step 3: Discovery Tools include w3af and burp.
Step 4: Exploitation Tools include BeEF, AJAXShell and much more.
Of interest as well, the Live CD also includes a pre-configured wiki, set up to be a
central information store during your pen-test.
The Samurai Web Testing Framework is a live Linux distro that focuses on web
application vulnerability research and web pentesting within a safe environment
i.e. so you can ethical hack without violating any laws. This is a pentesting
distro recommended for penetration testers who wants to combine network and
web app techniques.
6. Knoppix STD.
This distro is based
on Debian and originated in Germany. The architecture is i486 and runs from the
following desktops: GNOME, KDE, LXDE and also Openbox. Knoppix has been
around for a long time now in fact I think it was one of the original live distros.
Knoppix is primarily designed to be used as a Live CD, it can also be installed on
a hard disk. The STD in the Knoppix name stands for Security Tools Distribution.
The Cryptography section is particularly well-known in Knoppix.
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7. Pentoo.
Pentoo is a security-
focused live CD based on Gentoo. In their own words Pentoo is Gentoo with the
pentoo overlay. So, if you are into Pentoo then this is the distro for you. Their
homepage lists some of their customized tools and kernel, including: a Hardened
Kernel with aufs patches, Backported Wifi stack from latest stable kernel release,
Module loading support ala slax, XFCE4 wm and Cuda/OPENCL cracking
support with development tools.
8. WEAKERTH4N.
This penetration
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distribution is built from Debian Squeeze and uses Fluxbox for its desktop
environment. This pentesting distro is particularly well adjusted for WiFi hacking
since it contains many Wireless tools. Here is a quick summary of
WEAKERTH4Ns tool categories: Wifi attacks, SQL Hacking, Cisco Exploitation,
Password Cracking, Web Hacking, Bluetooth, VoIP Hacking, Social Engineering,
Information Gathering, Fuzzing, Android Hacking, Networking and Shells.
9. Matriux Krypton.
This linux distro is, I
believe, is the first security distribution based directly on Debian, (after
WEAKERTH4N?) if I am wrong please comment below! There are 300 security
tools to work, called arsenals. The arsenals allow for penetration testing, ethical
hacking, system and network administration, security testing, vulnerability
analysis, cyber forensics investigations, exploiting, cracking and data recovery.
The last category, data recovery, doesnt seem to be prevalent in the other
distros.
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10. DEFT.
The latest version is
DEFT 7 which is based on the new Linux Kernel 3 and the DART (Digital
Advanced Response Toolkit). This distro is more orientated towards Computer
Forensics and uses LXDE as desktop environment and WINE for executing
Windows tools under Linux. The developers, (based in Italy) hope that their distro
will be used by the Military, Police, Investigators, IT Auditors and professional
penetration testers. DEFT is an abbreviation for Digital Evidence & Forensic
Toolkit
11. CAINE
A reader to our blog
suggested to add CAINE which we duly have. CAINE Stands for Computer Aided
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Investigative Environment, and like many information security products and tools
it is Italian GNU/Linux live distribution. CAINE offers a comprehensive forensic
environment that is organized to integrate existing software tools that are
composed as software modules, all displayed within a friendly graphical interface.
CAINE states to have three objectives. These are, to ensure that the distro works
in an interoperable environment that supports the digital investigator during the
four phases of the digital investigation. Secondly that the distro has a user
friendly graphical interface and finally that it provides a semi-automated
compilation of the final forensic report. As you would likely expect, CAINE is fully
open-source.
If anyone has used this please let us know.
12. Bugtraq
Bugtraq is another
reader submitted pentesting distro. Based on the 26.6.38 kernel, this distro offers
a really wide range of penetration and forensic tools. Like most of the others in
this list, Bugtraq can hard-install of obviously run as a Live DVD or from a USB
drive. Bugtraq claims to have recently configured and updated the kernel for
better performance but also importantly so that it can recognize more hardware,
including wireless injection patches pentesting. The team at Bugtraq seem solid
because they are clearly making an effort to get the kernel to work with more
hardware something which the other distributions dont always place enough
importance.
Some of the special features included with Bugtraq include (as stated) an
expanded range of recognition for injection wireless drivers, (i.e. not just the
usual Alfa rtl8187), a patched 2.6.38 kernel and solid installation of the usualsuspects: Nessus, OpenVAS, Greenbone, Nod32, Hashcat, Avira etc.
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Unique to Bugtraq (as claimed on their site) is the ability to, or better said, ease,
of deleting tracks and backdoors. Just by having read about Bugtraq Im really
glad that I can add this to the list because it just sounds like a job well done. If
you are interested in any of the following pentesting and forensic categories, then
do go and check out Buqtraq: Malware, Penetration Shield, Web audit, Brute
force attack, Communication and Forensics Analytics, Sniffers, Virtualizations,
Anonymity and Tracking, Mapping and Vulnerability detection.
Quick Summary:You cant go wrong with any Ubuntu based distro. BackTrack
does the job well but I guess, of course, its all personal i.e. does the distro do
the job for you? Every penetration tester needs a lean towards a particular tool or
tool-set. Frankly they are all good, and it would be prudent to use several of these
pentesting distros as live versions. For WiFi hacking then WEAKERTH4N is likely
your better friend, whilst to stay within the law, use Samurai.
Bugtraq looks really good the team behind it seems to have taken considerable
time to tick all the boxes. Once we test it Ill update the post.
Here is a list of other distros (which we think are still alive and kicking please
correct us if we are wrong).
Other Distros
Damn Vulnerable Linux (reader comment: more of an operating system for
attacking purposes)
Hakin9 (an educational and training distro that you can use to play-along with
when subscribing to the Hacking Magazine Hak9)
HelixnUbuntu
Network Security Toolkit (NST)
OWASP Labrat
Frenzy
grml
Ophcrack
FCCU
OSWA Assistant
Russix
Chaox-NGGnackTrack
Katana
Securix-NSM
Auditor
And here is a list of distros that, regrettably, have passed on to Linux Heaven.
KCPentrix
Protech
FIRE
Arudius
INSERT
Local Area Security (LAS)
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NavynOS
Operator
PHLAK
PLAC
SENTINIX
Talos
ThePacketMaster
Trinux
WarLinux
Whoppix
WHAX
HeX
Stagos FSE
SNARL
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