Lab 1 – Install Linux VM

Lab 1 was the initial startup lab, introducing the Kali Linux OS. Not much went into this lab except for installing the VM onto my operating system. I do operate on MacOS, so installing was a little complicated compared to if I used Windows but overall pretty smooth lab.

Lab 2 – Working with Command Line

Lab 2 was the first active hands on lab for the course. I was given certain command lines and was prompted to execute in Linux; listing each step as I went through. Some of prompts included working with pathnames, /etc and /etc/skel directories, traversing through these directories, and executing files. Like Lab 1, the process wasn’t too difficult, the most challenging part was just actually using Linux tools and codes for the first time. It was a good beginner’s first-hand experience lab for Kali users.

Lab 3 – VI Editor

Lab 3 got more in depth in Linux operations as it introduced me to VI Editor. In addition, I was able to use and implement personal information into my commands, such as my ODU Midas ID, giving me more of that hands-on task experience in the directories I used. Starting with /usr/share/doc/zstd/ copyright, I was able to engage with files using g, esc +o, i, /example, dw, dd, and gg commands to jump around the editor and ultimately meet the requirements of my given prompt. The challenge I faced in this was jumping around lines, since it was my first time using files in Linux.

Lab 4 – User and Group Accounts

Lab 4 was split up in two separate tasks for completion. Task A dealt with User Account Management and Task B handled Group Account Management. Like Lab 3, I was able to use my Midas ID as a created user in the home directory and was actually able to set login credentials for the users in addition to validating the credentials. Task B prompted me to display most of what I had already executed in Task A and organize them into groups. The lab was a rather more fun exercise than challenging as I enjoyed manipulating users and connecting them into groups.

Lab 5 – Password Cracking

Lab 5 was another one of those fun, interactive labs where I not only created users in a system, but I also was introduced to the John the Ripper tool used to crack the passwords. I was tasked to create 6 users and use hashes to get into these passwords using commands such as sudo adduser, sudo gzip, and john. Although it seemed like I executed the lab correctly, only 4 out of the 6 user passwords I was able to crack.

Lab 6 – File Permissions

Lab 6 used users and groups associated with roles. I created 3 users in the directory named Sophia, Olivia and Emma as well as 3 groups for Employee, Payroll, and Admin; assigning users to the groups using sudo passwd, useradd, and groupadd. I was able to play with permissions and associated them with the specific users. To expand, I was able to toggle with SGID permissions, copying them to the users in the home directory; which was the most difficult part of the lab.

Lab 8 – Shell Script

Lab 8 implemented the use of that VI Editor used in one of the previous labs, as well as taking a mathematical approach for the code. Here, I used conditions to where I used #!/bin/bash to read the function to determine if a given number inputed in the code was greater than 10. If so, the value was confirmed to be >10 and if not, the opposite was confirmed. In the same format, I was to determine in certain file directories existed or not. Conditional codes are common in Python as well so this lab wasn’t that difficult because I was already kind of familiar with conditional statements.

Lab 10 – Networking Basics and Subnetting

Lab 10 was definitely one of the more difficult labs in the course which focused on the use subnetting, specifically by finding the network address, broadcast address, first and last usable IPs, and maximum hosts for given IPs with /28 and /26 masks, in addition to converting them to binary. I converted the CIDR to subnet masks, used the block size in order to find the subnet range, and then identified the network as the first address and broadcast as the last, with IPs in between. For me personally, the hardest part was figuring out the correct subnet ranges and keeping track of host bits.

Lab 11 – Basic Network Configuration

Lab 11 was focused on exploring network settings on my VM by swapping between the NAT and bridge modes, spotting the differences. With the lab separated in two parts, for Task A, I used commands such as ifconfig, route, netstat, ping, host, and cat to check my IP info, routing table, active connections, test connectivity, and view system files. I also edited the hostname file to permanently change it to my MIDAS ID. In Task B, I switched the VM to bridge mode, rebooted, and repeated the same steps to compare results.

Reflection

Overall, CYSE 270 is a great course for understanding the concepts of using the Kali Linux operating system which is essential in the field of cybersecurity. I believe my skills were very much tested but also improved throughout the course and I wish to be able to enhance my skills even more as I go about my cybersecurity career! – Kerby Guillaume