opsdisk / the_cyber_plumbers_handbook Goto Github PK

PDF is not always convenient, please provide other formats

Great book, thanks!

Since version 7.6, OpenSSH client is able to act as a reverse SOCKS 5 proxy with -R option (just don't provide tunnel target). Great function to give an isolated host full internet access… I already use it to update hosts, download stuff from internet, or access internal network resources from a distant server.
It should be described as a part of 6 or 7 chapter.

You use names in the text, but IPs in the actual commands... for instance, you write: "This sets up a remote port forward on JUMPBOX1’s 127.0.0.1 interface on TCP 5000", then show this as:

ssh -p 22 [email protected] -R 127.0.0.1:5000:127.0.0.1:5555

However, using ports in numbers and hosts in text allows you to immediately pick out which is which, esp. in more complex lines... this seems far more readable... and eliminating the private IP space it makes it seem more real (I mean... who uses an IP vs. a FQDN/SSH host entry?)

ssh -p 22 nemo@jumpbox1 -R localhost:5000:localhost:5555

All IMHO, of course.

Some commands are not immediately obvious as to what host you are asking people to type things on. Esp. for simple things this isn't much of an issue, but when you're shuffling commands between several hosts the text can be ambiguous... for instance (p42, netcat chat):

"For this demonstration, we are also going to initiate a vanilla SSH connection to TARGET1, in order to get a shell on the box."

ssh -p 22 nemo@192 .168.1.230

Initiate a SSH connection from where? (To be fair you do usually say it in the text, but not always, and if this is for people learning... why not be more clear?)

Having a prompt with a hostname would make it clear that you're talking about doing this from KALI... e.g. (prompt whatever, but have that hostname in) -

root@kali: ~ ssh -p 22 nemo@192 .168.1.230

I'll note that the screenshots of your kali box always has the prompt with the hostname clearly indicated (having a different color for the prompt also helps clarify what to type.)

One downside is it makes it ever-so-slightly harder to cut-n-paste, but presumably no one is going to use the same hostname/IPs as you use anyway, so... again, IMHO.