Metasploit: framework driver

Drive msfconsole for recon, exploit, reverse shells, and post-ex. Syntax lives in [[metasploit]]; this skill is the workflow that strings it together.

Pre-attack wiki query (MANDATORY)

Before firing any exploit module, query the fingerprinted tech/CVE: read [[metasploit]] directly for syntax, then Skill(arsenal) for the matching module/payload/technique. Never fire a module from memory when a targeted lookup would confirm the right one/target index.

Setup / DB

msfconsole -q in a named tmux tab, never a blind background job, the operator needs to see sessions land live. workspace -a <eng> scopes loot to the engagement, db_status confirms the Postgres backend is up before anything else. Cheatsheet: Setup + Database sections.

Recon via msf

db_nmap writes straight to hosts/services; layer auxiliary/scanner/* (smb/http/ssh version + vuln checks) on top for anything plain nmap scripts miss. This complements the ctf-box Phase-1 basics, it does not replace them, run both.

Search / select / verify

search <app> <ver> or search cve:<id>, use, info to read the module's CVE refs and target list, check before run/exploit whenever the module supports it, a non-destructive exploitability test beats a blind fire. Cheatsheet: Search and Selection + Options and Running.

Reverse shells

multi/handler catches. Payload choice: meterpreter first (linux/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp / windows/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp), fall back to plain shell_reverse_tcp when meterpreter is blocked or unstable, routine on hardened Windows/EDR. Delivery via msfvenom (ELF/EXE/ASPX/PHP, cheatsheet's MSFVenom section has every format). Egress-test the LPORT (80/443/53 before 4444). Background the handler correctly: set ExitOnSession false; run -j so it keeps catching new sessions. On the VM, scripts/vm-handler.sh <eng> <lhost> [payload] automates the LPORT choice: it reads the VM's listeners and picks the first FREE egress-friendly port (80/443/53/8000/8080), so the handler never fails to bind on a taken port nor silently picks a filtered high port; it launches in the engagement's msf tmux window and prints the LPORT to build the payload with.

Sessions / post-ex

sessions -i to interact, run post/multi/recon/local_exploit_suggester is the privesc reflex on every fresh session, then targeted post/* modules, getsystem, and post/multi/manage/shell_to_meterpreter to upgrade a plain shell. Cheatsheet: Sessions and Jobs

• Post-Exploitation Modules.

Pivoting

autoroute/portfwd/socks through a session to reach internal-only ports before hand-rolling SSH -L. Full syntax and proxychains setup: [[pivoting]].

Verify target (false-root)

Before trusting any shell or privesc claim: getuid + sysinfo/hostname must match the actual target. A uid=0 that doesn't match the target is the false-root trap, the session died back to the attacker box. Same guardrail Skill(delegate) enforces on manual exploit runs.

Interlock + anti-drift

The fiddly msfvenom-compile -> handler-catch -> escalation-run sequence is a prime Skill(delegate) hand-off: fully specified, mechanical, cheap-model-shaped. DRIVE msf for every load-bearing exploit/shell request so the operator watches sessions land; don't abandon msf for raw scripts once a foothold lands.

Client-data boundary

Sessions, loot, and creds stay in the msf DB workspace + targets/<eng>/; never paste a real host/cred/hashdump into wiki/ or session/*.