Preparation
The purpose of this chapter is to make sure you have a fully functional Kali Linux. It estimately takes an hour or two to get set up, depending on skill level with virtualization and with Linux.
Last updated
The purpose of this chapter is to make sure you have a fully functional Kali Linux. It estimately takes an hour or two to get set up, depending on skill level with virtualization and with Linux.
Last updated
Kali Linux running as a virtual machine (VM) in either Virtualbox, Hyper-V or VMware Workstation/Player
VM must be able to enter fullscreen mode
Working coypaste of files and text between Kali and host operation system
Working VPN access to HTB
Acquite some basic Linux terminal skills
There is an official . There is also a dedicated Hackthebox channel in the . Both have a lot of hackers eager to assist if you ask nicely.
You need to run Kali Linux as a virtual machine on your computer. There are a few software alternatives for working with virtual machines (VMs). You can use whatever host operating system you like as long as you feel comfortable installing the required software. The "host" operating system is the one installed on your laptop. The "guest" is the virtual machine operating system.
- free
- free
- paid
- paid, for MacOS
- preinstalled in Windows 10, but must be enabled. Linux support is not great, so this guide won't cover it as it relies on Kali Linux.
File -> Open -> Select the Kali ovf file you downloaded -> Open
File > Import Appliance > Select the Kali ova file you downloaded > Import
You do not need to create a new user in Kali Linux. The root user is sufficient for this guide and will make installation of software work without using the sudo command.
Without copypaste between guest and host OS and fullscreen, hacking is gonna become a bit tiresome. So we highly recommend you get this working before you start. You need what's called guest additions to be able to do these things. We recommend using the packages available through the package manager in Kali. The package depends on whether you use Virtualbox or VMware.
Run the following command, make sure it installs and reboot the guest OS (Kali) afterwards.
apt install -y virtualbox-guest-x11
Run the following command, make sure it installs and then reboot the guest OS afterwards.
apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop
You are on your own here. Hyper-V generally doesn't have support for direct copypaste between host and guest OS.
Reboot guest OS
Reboot host OS
Reinstall the guest tools
Worst case: reinstall Kali in a new virtual machine
HTB has a challenge to get an invite code where you have to "hack" it. We won't spoil it, so you are on your own here. If you struggle, ask in the social channel for hints. They change this challenge from time to time to prevent people from spoiling the solution, so solutions from Google and Youtube may not help you here. Click the link below to start hacking your way in to HTB!
Once you've gotten past the challenge, you can register and start navigating around the Hackthebox website. HTB will be explained in further detail later in this guide, so don't start worrying if you feel a bit lost.
We are now going to use VPN to connect to the HTB lab. With VPN it will be just as if your Kali Linux box is connected to the same network as the lab. That way we can interact directly with the machines in the lab. We are going to need the software called openvpn and a personal VPN config file we download from HTB.
Install openvpn with apt install openvpn
Click the Access menu in the left side menu on HTB
Click Connection Pack. This downloads a VPN config file to your downloads folder, which should be named something like your_htb_username.ovpn
Connect to HTB with openvpn openvpn /root/Downloads/username.ovpn
Leave the terminal window open, as this is what keeps the VPN connection alive. If you close it, your VPN connection will be shut down and you will lose access to the lab until you reconnect.
To verify, open a new terminal and type ip addr. You should see a tun0 or tap0 interface with an IP address in the 10.10.X.X/23 range. See number 3 in the screenshot below. If you don't have such an interface, something is not right.
Verify in the Access panel that the IP address is the same as in the "inet" of the tun0 interface.
Try to scan a box using nmap <ip-address> of one of the IP addresses under "Active" machines.
Poke around the HTB web interface to learn how the platform works.
Check that the following works:
Kali Linux is running as a VM
The VM survives a reboot
Kali can be put in fullscreen
Copypaste between Kali and the host OS works
VPN to HTB is connected and working
Troubleshooting
Reboot
In the Access panel on HTB, press Regenerate to reset the VPN connection and download a new VPN pack.
Try reconnecting with openvpn as in step 6 of this article.
Unless you are already a Linux sysadmin and these things are absolutely clear to you, I recommend doing at least the Command Line module. It allows you to become familiar with basic navigation in the terminal. Test all the commands in the terminal in Kali Linux. Being able to use Linux and the terminal efficiently is the alpha and omega of hacking.
is a Linux distribution maintained by Offensive Security. They provide pre-installed VMs you can import straight into your virtualization software and run instantly without having to install anything. If you chose to install it manually you are free to do so.
appropriate for your virtualization software of choice, see step 2. You want a 64-bit version, not x86/32-bit
if you use VMware
if you use Virtualbox
The site provides a fine introduction to Linux. We recommend doing the following modules, but if you decide to do more that is of course fantastic.
(optional, but incredibly useful)
