Core Impact 7.5

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.
5 User Guide
CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

Next

Copyright 2002 - 2010 CORE SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES
2010
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
Welcome
2. About this Guide
The CORE IMPACT Professional Version 10.5 User Guide
I. Getting Started
3. Installing IMPACT Pro
Minimum System Requirements for IMPACT Pro v10.5
Installing IMPACT Pro
Activating the product
Set Up IMPACT Pro
How to Integrate with Metasploit
Un-installing IMPACT Pro
Transferring an IMPACT Pro Installation
Database Creation Wizard
Database Migration Wizard
Usage Statistics
4. IMPACT Pro Architecture
IMPACT Pro Architecture Features
Architecture Components
5. IMPACT Pro Quickstart
Getting Started: The Dashboard
Create a Workspace
IMPACT Pro Console
Quick Guides
6. Rapid Penetration Test (RPT)
Network RPT
Client Side RPT
Web Applications RPT
Reports
Exporting Data from IMPACT Pro
II. Using IMPACT
7. Managing Workspaces
Creating a New Workspace
Opening an Existing Workspace
Closing a Workspace
Deleting a Workspace
Importing and Exporting Workspaces
8. Testing a Wireless Environment
Access Point Discovery
Wireless AirPcap Traffic Sniffer
Crack WEP WiFi Network
Crack WPA-PSK WiFi Network
Station Deauthentication Flood

Join WiFi Network
9. Working with Modules
Running Modules
Stopping Modules
Resuming Modules
Running Modules with the Scheduler
Using the Executed Modules View
Analyzing Module Output
Searching for Modules
Editing/Deleting Modules from the Modules Panel
Custom Modules
Macro Modules
Getting Module Updates
10. Controlling Agents
About Agents and WebApps Agents
Interacting with Agents
Deploying Agents
Interacting with WebApps Agents
11. IMPACT Pro Entities
View
Client Side View
Web View
Managing Entities
Entity Details
Entity Properties
12. Integration
Integration with Metasploit
Importing Data from Vulnerability Scanners
Using Imported Information
13. Obtaining and Utilizing User Credentials
Obtaining the Password Hashes from a Compromised Host
Sniffing Password Hashes from the Network
Exporting Obtained Password Hashes to an External Password Cracker
Logging Keystrokes on a Compromised Host
Collecting Saved Login Credentials
Using Obtained Passwords
14. Understanding Licenses
Managing Installed Licenses
Backup/Restore IMPACT Pro Licenses
15. Setting Console Options
Modules
Agents
Entities
Network
One-step RPT
User Actions
Search Engines
Community Usage
Other
Customizing Toolbars and Keyboard Shortcuts
16. CVE and IMPACT Pro
17. IMPACT Pro Underlying Technology
Agent Technology
2
Communication Channels
Agent Auto Injection
18. Contact Core Security Technologies
Sales Support
Product Support
Next
Chapter 1. Introduction
Prev
Next
Table of Contents
Welcome
Prev
CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User
Guide
Up
Home
Next
Welcome
Welcome
Prev
Next
Welcome
Welcome to the "CORE IMPACT Professional Version 10.5 User Guide"!
IMPACT Pro elevates the practice of penetration testing to the new standards of quality required by today's
organizations. The application provides you with not only a comprehensive and scalable framework in which
to perform penetration tests, but also a controlled environment in which to perform them. IMPACT Pro allows
you to do the following:
Automate the penetration testing process, targeting WiFi networks, systems, users, or web
applications.
Safely and efficiently determine how a malicious attacker might gain control of your information
assets.
Define and execute a repeatable and scalable testing methodology.
Increase team productivity.
Leverage security knowledge and expertise across penetration tests.
The chapters that follow teach you how to use IMPACT Pro as efficiently as possible so you can rapidly
achieve each one of these goals. If you have already installed IMPACT Pro and created a Workspace, you can
also get a jump-start and view the available Quick Guides - these will guide you through some basic
penetration tests with IMPACT Pro.
Prev
Up
Home
Chapter 2. About this Guide
Prev
Next
Next

Table of Contents
Prev
Welcome
Prev
Up
Next
The CORE IMPACT Professional Version
Home
10.5 User Guide
Next

This guide is organized in three parts that contain the following chapters:
Part I. Getting Started
Installing IMPACT Pro: System requirements and procedures for installing and uninstalling the
product.
IMPACT Pro Architecture: An overview of the product's main architecture components.
IMPACT Pro Quickstart: How to start the product after installing it and a test exercise to teach you
how to use its main features.
Part II. Using IMPACT Pro
Rapid Penetration Test (RPT): Instructions for using the product's automated penetration test process.
Managing Workspaces: Instructions for managing grouped information from individual penetration
tests.
Working With Modules: Guidance for using IMPACT Pro's modules to extend your penetration
testing practice.
Controlling Agents: Instructions for using agents that can execute your chosen operations.
IMPACT Pro Entities: Instructions for working with the centralized data repository of IMPACT Pro.
Integration with Other Utilities: Instructions for integrating IMPACT Pro with other utilities.
Obtaining and Utilizing User Credentials: Instructions for obtaining and taking advantage of valid
user credentials as part of a penetration test.
Understanding Licenses: A description of the control mechanism that specifies how and when you can
use IMPACT Pro.
Setting Console Options: Instructions for configuring preferred product settings.
CVE and IMPACT Pro: Information about how IMPACT Pro uses industry-standard names and
descriptions for identified vulnerabilities.
Part III. IMPACT Pro Underlying Technology
Agent Technology: Descriptions of the underlying technologies used by the IMPACT Pro's agents.
Communication Channels: Descriptions of the various channels the product's agents use to
communicate with each other.
IMPACT Pro Underlying Technology is valuable only if you are interested in what is happening from a
technical perspective when you run modules and control agents.
Getting Started
For a complete reference of all the modules currently distributed with the product, see IMPACT Pro's Module
Reference documentation. If you are interested in developing new modules, we recommend that you first read
this guide to gain familiarity with IMPACT Pro, and then move on to the CORE IMPACT Professional
Developer's Guide.
Prev
Up
Home
Prev
Next
Next
Getting Started
Table of Contents
3. Installing IMPACT Pro
Set Up IMPACT Pro
Usage Statistics
4. IMPACT Pro Architecture
5. IMPACT Pro Quickstart
Create a Workspace
IMPACT Pro Console
Quick Guides
6. Rapid Penetration Test (RPT)
Network RPT
Client Side RPT
Reports
Prev
Up
Next
The CORE IMPACT Professional Version
Chapter 3. Installing IMPACT Pro
Home
10.5 User Guide
Prev
Next

Table of Contents
Getting Started
Getting Started

Set Up IMPACT Pro
Usage Statistics
Before you install IMPACT Pro, please read the Release Notes (included with the distribution). If you do not
read the Release Notes, you may overlook important information regarding the installation, configuration and
use of the product.
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Minimum System Requirements for
Home
IMPACT Pro v10.5
Next

The following operating systems are certified platforms for IMPACT Pro. These platforms have been tested
thoroughly by Core Security Technologies staff.
Windows 7 Ultimate (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows 7 Professional (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows XP Professional SP 3
The following operating systems are supported platforms for IMPACT Pro. These platforms have also been
tested and, although they are not certified, they are fully expected to provide a stable platform for IMPACT
Pro.
Windows 7 Enterprise (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows Vista Ultimate SP1
Windows Vista Enterprise SP1
Windows Vista Business SP1
Windows XP Ultimate SP3
In addition to an accepted operating system, the below minimum requirements should be met:
Intel Pentium 4, 3.0 Ghz or faster
1 GB RAM (2 GB RAM recommended)
4 GB Free Hard Disk Space (hard disk capacity requirements increase with the quantity of
high-volume test workspaces)
Internet Explorer 7.0 or later
A Windows-compatible Ethernet networking card. IMPACT Pro works with wireless network
interface cards provided the card is associated with a IP v4 network.
Screen resolution: 1024 x 768
Please note the following important details about IMPACT Pro:
Getting Started
Getting Started
IMPACT Pro's WiFi vector capabilities require the use of an AirPcap adapter from CACE
Technologies (www.cacetech.com or http://www.cacetech.com/products/airpcap.html). At a
minimum, AirPcap Classic&"https://cs.coresecurity.com/content/discounted-AirPcap"
target="_top">https://cs.coresecurity.com/content/discounted-AirPcap.
In order for you to install and use IMPACT Pro, you must have Administrator privileges on the
system.
Unless otherwise stated by a module or exploit, IMPACT Pro is compatible to run on and target US
English versions of the specified operating systems only.
Connecting directly with a DSL/Cable modem using PPTP will limit some of the product's
functionality (packet capture and custom packet crafting).
Antivirus software may interfere with IMPACT Pro's operation. Consider excluding the IMPACT Pro
installation directories (%appdata%\IMPACT and %programfiles%\CORE Security
Technologies) from your antivirus tool's scanning locations.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

Note
Before installing IMPACT Pro, it is recommended that you temporarily disable any antivirus software that
you may have running on your system. Antivirus software may quarantine certain files that are important to
the proper operation of IMPACT Pro. You can re-enable the antivirus software immediately following the
IMPACT Pro installation.
IMPACT Pro is distributed as a self-installing Windows executable (.exe). If you are currently running an
older version of IMPACT Pro, you do not need to uninstall it before installing IMPACT Pro v10.5. If you
have a download link for the software, save the distribution to a temporary directory and double click the
CORE IMPACT.exe file. If you are using an alternative distribution media such as a CD, double click on the
.exe file. When distributed as a download, the installer is encrypted with a pass phrase which you should
have received via email. You will be presented with a dialog for entering this pass phrase.
Figure 3.1. Decrypting the installer
If the passphrase is correct, the installer will self-decrypt and start. The Welcome Dialog Box of the
InstallShield Wizard appears.
Note
The installer reads every character entered into the decrypter, including white spaces. Ensure you have
removed trailing spaces if you copy and paste the passphrase into the passphrase field.
Getting Started
Getting Started
Figure 3.2. InstallShield Wizard Welcome Window
1. Click Next.
Figure 3.3. License Agreement Window
2. In the License Agreement Window, read the product license for IMPACT Pro. To accept the license,
click the I accept the terms ... radio button and then click Next. If the license is not accepted,
IMPACT Pro will not install.
3. You will be prompted for the destination location. You can change the destination folder by pressing
the Browse button. Press Next to continue.
Getting Started
Getting Started
Figure 3.4. Destination Location Window
4. The Wizard will show a warning that Antivirus tools can interfere with the installation of IMPACT
Pro.
Figure 3.5. Antivirus Product Warning
Temporarily disable any Antivirus tools running on your machine, then click the Next button.
5. If you have had IMPACT Pro installed on your system previously, you may see a warning that all
previous files except the IMPACT Pro database will be erased.
Figure 3.6. Previous Installation Warning
Getting Started
10
Getting Started
If needed, back up your previous installation's files, then click the Next button.
6. The installation Wizard will display a summary of the installation. Review the information and click
Next.
Figure 3.7. Start Copying Files Window
The installation of IMPACT Pro will begin. IMPACT Pro may also install any dependencies it needs this is normal and these installers should be allowed to continue.
7. The wizard will notify you when the installation is complete.
Figure 3.8. Installer Finished
10
Getting Started
Getting Started
11
Click the Finish button.

IMPACT Pro's installation process also installs the following required software:
Microsoft Installer 3.0
Microsoft SQL Express 2005
Microsoft MDAC 2.7
Crystal Reports XI Engine
MSXML 3.0
WebData std library
Graphviz
If you had a previous version of IMPACT Pro installed or if this is a brand new installation, the Migration
Wizard may appear when you first launch IMPACT Pro. For more details on this, see Database Migration
Wizard.
After installing IMPACT Pro, you should install the 3rd party software program provided by Core Security
Technologies. Simply follow the prompts and allow the required third party application to install.
Prev
Minimum System Requirements for
IMPACT Pro v10.5
Up
Home
Prev
Next
Next

The first time you run IMPACT Pro on a new computer you will be presented with the Activation Wizard.
You must activate IMPACT Pro in order for it to operate.
1. When the Activation Wizard opens, click the Next button.
Getting Started
11
12
Getting Started
Figure 3.9. Activation Wizard
2. Select Activate automatically ... if you want to activate over the Internet. Select Activate via
telephone or email if you don't have an active Internet connection. Then click the Next button.
Figure 3.10. Activation Mechanism
12
Getting Started
Getting Started
13
Activation Via Internet

If you have an active Internet connection on the computer where IMPACT Pro is installed, the product can
activate automatically through the network. IMPACT Pro will connect to the Internet based upon settings that
you enter during the activation process. You can configure IMPACT Pro to:
Use Internet Explorer settings: this is the default setting and assumes that you configure your Internet
connection via Internet Explorer's Tools->Internet Options->Connections form.
Use a Direct connection to the Internet
Use a proxy server
Figure 3.11. IMPACT Pro Internet Connection Settings
You can change these connection settings in IMPACT Pro after the initial installation by navigating to the
Tools->Options->Network configuration screen from the IMPACT Pro console.
Activation Via Email or Phone

If the computer on which you are installing IMPACT Pro does not have an active connection to the Internet,
you can activate the product via email or by phone. The Activation Wizard will present you with a Reference
Code specific to the computer on which IMPACT Pro is running. Please contact Core Security Technologies
via email or phone with the code referenced in the Wizard (see the section called Product Support for
contact information) and you will be given an Activation Key to activate the product.
Prev
Prev
Getting Started
Up
Home
Set Up IMPACT Pro
Next
Set Up IMPACT Pro
Next
13
14
Getting Started
Set Up IMPACT Pro

When you first launch IMPACT Pro, the Setup Wizard will open which will allow you to set network
configurations and community usage preferences. Network settings can be changed at any time by accessing
Network Options in IMPACT Pro. Community usage preferences can also be modified by accessing
Community Usage Options.
1. When the Setup Wizard opens, click the Next button.
Figure 3.12. Setup Wizard
2. Select your preferred Network Interface from the drop-down menu, then click the Next button.
3. Define how your system connects to the Internet. If you Use a proxy server, enter your proxy's
connection details, then click the Next button.
14
Getting Started
Getting Started
15
4. IMPACT Pro can gather general usage statistics about how the application is used. This allows Core
Security Technologies to provide industry statistics to you as well as to improve IMPACT Pro for
future releases. To opt into the Usage Statistics Program, click the Yes, I am willing to participate ...
check-box, optionally select your primary industry from the drop-down. You can later opt out or
modify your usage statistics preferences in the Community Usage Options of IMPACT Pro. See
Usage Statistics for more information on this.
If you check I wish to permanently opt-out of the program, your statistics will not be gathered and
you will not have the option to enable usage statistics in IMPACT Pro.
If you do not check either option, your statistics will not be gathered unless you enable statistics in the
Community Usage Options of IMPACT Pro.
Then click the Next button.
Getting Started
15
16
Getting Started
5. If Metasploit is installed on your machine when you first launch IMPACT Pro, you will be given the
option to add integration with Metasploit. Click the Configure Metasploit integration check-box. With
this option checked, IMPACT Pro will copy some integration files to your Metasploit installation
directories.
For information on using the Metasploit Framework with IMPACT Pro, see Integration with
Metasploit.
Then click the Finish button.

Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

This section describes how to integrate your IMPACT Pro installation with Metasploit. For general usage, see
Integration with Metasploit.
Automatic Integration with Metasploit

If Metasploit is installed on your machine when you first launch IMPACT Pro, the Setup Wizard will be offer
you the option to add integration with Metasploit.
Manual Integration with Metasploit

If you install Metasploit after IMPACT Pro has been used on your system, you can manually integrate them.
To do this, execute the Setup Metasploit Integration module:
1. Open a Workspace.
2. Navigate to the Modules tab.
16
Getting Started
Getting Started
17
3. Locate and double-click the Setup Metasploit Integration module. (Open the Metasploit folder or use
the search bar and search for "metasploit".)
Figure 3.17. Setup Metasploit Integration Module
4. Click Ok on the module parameters window - there are no parameters for you to configure.
Your IMPACT Pro installation will be configured to interact with the Metasploit Framework. See Integration
with Metasploit for usage.
Prev
Set Up IMPACT Pro
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

Note
If you are upgrading your hardware and you need to transfer your IMPACT Pro software to a different
machine, it is highly recommended that you first deactivate the software. If you fail to deactivate the software,
you will not be able to activate IMPACT Pro on another machine and you will need to contact Customer
Support. Additional instructions describing the process of transferring your IMPACT Pro installation to a new
machine follow in section "Transferring an IMPACT Pro installation".
To un-install IMPACT Pro from your system, follow this procedure.
1. Open the Microsoft Windows Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs.
2. Select CORE IMPACT and click Change/Remove.
Figure 3.18. Add/Remove Programs Dialog Box
Getting Started
17
18
Getting Started
3. The Windows Confirm Un-install Dialog Box will ask you if you really want to remove the product.
Click the OK button.
Figure 3.19. Confirm Uninstall
All IMPACT Pro files except configuration and database files will be removed from your system.
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Prev
Next

If you need to transfer an installed and activated version of IMPACT Pro to a different computer because you
are upgrading your hardware, you will need to follow the below steps:
1. Backup your IMPACT Pro license (see the section called Backup the IMPACT Pro License).
2. Deactivate your IMPACT Pro installation.
a. From the IMPACT Pro dashboard screen, select Tools->Deactivate IMPACT Pro
b. The Deactivation Wizard will appear. Click the Next button.
Figure 3.20. Deactivation Wizard
18
Getting Started
Getting Started
19
c. Select a Deactivation Method - either via Internet connection or via telephone or email - then
click the Next button.
Figure 3.21. Deactivation Method
d. If deactivating via the Internet, you will then need to verify the Internet connection method.
Figure 3.22. Internet Connection
Getting Started
19
20
Getting Started
If deactivating via telephone or email, your next step will be to contact Core Security
Technologies and provide them with the Reference Code in order to receive your deactivation
key. Enter the deactivation key into the field provided.
Figure 3.23. Telephone / Email Deactivation
Click the Next button.

e. The deactivation will proceed and a notification will appear when complete.
Now that IMPACT Pro is deactivated, you can proceed with the un-install.
20
Getting Started
Getting Started
21
3. Un-install IMPACT Pro (see Un-installing IMPACT Pro).

4. Install IMPACT Pro on the new computer (see Installing IMPACT Pro).
5. Use the Restore License procedure with the license backed up in step 1.
6. Activate the new installation (see Activating IMPACT Pro).
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

If you are installing IMPACT Pro for the first time on a machine, the Database Creation Wizard will
automatically begin when you launch IMPACT Pro. Simply follow the on-screen prompts to complete the
creation process.
Figure 3.24. Database Creation Wizard
Prev
Up
Home
Prev
Next
Next

If you install IMPACT Pro after having an older version, the Database Migration Wizard will upgrade your
database(s). If it is a brand new install of IMPACT Pro, the Database Migration Wizard will create a database
for you. Simply follow the on-screen prompts to complete the migration process.
Figure 3.25. Database Migration Wizard
Getting Started
21
22
Getting Started
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Usage Statistics
Next
Usage Statistics
Next
Usage Statistics
IMPACT Pro can gather statistics about how the application is used and will report the information to Core
Security Technologies for analysis. Conclusions drawn from the data will be used to provide you with
industry statistics as well as to improve IMPACT Pro in future releases. Before IMPACT Pro transmits any
usage information, the data is made anonymous (stripped of any identifying data) and encrypted. You can
view your statistics by performing the following steps:
1. Open an IMPACT Pro workspace.
2. Navigate to the Modules view and make sure the Network entity view is active.
3. In the Module search bar, enter the string "stats". This should cause the View Local Stats module to
appear.
4. Double-click the View Local Stats module. The module's parameters will appear.
5. Set the ALL WORKSPACES parameter according to your preference.
NO: Will show statistics for current workspace only.
YES: Will show statistics for all workspaces.
6. Click the OK button.
View the Module Log tab to monitor the module's progress. View the Module Output tab to view the
statistics.
Statistics Gathered
Below is a list of statistics that can be collected. You can opt in or out of any or all of these by configuring the
Community Usage Options in IMPACT Pro.
Overall Usage
A summary of all systems discovered since the last usage report, including:
22
Getting Started
Getting Started
23
Operating Systems discovered including version and service pack level

Services discovered with operating system
TCP open ports discovered
UDP open ports discovered
Modules
Total runtime of all modules since last usage report
Average runtime of modules since last usage report
Modules run manually
Modules run via Wizard (RPT)
Workspaces
Number of workspaces
Number of hosts per workspace
Number of web pages per workspace
Entities
Hosts, emails, web applications and their vulnerabilities (anonymized).
Exploit usage
Summary of exploits (successful and failed) from Attack & Penetration and Privilege Escalation that
were run since the last usage report.
Non-Exploit modules
Summary of non-exploit modules (Information Gathering modules) that were run since the last usage
report.
Reporting
Summary of reports run, including frequency and size of reports.
Pivot Usage and Depth
Pivoting frequency and depth.
List and count of modules used per agent.
If you have opted in to any of these categories, pressing the Get Updates button
gathering and submission of statistics to Core Security Technologies.
Prev
Prev
will initiate the
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 4. IMPACT Pro Architecture
Next

Table of Contents
Prev
Usage Statistics
Prev
Getting Started
Up
Next
Home
Next
23
24
Getting Started

IMPACT Pro delivers the following features within its framework:
A repeatable process for penetration testing. IMPACT Pro supports all the steps needed for a successful
network or client-side penetration test. It approaches all phases of a penetration test in an intuitive and usable
fashion, and consistently provides the user with an up-to-date view of all information accumulated during the
current penetration test.
Flexibility. IMPACT Pro provides a flexible penetration testing framework, capable of adopting
methodologies defined by the user and adapting to different target configurations.
Scalability. IMPACT Pro provides a highly scalable penetration testing solution:
Test web applications with up to 200 web pages.
Run client-side tests through over 3,000 target email accounts and subsequently test over 1,000
distinct IP addresses.
Run network tests of up to 8 half-populated class-C networks.
Commercial-grade exploit code. IMPACT Pro provides you with up-to-date support for a wide range of
exploits for different platforms, operating systems, and applications, and multiple combinations of versions.
These exploits allow you to gain and retain access on the target host or application.
A powerful framework for developing exploits and tools that aid in the penetration testing
process. IMPACT Pro's framework enables your team of Information Security experts to develop and
customize new or existing tools quickly by providing a mechanism for acquiring and reusing knowledge and
experience from successive penetration tests and different penetration-testing teams. When possible, it also
enables the creation of exploit code and scripts that are independent of the target operating system or
hardware architecture.
Note
Some exploits/tools are platform-dependent due to the nature of the functionality they provide (for example, a
'chroot breaker' module will not work on a Windows system).
Transparent pivoting. IMPACT Pro's execution subsystem, together with its agent technology, enables
modules to run from intermediate compromised hosts without modification. This powerful capability allows
you to seamlessly stage or proxy attacks through intermediate hosts to probe further into the network.
Complete logging of test activities. All of the activities completed within IMPACT Pro's framework are
logged and stored in a database for later analysis and reporting.
Note
It is not in the current scope of the product to provide a secure non-repudiable log of all the activities
performed by the user (a log that would allow for "auditing the tester"), but it does greatly simplify the
reporting and clean-up stages of the penetration test.
Prev
Prev
24
Up
Home
Next
Next
Getting Started
Getting Started
25
At a basic level, IMPACT Pro's architecture achieves the following:
Performs actions on behalf of the user (these actions are represented by modules).
Deploys and controls agents on the target network. Agents perform the actions (modules) the user
indicates.
Centralizes the collection of information and keeps track of every performed action.
Generates reports.
IMPACT Pro's architecture consists of a number of components working together to first compromise and
then interact with the target host or application. The three primary components of the architecture are Agents,
Modules and the Console. All knowledge obtained during assessments is consolidated in a central repository
of information called the Entity Database. These components are described in the sections below.
Agents
Agents are a fundamental component of IMPACT Pro's architecture. For Network and Client-side tests, an
agent is a program that is installed by IMPACT Pro on a compromised system immediately following a
compromise. For Web Application tests, an agent represents knowledge of an exploitable vulnerability in the
web application, but does not represent any code IMPACT Pro has placed in the Web Application. The agent's
primary purpose is to perform operations requested by the Console host (ultimately representing the user's
orders) on the compromised system. Agents can also perform operations on other agents, a process known as
"chaining." For more details about agents, see Controlling Agents.
Modules
Modules are individual operations, or a group of operations, that are executed by an agent. For example,
modules can launch specific attacks against a target host, such as a web server, and perform information
gathering tasks ranging from packet sniffing to active port scanning. Modules can also call and execute other
modules.
See Working With Modules for more information on how to run and manage modules in IMPACT Pro. If you
are interested in developing modules for IMPACT Pro, please refer to the "CORE IMPACT Professional
Developer's Guide."
The Console
The Console consists of IMPACT Pro's Graphical User Interface and serves as an initial launching point for
all modules, a management tool to visualize the network being attacked, and a reporting tool for outputting
resultant information. The Console is the centralized gathering point for all information obtained from agents
that may be deployed across multiple targets and varying operating systems. The Console provides
visualization of data ranging from a specific network scan output to a module's successful exploit against a
remote system.
The Console comes with an embedded agent that, by default, is the starting point of any penetration test. This
agent is called the "localagent".
By interacting with the Console, you control the execution of IMPACT Pro modules. Since modules run on a
specific agent, there is always a selected agent for execution. This agent will be referred to in this document
and in the Console itself as the default source agent. By default, when the Console starts, the "localagent" is
selected as the default source agent.
Getting Started
25
26
Getting Started
Entity Database
The Entity Database constitutes the single and centralized repository of information gathered by IMPACT
Pro. It contains information such as module output, complete activity logs, information about target systems
(hosts that are known, client-side information, operating systems, open ports, etc.), and agent deployment.
This information is entered either manually by the user or through the automatic processing of module output.
You can assess the state of the whole penetration test simply by looking at this database at any time.
Structured information such as target networks, hosts, client emails, vulnerable web pages, deployed agents,
open ports on a host, and found user accounts are represented as objects in this database. These database
objects are referred to in the product as "entities."
An entity is any object that can be managed by the database. All entities can serialize and de-serialize
themselves to and from XML, allowing you to easily manipulate the data in other programs. Any findings of a
module that can be shared are in the form of entities. Entities also include the functionality to compare
different revisions of themselves and resolve conflicts (for example, allowing the user to choose between
different port scan results for the same hosts). Upon initialization, some default entities are created and added
to the database. These entities are:
A host entity representing the local console host ('localhost')
The local agent ('localagent')
See IMPACT Pro Entities for a more in-depth look at the Entity Database and how to manage it from
IMPACT Pro's Console.
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 5. IMPACT Pro Quickstart
Prev
Next

Table of Contents
Create a Workspace
IMPACT Pro Console
Quick Guides
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

After installing the latest version of the software (if you have not done so, please refer to Installing IMPACT
Pro for detailed installation instructions) look for the CORE IMPACT folder in the START menu and select
the CORE IMPACT icon. You will be presented with the IMPACT Pro Dashboard. The Dashboard is divided
into several components, each presenting you with real-time information about your IMPACT Pro installation
as well as summaries of the product's market-leading commercial-grade exploit coverage.
26
Getting Started
Getting Started
27
The Dashboard will show:

Product-related Alerts such as available software updates for IMPACT Pro or license expiration
notices.
A list of the currently-available exploits, utilities, and maintenance modules that are pending
installation. These keep IMPACT Pro current with the latest attack trends and vulnerability threats.
Graphical representations of the Modules Released over the previous 6 month period.
A list of workspaces that were created by the IMPACT Pro Scheduler.
A graphical summary of IMPACT Pro&"temp0021.html#run_statistics">Usage Statistics), you will
see the Usage Statistics tab which will display details about the usage of your IMPACT Pro
installation.
Figure 5.1. The IMPACT Pro Dashboard
The real-time alerts for pending modules, new software updates, and 6-month tally of modules can be disabled
by navigating to Tools->Options->Network and checking the Do not connect to the Internet to get news
check-box.
Software Updates
After installation, and before starting to work with IMPACT Pro, make sure your software version is the latest
available and that it is up to date with the latest modules and exploits. As noted in the previous section, the
Dashboard will display an alert when there is a new IMPACT Pro release available, but you can also check for
updates manually:
To check for software updates, click Tools->Check for new Impact Release...
Please note that new software downloaded through the Software Update feature is electronically watermarked
with your active license. It will not work with other licenses.
Getting Started
27
28
Getting Started
Module Updates
In addition to having the most recent version of IMPACT Pro installed, you will want to ensure that the
software is up to date with the latest attack trends and vulnerability threats. Unlike Software Updates, Module
Updates do not require a reinstallation of the IMPACT Pro application. IMPACT Pro offers two methods of
keeping users informed of new updates. Both methods require that a connection to the Internet is available,
either directly or via proxy server:
1. Dashboard. The Dashboard will display a list of the currently-available exploits, utilities, and
maintenance modules that are pending installation.
2. Update Notifier. The Update Notifier will appear in the system tray whenever there are updates
available, regardless of whether IMPACT Pro is running. The notifier will check for updates on a
regular interval that you can define by navigating to Tools->Options->Notifier. If the Enable Update
Notifiersetting is checked, then the Update Notifier will check for updates as frequently as is specified
in the minutes between checks field. If the Enable Update Notifiersetting is un-checked, then it will
not run at all.
Figure 5.2. Update Notifier in System Tray
After you have been notified via one of the 2 methods above, click on the Get Updates button located
on the left side of the Dashboard. This button will also initiate the transmission of usage statistics if
you have opted in to the Usage Statistics program (see Usage Statistics).
Note
IMPACT Pro's update and news features access information over the Internet, using the method as
configured in the Tools->Options->Network form. If you change locations from a non-proxy network
to one that has a proxy server, you will need to update the Network settings accordingly.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Create a Workspace
Next
Create a Workspace
Next
Create a Workspace
Every penetration test in IMPACT Pro is run within a new or existing workspace. A workspace is a place
where information regarding a specific test is stored. See Managing Workspaces for more detailed
information about workspaces and the New Workspace Wizard. To create a new workspace:
1. Select the New Workspace button on the left side of the Welcome Window.
2. Enter a Workspace name for your new workspace and click Next (The client information and
Engagement information fields are optional).
28
Getting Started
Getting Started
29
Figure 5.3. Workspace Name and Client Dialog Box
3. Select a License for your new workspace and click Next.

Figure 5.4. License Dialog Box
4. Enter a Passphrase for your workspace and then re-enter it. Move your mouse within the rectangle
until it reads Done and then click Next.
Figure 5.5. Key Generation Dialog Box
Getting Started
29
30
Getting Started
5. Click Finish.
Figure 5.6. Completing the New Workspace Wizard Dialog Box
The IMPACT Pro Console (see next section) now appears, complete with the name of your workspace
displayed in the title bar. You now have a workspace in which to run penetration tests.
Prev
Prev
30
Up
Home
IMPACT Pro Console
Next
IMPACT Pro Console
Next
Getting Started
Getting Started
31
IMPACT Pro Console

After creating a new workspace, the IMPACT Pro Console appears. The Console is the main window that you
will use to start scans, launch attacks, and manage agent activity. The five panels that make up the Console are
described in detail below.
Figure 5.7. Impact Pro Console
1. The Modules Panel. Provides access to IMPACT Pro Modules. Modules are the actions you can
perform during a penetration test. This panel has two views, Rapid Penetration Test (RPT) and
Modules, accessed by corresponding tabs at the bottom of the panel. The steps in the RPT view are
high-level actions that can be used to execute an automated penetration test. See Rapid Penetration
Test (RPT) or Working With Modules for a detailed description of this panel and modules in general.
2. The Entity View Panel. Displays information about the target hosts, users, or web pages. This panel
has three views, Network, Client Side and Web, accessed by the corresponding tabs at the top of the
panel. Each view corresponds with the type of target, whether it be a computer host, user and email,
or web application. See IMPACT Pro Entities for more information about the Entity View Panel.
3. The Executed Modules Panel. Displays information about each one of the modules, or actions that a
user has performed in IMPACT Pro. IMPACT Pro keeps a complete log of every executed module
within its database. See the section called Using the Executed Modules View for more information.
4. The Executed Module Info Panel. Displays information about the currently selected completed
action in the Executed Modules Panel directly above it. By default this panel displays information
about the last executed module. It contains three tabs: Module Output (module output report), Module
Log (module log lines) and Module Parameters (module parameters at execution time). See the
section called Analyzing Module Output for more information.
Getting Started
31
32
Getting Started
5. The Entity List. Displays the list of entities for the active view. If viewing the Network view, you
will see your discovered hosts in this panel as well as any agents. For the Client-side view, this panel
will show email addresses and, for the Web view, you can view your web pages.
6. The Quick Information Panel. Displayed in the bottom part of the Console, the Quick Information
Panel displays information about the currently selected item in the Entity View. For example, if you
select a user entity, the panel displays details about that user. If you select a host, the panel displays
information about that host. Refer to the section called Entity Details for more information about
this panel.
Note
If the panels in your layout become unmanageable, you can return them to their default locations by choosing
the Reset Layout option from the View dropdown menu
Navigation of the IMPACT Pro Console is straight forward - simply click among the available panels and
their tabs, or use the View drop-down menu to activate or hide a console component or toolbar. For example,
the Network Interface toolbar (shown below) is hidden by default. To show this toolbar and be able to quickly
select between your available Network Interface Cards, navigate to View->Toolbars->Network Interface.
Figure 5.8. Network Interface toolbar
Prev
Create a Workspace
Prev
Up
Home
Quick Guides
Next
Quick Guides
Next
Quick Guides
After you have created your IMPACT Pro Workspace, you are ready to perform one of the many penetration
tests that IMPACT Pro offers. We have created several Quick Guides (.pdf) that you can download and print
out for your convenience - click any of the below icons to view a Quick Guide.
These guides explain the primary attack vectors available in IMPACT Pro. They cover the basic test
capabilities in order to give you an overview of how IMPACT Pro can benefit your overall infrastructure
security policies. For greater detail on these tests and their options, refer to the Rapid Penetration Test (RPT)
or Testing a Wireless Environment sections in this document.
Network Client-Side WebApps: Cross-site Scripting WebApps: SQL Injection WiFi Network Testing
Prev
IMPACT Pro Console
Prev
32
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 6. Rapid Penetration Test (RPT)
Next
Getting Started
Getting Started
33

Table of Contents
Network RPT
Client Side RPT
Reports
IMPACT Pro's Rapid Penetration Tests (RPT) are step-by-step automations of the penetration testing process.
IMPACT Pro allows users to perform a RPT on a variety of target types. The following RPTs are available in
IMPACT Pro:
Network RPT: Scan your systems for known exploits and test their vulnerability. Also provides a
One-Step Network Vulnerability Test and Vulnerability Scanner Validator Test.
Client Side RPT: Simulate social engineering attacks to test the efficacy of your user-level security.
Also provides a One-Step Client-side Vulnerability Test.
Web Applications RPT: Evaluate the security of your web applications.
With any of these RPTs, the end goal is to expose the exploitable vulnerabilities in a system by penetrating
and analyzing that system. The RPTs sequence through steps that automate common and repetitive tasks
typical of a penetration test, such as gathering information, executing attacks, learning about compromised
systems, escalating privileges, cleaning up, and generating reports.
Each step defines a high-level task that has been automated with easy-to-use wizards. If you are a new user,
this basic automation mode will simplify the use of the product. If you are an expert user, RPT will allow you
to execute common tasks more efficiently. Individual module selection is always available to you using the
Modules View (see Working With Modules for more information).
You can run each step of the RPT process individually, but running steps in the order outlined by the Panel is
highly recommended as some steps might require information obtained in a previous step. For example,
Network Attack and Penetration will automatically select attacks based on what is known about the specified
targets. Because this information is typically provided by Network Information Gathering, it generally makes
sense to gather information before initiating the attack Wizard.
Figure 6.1. The Network RPT, Client Side RPT and Web Applications RPT Panels
Getting Started
33
34
Getting Started
Remember, there are many modules in IMPACT Pro that are not executed by the RPTs but that can be very
powerful when used in a comprehensive security testing program. The Module Reference Guide (available via
the Start menu) contains details about all available modules.
Prev
Quick Guides
Prev
Up
Home
Network RPT
Next
Network RPT
Next
Network RPT
The Network RPT allows you to target your internal information systems and evaluate them for known
exploits.
Network Information Gathering

The Network Information Gathering step provides you with information about a target network or individual
machine. This step is typically accomplished by executing modules from the Information Gathering
sub-category such as Network Discovery, Port Scanning, OS Identification, and Service Identification.
If you used a network mapping tool (such as Nmap) or a vulnerability scanner (such as Nessus) you may
already have most of this information. You can skip this step by importing the output from these tools using
an import module from the Import-Export folder within the Modules View. Refer to Integration with Other
Utilities for more information.
To run the Network Information Gathering step, follow this procedure:
1. Make sure that the Network RPT is active.
2. Click on Network Information Gathering to open up the Information Gathering Wizard and click
Next.
Figure 6.2. Network Range Selection
34
Getting Started
Getting Started
35
3. Specify the target IP ranges you want to scan. You can also click on the ellipsis button to the right of
the Network range field to enter a Single IP, an IP Range, or CIDR Notation, as well as import a
group of IP addresses from a file in the IP Address Ranges Selection dialog box. See the section
called Specifying Host Ranges for more information on IP ranges. After you have entered the
range, click Next.
4. There are two major network scan types you can perform. Based on the information provided in the
Network Scan Type Dialog Box, select the type that best suits your needs. Then click Finish to
complete the Network Information Gathering RPT step. Or, if you selected CUSTOM, click Next and
proceed to the next step in this procedure to enter additional information about your scan.
Figure 6.3. Network Scan Type Dialog Box
Getting Started
35
36
Getting Started
5. One or more network discovery modules will be executed as part of this information-gathering macro.
Using the CUSTOM option allows you to customize how the Network Information Gathering is
performed.
Figure 6.4. Network Discovery Dialog Box
Select the method you wish to employ to perform the network discovery from the following:
TCP Connect. Initiates a full TCP connection against each IP address in the target range,
using the specified ports. A host is considered live if it responds with an ACK or RST packet.
36
Getting Started
Getting Started
37
Fast TCP. A fast, half-open SYN scan against each IP address in the target range using the
specified ports. A host is considered live if it responds with an ACK or RST packet. This
method can only be used from the localagent or from agents with the Pcap plugin installed.
The module "Network Discovery - Fast TCP" will be used from the localagent, and the
module "Network Discovery - Fast SYN" from deployed agents.
ICMP. Sends ICMP Echo Requests to each IP address in the target range. A host is
considered live if it responds with an ICMP Echo Reply.
If you select TCP Connect and wish to modify the port range, either enter the ports directly into the
Using as target port range field or click on the ellipsis to the right of the field and continue through the
additional dialog boxes. See the section called Specifying Port Ranges for more information.
If the network range includes IP addresses from your LAN, Network Discovery - ARP will be used to
discover active hosts on those local addresses. This discovery method is the most efficient for
scanning hosts in the same LAN, as ARP resolution must always be done.
Specify how many milliseconds to wait between each discovery attempt.
If you would like this macro to resolve the DNS name of each discovered IP address, check the
Resolve names of each discovered IP address check-box.
IP addresses that are already part of the Entity View will be ignored by this macro unless the Attempt
to rediscover known IP addresses check-box is checked. Use this feature to include
already-discovered IP addresses in the Information Gathering process.
Click Next.
Figure 6.5. Port Scanning Customization Dialog Box
6. One or more port scanners may be executed as part of this RPT step. Use the Port Scanning
Customization Dialog Box to customize how these port scans are performed.
Select a scanning method to perform the TCP port scan. There are 2 options available in the
drop-down menu yet 3 scan methods that may operate.
Getting Started
37
38
Getting Started
Fast SYN. Selecting Fast SYN will induce IMPACT Pro to use this method if the operating
agent has Pcap installed and is not the localagent. If the localagent is in use, then the scan
method will automatically default to Fast TCP, giving you the optimum available
performance. If the agent is not the localagent, and it does not have Pcap installed, then the
scan method will default to TCP Connect.
TCP Connect. Selecting TCP Connect will induce this method irrespective of the agent in
use. This is the slowest performing scan method.
Note
Ultimately, the type of agent being used to launch the scan will influence the port scanning method,
and your selection may be overridden. The below table shows which port-scanning methods can be
used depending on where the Information Gathering is being launched.
Table 6.1. Port Scanning Methods
Launched from ...
Fast TCP Fast SYN TCP Connect
localagent
YES
YES
YES
Agent with WinPcap installed
NO
YES
YES
Agent without WinPcap installed
NO
NO
YES
Specify how many milliseconds to wait between each discovery attempt.
You can use the ellipsis button to the right of the Port range field to change or add port range groups.
See the section called Specifying Port Ranges for more information.
Figure 6.6. Service Identification Dialog Box
7. A service identification module may be used as part of this RPT step. Use the Service Identification
Dialog Box to customize how service identification is performed.
If you check the Use Full Service Identification check-box, the Service Identification module will run.
38
Getting Started
Getting Started
39
This module will connect to and interact with every open port and attempt to identify the network
service listening on that port. If the box is left unchecked, blind identification is used where each port
is labeled with its corresponding default service (e.g., 80 is assumed to be HTTP, 25 is assumed to be
SMTP, etc).
You can activate UDP service identification by checking the Perform UDP service identification
check-box.
Click Finish. The module will run and information will be displayed on the Module Log Panel of the
Console. You have now completed the first step of a Network Rapid Penetration Test.
Network Attack and Penetration

The Network Attack and Penetration RPT step uses previously-acquired information about the network (such
as the information you gathered using the Network Information Gathering step) to automatically select and
launch remote attacks.
For each target host, this step requires the following information, all of which is obtained automatically by the
Network Information Gathering step:
IP address. The targets have to be in the Entity View. This can be done either by hand
(Right-click->New host in the Entity View) or by using a Network Discovery module.
OS and architecture. In order to build the correct payload, attacks need to know the target host's
operating system and architecture. This can be obtained by using the modules in the OS detection
module folder or set by hand using the Entity Properties dialog. Refer to the section called Entity
Properties for more information.
Port and service information. For each host, a listing of network services listening on specific ports
is needed. This can be done by using a Port Scanning module and the service identification module
(Service Identification) in the Information Gathering module folder, or set by hand using the Entity
Properties dialog. Refer to the section called Entity Properties for more information.
To run the Network Attack and Penetration step, click on the step and click Next when the Wizard appears.
1. Click on the Network Attack and Penetration step, then click Next when the Wizard appears.
2. On the Target Selection screen, click the ellipsis ( ) button.
Figure 6.7. Network Attack and Penetration - Target Selection
Getting Started
39
40
Getting Started
The Entities Selection window will open.

3. In the Entities Selection window, select the host(s) that you wish to target with the Attack and
Penetration. Only hosts that are represented in the Entity View can be targeted.
Figure 6.8. Entities Selection
Then click the OK button to return to the Wizard.

4. Click the Next button.
Figure 6.9. Network Attack and Penetration - Target Selection
40
Getting Started
Getting Started
41
5. Make Exploit selection options.

Some exploits could potentially leave a target service unavailable. These exploits can be
excluded from this test by unchecking the Use exploits that might leave a service unavailable
check-box.
Check the Stop launching new exploits after an agent is deployed check-box if you want the
Attack to stop after the first agent is deployed.
Note
When more than one exploit are running concurrently against a host, they will be allowed to
complete even after an agent is deployed. Because of this, more than one agent may be
installed even when this option is checked.
Some exploits could take a long time to exploit a specific server, due to a long brute-force
process. These exploits can be excluded from this step by unchecking the Use exploits that
take a long time to run check-box.
Figure 6.10. Exploit selection Dialog Box
Getting Started
41
42
Getting Started

6. This step specifies the order in which the selected exploits will be run. Set the Order of exploit
execution as:
Speed: Exploits that require on average the fewest number of attempts are run first.
Privilege Level: Exploits that deploy an agent with administrator privileges are run first.
Chance of Leaving a Service Unavailable: Exploits that might leave the target service
unavailable are run first.
Note
Each of the Order of exploit execution options operate at the port and service level of targeted hosts.
Because port and service level attacks run in parallel, it may appear that your selection is not given
priority over the others. For example, if you select Speed as the primary order attribute, a
slow-running exploit may still run before fast ones if it is the only applicable exploit for a specific
service on the target host.
Figure 6.11. Order of exploit execution Dialog Box
42
Getting Started
Getting Started
43

7. Select an agent connection method using the drop-down box. Only exploits with the specified
connection method will be run (if you select "Reuse connection", only exploits with that capability
will be selected). For more information regarding agent connection methods see the section called
Establishing Agent Communication Channels.
Set the port where the agent will listen by either checking the Use a random port check-box or
entering the preferred agent port in the TCP connection port field.
Figure 6.12. Exploits - custom parameters Dialog Box
Getting Started
43
44
Getting Started
8. If your IMPACT Pro installation is integrated with the Metasploit Framework, the Network Attack
and Penetration RPT can run Metasploit as a part of its test sequence. The target host data will be
compiled in a database and then presented to Metasploit which will in turn use its db_autopwn
procedure to test known exploits. The results will be presented back to IMPACT Pro for your review
in the Module Output pane. For more advanced integration with the Metasploit Framework, see
Integration with Metasploit.
Note
IMPACT Pro will execute the Network Attack using Metasploit module to accomplish this step.
Additionally, the Quick Information pane will indicate which vulnerabilities were exploited using
Metasploit.
To do this:
a. Check the Use Metasploit's db_autopwn check-box.
b. Determine how much time (in seconds) Metasploit should have to test a single target host.
Figure 6.13. Metasploit options

9. If you want any modules to run as soon as an agent is connected, check the Automatically run
modules on agents as they are deployed check-box. Then click the Change... button to select the
module you wish to run.
Note
If you would like multiple modules to autorun, create a macro module (see Create Macro Modules)
that is made up of the modules you wish to run, then enter the macro module into the autorun field.
Figure 6.14. Post-attack autorun options
44
Getting Started
Getting Started
45

The module will run and information will be displayed on the Executed Module Info Panel of the Console.
The Network Attack and Penetration step will run multiple attacks in parallel against each target host. Each
exploit automatically launched by this step will be shown as a child of the Attack and Penetration module in
the Execute Modules panel. You have successfully launched an attack.
Local Information Gathering

The Local Information Gathering RPT step collects information about hosts that have an agent deployed on
them. This macro uses the deployed agent to interact with the compromised host and gather information such
as precise OS information, agent privileges, users and installed applications.
To run the Local Information Gathering step, click on the step and click Next when the Wizard appears.
Figure 6.15. Agent selection Dialog Box
Getting Started
45
46
Getting Started
1. By default, information will be gathered on all connected agents. To select one or more specific
agents, click the Selected agents radio button and then click the ellipsis button next to the Selected
agents field. Follow the prompts to select your desired agents.
2. Click Finish.
The module will run and information will be displayed on the Module Output and Module Log panels
of the Console.
Remote Desktop Access
IMPACT Pro's Remote desktop access module - when run - will use a connected agent to try to leverage a
remote desktop tool (e.g. VNC) on the host and open a remote desktop session. To run this module:
1. Navigate to the Modules view and make sure that the Network entity tab is active.
2. Type the string "remote desktop" into the module search field. This should reveal the Remote desktop
access module.
3. Double-click the Remote desktop access module or drag and drop the module onto an agent. The
module's parameters will appear.
4. Set the module's parameters to reflect your preferences:
Use a tunnel: Set to YES if the connection will use a tunnel.
View only: Set to YES to establish a view-only remote desktop session. You will have no
user input.
8 bits: Set to YES to create a low resolution remote desktop session. Set to NO to create a
high resolution session.
Scale: Set the scale of the screen to be displayed as a percentage.
Password: Enter the password to be used in the server on the target host. Password should be
8 bytes - if it is more, only the first 8 bytes are used.
Figure 6.16. Remote Desktop Access Module Parameters
46
Getting Started
Getting Started
47

The Module will run - check the Module Log pane for output and/or error details.
Privilege Escalation
The Privilege Escalation RPT step executes local privilege escalation attacks on connected agents not running
as the super user or the administrator. This macro automatically selects and executes exploits from the
Exploits/Local module folder and some modules from the Exploits/Tools folder, such as Revert To Self or
Chroot Breaker.
After successfully running Privilege Escalation, you may want to run the Local Information Gathering step to
obtain more information from the compromised hosts. If an in-depth penetration test is being performed (and
depending on the target network's topology), it is possible to change the current source agent and cycle back
to the Information Gathering step. Refer to Set as Source for information regarding the source agent. All the
initial 4 steps will execute from any IMPACT Pro agent.
To run the Privilege Escalation RPT step, click on the step and click Next when the Wizard appears.
Getting Started
47
48
Getting Started
1. Specify which agents will run the Privilege Escalation macro. By default, all currently connected
agents will perform this step (All agents will perform a check to see if they are already running as
SYSTEM or root. If they are, they will not attempt to perform Privilege Escalation.) An agent name
will be automatically set if the macro was dropped over a specific agent. Uncheck the All connected
agents check-box if you wish to only target that agent. To choose a single agent other than the one
displayed, or to select multiple agents on which to escalate privileges, uncheck the All connected
agents check-box and click the ellipsis button next to the Only on agent field. Follow the prompts to
select your desired agents.
2. Click Next.
48
Getting Started
Getting Started
49
3. For each target host, this macro selects relevant attacks from the Exploits/Local Module folder based
on the target's platform. The default selections on the Exploit selection screen are intended to
minimize the risk of exploits leaving services unavailable. For a more aggressive attack strategy,
check or uncheck the appropriate check-boxes.
4. Click Finish. The module will run and information will be displayed on the Module Output and
Module Log panels.
Clean Up
The Clean Up step automatically uninstalls every currently-connected agent. Agents are uninstalled in post
order to support complex agent chains (see the section called Agent Chaining). Check the Select to confirm
uninstall of every connected agent check-box and then click Finish to clean up all deployed agents.
Figure 6.19. Clean Up Dialog Box
Getting Started
49
50
Getting Started
Network Report Generation

The Network Report Generation RPT step allows you to automatically generate robust system reports by
processing information collected about the target systems and the different penetration tests you have
performed. Report instructions are consolidated in the RPT Reports section.
One-Step Network RPT

The Network RPT includes the following One-Step tests that can be run in a single step, providing detailed
reports of the test's findings.
Network Vulnerability Test
Vulnerability Scanner Validator Test
One-Step Network Vulnerability Test
About the Network Vulnerabilities Test
IMPACT Pro's One-Step Network Vulnerabilities test allows you to target one or more computers in order to
evaluate their vulnerability to known exploits. When the test runs, IMPACT Pro will access the computers
and report back any vulnerabilities that are exploitable. Advanced options for One Step RPT actions are
available in the One-step RPT Options, accessible via the Tools dropdown menu.
Before running the One-Step Network Vulnerabilities test, you will need to know the IP address(es) or
address range of the computer(s) you want to test.
Starting the One-Step Network Vulnerability Test
The below steps illustrate how to run a One-Step Network Vulnerability Test manually. You can also execute
this test using the Scheduler - see Using the Scheduler for more details.
To manually run a One-Step Network Vulnerability test:
50
Getting Started
Getting Started
51
1. Make sure the One-Step RPT is active.

2. Click Network Vulnerability Test under the One-Step heading.
3. The Network Vulnerability Test Wizard will appear. Click the Next button to proceed with the
Wizard.
4. In the Network Range field, enter the IP address(es) that you want to test. Use a comma to separate IP
addresses and an asterisk (*) as a wildcard - sample shown below.
5. Click the Finish button to begin the test.
To check on the status of your test, click the Module Output tab.
One-Step Vulnerability Scanner Validator
About the Vulnerability Validation test
If you use a third-party tool to run vulnerability scans against your information systems, you can feed the
output from that tool into IMPACT Pro's Vulnerability Scanner Validator. IMPACT Pro will evaluate the
scan's output and provide you with a prioritized validation of your system's weaknesses.
Before running a Vulnerability Scanner Validator, you will need to have the output file from a supported
third-party vulnerability scanner. A list of supported scanners is shown as you begin the test.
Starting a Vulnerability Scanner Validator
The below steps illustrate how to run a One-Step Vulnerability Scanner Validator test manually. You can also
execute this test using the Scheduler - see Using the Scheduler for more details.
To manually run a One-Step Vulnerability Scanner Validator test:
1. Make sure the One-Step RPT is active. The available one-step tests will appear.
2. Click Vulnerability Scanner Validator.
3. The Vulnerability Scanner Validator Wizard will appear. Click the Next button to proceed with the
Wizard.
4. Select the third-party scanner from which you got your results.
5. Enter the details of the scanner's output. The output format you are importing is dependent on the
Vulnerability Scanner you selected in the previous step. Some scanners export their results to a file
while others require you to access their data directly from the scanner's database.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Client Side RPT
Next
Client Side RPT
Next
Client Side RPT

In contrast with traditional remote exploits which target services the penetration tester can see over the
network or Internet, client-side exploits target applications running on users' workstations. Because these
Getting Started
51
52
Getting Started
applications are under the control of the end-user and do not actively listen on the network, successful
exploitation typically requires some form of end-user interaction. This interaction might entail the end-user
opening an email message, clicking on a specially-crafted URL, or browsing to a specific website. Convincing
the end-user to perform the required action is often more dependent on social engineering than on technical
expertise. For example, many contemporary attacks such as phishing and some email viruses require user
interaction, even though technically they are designed to exploit a technical vulnerability such as a buffer
overflow.
IMPACT Pro's client-side exploits are an excellent representation of these attacks. The Client-side RPT
allows you to simulate a social engineering attack by sending email to your community of users. The tests can
be tailored by you to appear legitimate but will initiate an attack on any user's PC should they follow an action
prompted by the email contents. The RPT begins by scouring the Internet (or your intranet) for email
addresses that match a domain of your choice, just as an attacker would do. With the Client-side RPT, you can
learn a) how prevalent your users' email addresses are on the Internet, b) how careful your user community is
when they receive email, c) how vulnerable their desktop PCs are to known exploits, and d) how effective
your antivirus, email filtering, content filtering, intrusion prevention and intrusion detection policies are.
Note
If you want to use a means other than email to deliver a client-side attack, see the Decoupling the Attack
Vector from the Exploit Mechanism section.
Client-Side Information Gathering

Using the Client-side Information Gathering wizard, you can harvest email address targets that are visible
from the Internet or your intranet. Harvesting email addresses from your registered domain in the Internet
gives you a good idea of your end-users' exposure to identification by external attackers. For example, email
addresses of your employees can be collected by attackers externally through company press releases, trade
show presentations, news articles, professional organizations, company web site, and other public domain.
The Client-Side Information Gathering wizard also supports importing multiple email address targets from a
text file or you can skip this step and manually enter email addresses into the Entity Database's Client Side
view.
To begin the Client-side Information Gathering:
1. Ensure that the Client-side RPT is activated.
2. Click Client-side Information Gathering and the Wizard will appear.
4. The first step of the Wizard is the Email Address Gathering form. This form determines what
resources IMPACT Pro should use to locate/add email addresses to its entity database.
Search Engines use common search engines to locate email addresses in common on-line
records.
Search in PGP, DNS and WHOIS uses Public Internet Databases to locate email addresses.
A Web Site Crawler can search within a specific web site to explore for email addresses.
Import email addresses from a file if you have a local file that contains email addresses.
Generate Address from LinkedIn users to have IMPACT Pro search through the web site
LinkedIn to locate users for a specif company. If you select this option, you can further
configure it in the third step of the Wizard.
Figure 6.20. Email Address Gathering Form
52
Getting Started
Getting Started
53
5. The next step of the Wizard is the Email Address Targets form.
In the Domain names to search field, enter the domain for which you want to discover email
addresses. Then select any desired discovery methods:
Check the Use search APIs KEYs if your organization has an API KEY for a search engine.
The API ID must then be configured in Search Engines Options.
Search in PGP, DNS and WHOIS uses Public Internet Databases to locate email addresses.
If you checked Web Site Crawler in the previous step, enter the web site here.
If you checked Import email addresses from a file in the previous step, browse and locate
your load file here
If you opted to search LinkedIn in step 1, click the Next button for further settings. Otherwise click
Finish.
Figure 6.21. Email Address Targets Form
Getting Started
53
54
Getting Started
6. If you opted to search LinkedIn as a part of Information Gathering, use this form to further configure
the search. The next step of the Wizard, enter the Company Name whose email addresses you would
like to find.
In the Company Name field, enter the name of the company whose users you want to
discover. The search will attempt to locate the company in LinkedIn and then discover users
of that company.
In the Email address company naming convention field, enter the naming convention of the
target email addresses. IMPACT Pro will attempt to create email addresses using this
convention for the users it locates for the company name entered above.
Check the Verify Email Addresses check box if you want IMPACT Pro to attempt to use the
VRFY command on the company's SMTP server to verify whether the email addresses are
valid.
If you checked Verify Email Addresses, enter the address of the Mailserver against which the
addresses should be verified.
Figure 6.22. Email Address Targets Form
54
Getting Started
Getting Started
55
The Wizard will close and the Client-side Information Gathering module will begin. You will be able to see
its progress in the Executed Modules pane. Once completed, the Module Output pane will display the step's
findings. Click to the Client Side tab of the Entity View to see the new email addresses that were found by the
module (see Client Side View for more information).
Client-Side Attack and Penetration

Once the target email addresses have been identified and added to IMPACT Pro's database, you can then use
the Client-side Attack and Penetration step of the Client-side RPT process to attack one or more end-users.
This wizard guides you step-by-step through the process of selecting email address targets, selecting the attack
category (e.g., web browser, email client, attachment, or Trojan attack), and selecting an email template to use
for the client-side attack. You can customize each email to increase the authenticity of the attack and the
likelihood that an untrained end-user will fall for a social engineering attack. If an end-user's system is
compromised with a client-side attack, an agent is deployed and you can then pivot (see Set as Source) from
that agent to run network attacks using the Network RPT process from inside your network thus bypassing
any perimeter defenses.
Note
You can also opt to deliver a client-side exploit using a means other than email. For example, you may want
to load the attack files onto a USB drive or otherwise distribute the files to target users. For details on this
process see the Decoupling the Attack Vector from the Exploit Mechanism section.
The Client-side Attack and Penetration wizard has many option paths that can vary depending on the settings
you choose. To begin the Attack and Penetration:
1. Click Client-side Attack and Penetration and the Wizard will appear.
3. The first step of the Wizard is the Email Target Selection form.
Getting Started
55
56
Getting Started
Click the From: button to select an address that will appear in the header of the email being sent.
Click the To: button to select recipient email addresses from the Entity Database's Client Side View.
Note
If the desired addresses are not yet in the Client Side View, you can add them using the same
procedure as if you were working in the Client Side View directly. Right-click in the view, then select
New..., then select Email.
Figure 6.23. Email Target Selection
4. Select the Attack Type:

Single exploit attack: This option will send 1 attack in an email to your targets. If selecting a
Single attack, click the Next button to select the Exploit Type Selection.
Multiple exploits attack: This option will send several different attacks via email to your
targets. If selecting a Multiple attack, click the Next button to set Targeting with Multiple
Exploits options.
Phishing attack: This option simply tests the recipients' propensity to click on email links. The
vulnerability being tested is strictly human - no system exploits are run and no agents are
installed. If users click on the link in the email, their email address will be flagged in the
Client Side entity view. If selecting a Phishing attack, click the Next button to set the Email
Template and Subject.
Note
If you do wish to perform a Phishing attack where the users' systems are exploited and agents
potentially installed, select the Single Attack option and then the Web Browser option.
Figure 6.24. Attack Type Selection
56
Getting Started
Getting Started
57
5. Select the desired Exploit type:

Web Browser: These attacks take advantage of web browser vulnerabilities or web browser
plug-ins. The email recipient must click on a link that opens a web page. The web page will
be pre-established by IMPACT Pro to launch an attack against the user's system. If you
choose Web Browser, click the Next button to configure the Exploit Selection Method.
Mail Client: These exploits take advantage of vulnerabilities in the recipient's email client
software. If you choose Mail Client, click the Next button to configure the Exploit Selection
Method.
Attach: These attacks require that an attachment be opened by the email recipient. The
attachment will be pre-designed to exploit vulnerabilities in a third party application. If you
choose Attach, click the Next button to configure the Exploit Selection Method.
Trojan: These involve attaching an agent to the email. If a user executes the attachment, the
agent is deployed on their machine. If you choose Trojan, click the Next button to configure
the Trojan Packing and Delivery options.
Figure 6.25. Targeting with Single Exploit
Getting Started
57
58
Getting Started
6. Select the Trojan Packing and Delivery:

This step allows you to determine how the Trojan attack is packaged before it is emailed to your
targets. Select from the following options:
Not Packed: Trojan will be sent as an executable file (.exe).
PKZIP: Trojan will be sent as a PKZIP compressed file.
GZIP: Trojan will be sent as a GZIP compressed file.
Microsoft Excel: This option will package the trojan inside of a Microsoft Excel macro.
Browse to select your Excel file and then click the Next button to configure the Duration of
Client-side Attack.
Adobe Acrobat: This option will package an agent into a .pdf file. Browse to select your .pdf
file and then click the Next button to configure the Duration of Client-side Attack.
Infected binary:This option will package an agent into an .exe file. Browse to select your .exe
file and then click the Next button to configure the Duration of Client-side Attack.
Figure 6.26. Trojan Packing and Delivery
58
Getting Started
Getting Started
59
7. Select the Target Platform:

For Trojan attacks, select the platform of the system where the Trojan is going to be received and
launched.
Then click the Next button and skip to the Duration of Client-side Attack section of this guide.
Figure 6.27. Target Platform
8. Select the Exploit Selection Method:
Getting Started
59
60
Getting Started
Exploit List: Select this option if you want to specify which exploit should be targeted on
compromised hosts. If choosing Exploit List, click the Next button to make the Exploit
Selection.
Target Application List: Select this option if you want to specify an application to target.
IMPACT Pro will send the most recent exploit for that application. If choosing Target
Application List, click the Next button to make the Application Selection.
Figure 6.28. Exploit Selection method
9. On the Exploit Selection form:

Use the Change... button to select an exploit or module name to send in your attack.
Click the Next button to configure the Duration of Client-side Attack.
Figure 6.29. Exploit Selection
60
Getting Started
Getting Started
61
10. On the Application Selection form:

Use the Application to attack drop-down menu to select the application you wish to attack.
Click the Next button and to configure the Duration of Client-side Attack.
Figure 6.30. Application Selection
11. Select the Duration of Client-side Attack:

Select from the available options to determine how long the Client-side attack can be active:
Getting Started
61
62
Getting Started
Wait indefinitely for incoming connections: IMPACT Pro will wait indefinitely for
connections from email recipients.
Wait for incoming connections for x hours: You can specify how long (in hours) IMPACT
Pro will accept incoming connections from email recipients.
Click the Next button to configure the Email Template and Subject.
Figure 6.31. Duration of Client Side Attack
12. On the Targeting with Multiple Exploits step, determine how the exploits should be selected with one
of the following options:
All: This option will attempt all available exploits against each target.
By Browser: This option will use exploits that are applicable for the browser that each
recipient uses.
By Application: This option will use exploits for a specific application. Select the Application
to attack from the drop-down menu.
If the Stop attacking a browser ... option is checked, IMPACT Pro will stop attempting further
exploits on a target user's system if an agent is successfully deployed on that system.
Make you selection, then click the Next button to configure the Email Template and Subject.
Figure 6.32. Targeting with Multiple Exploits
62
Getting Started
Getting Started
63
13. On the Email Template and Subject form:

Enter the path to the email template. When you click the Change button, the Preview panel
will show you the email body.
Note
IMPACT Pro ships with several email templates that are located in
%appdata%\IMPACT\components\modules\classic\templates. You can
customize these templates to maximize the chance that your users will take action in the
email.
Enter a Subject for the email - you will want the subject to be one that entices recipients to
open the email and take the desired action. This field accepts non-ASCII characters.
Optionally select a URL obfuscation service to mask the URL that will be used in the email.
Choices include TinyURL, Bit.Ly and Is.gd.
Enter the URL where the browser is going to be redirected after IG:
Click the Next button to configure the Communication Settings.
Figure 6.33. Email Template and Subject
Getting Started
63
64
Getting Started
14. On the Email Sending Settings form:

a. Enter the Server and Port for your email SMTP server.
b. If you want to limit the number of emails that are sent at one moment, set a Chunk Size. This
value will determine the maximum number of emails that will be sent at one time.
c. Enter the Delay (in seconds) that you want IMPACT Pro to wait in between sending chunks
of email in this attack.
Figure 6.34. Email Sending Settings
64
Getting Started
Getting Started
65
15. On the Agent Communication Settings form:

a. Select a Connection Method as one of the following:
Connect from target
HTTP Channel
HTTPS Channel
b. Enter an Incoming connection port for agents to connect to on the IMPACT Pro console or
the current Source Agent.
Figure 6.35. Agent Communication Settings
16. On the final step of the wizard, you can set the following Exploitation actions:
Automatically run modules on agents as they are deployed
With this option checked, IMPACT Pro will automatically run a module that you select when
an agent is deployed on a target system. You can then determine whether the module is
executed once per exploited host or once per deployed agent. In the below example, the Make
Agent Persistent module will be run for each host where an agent is deployed.
Grab SMB credentials
With this option checked, IMPACT Pro will attempt to force the target to authenticate to the
web server with its SMB credentials. If successful, IMPACT Pro operators can use this
information in a variety of ways.
Figure 6.36. Autorun Settings
Getting Started
65
66
Getting Started

The Wizard will close and the Client-side Attack will commence. Because this is a social engineering
attack, it will not succeed until an email recipient takes action on the email by clicking a link or
opening an attachment. Once the user does this, it will trigger the attack and if successful, an agent
will be deployed. If an agent is installed, you will see it under a host in the Network tab of the Entity
Database. After an agent is installed you can proceed to the Local Information Gathering step of the
Client-side RPT process.
Note
If the IMPACT Pro console closes unexpectedly or crashes and a client-side exploit is executed
before IMPACT Pro is restarted, the client-side modules will remain active and the agent will still
register with the console.
Advanced Client-Side Attack Options
Decoupling the Attack Vector from the Exploit Mechanism
Client-side testing in IMPACT Pro allow you to send email to target users and have their actions in the email
trigger an exploit. You may, however, wish to deliver the attack with a means other than email (e.g. a file
share server or site or via a USB stick). If so, you can accomplish this by launching the exploit module
manually and changing the delivery method. To do this:
1. Click the Modules tab to access the Modules View.
2. Expand the Exploits folder, then the Client Side folder.
3. Under the Client Side folder, double-click the exploit that you wish to launch. This will open the
exploit's email template.
4. On the template window, click the Switch to File button.
Figure 6.37. Switch to File button
66
Getting Started
Getting Started
67
5. The form will change to the File Generation for Decoupled Attack form that contains 2 fields:
Attack Description: A text description of the attack file.
Select location to save ... : The path to the folder on your system where you want IMPACT
Pro to save the attack file. Use the ellipsis button ( ) to navigate to the desired location.
Figure 6.38. File Generation for Decoupled Attack
Complete the 2 fields and press the Generate File button.

6. IMPACT Pro will generate the attack file(s) and place it in the location you specified. You can then
deliver the attack according to your test plan.
Web Server Customization
When using the localagent (the default) for the web server, make sure the target workstations will be able to
connect to it. If the computer running IMPACT Pro is sitting behind a NAT device, you must activate and
configure the NAT support in Network Options and configure your NAT device to redirect the appropriate
ports back to the computer running IMPACT Pro. Check to ensure that the Port value of the Web Server
module (80 by default) is also redirected.
The web server used in the attack can be run on any active agent that was previously deployed. This feature is
convenient in situations where the potential targets might not be able to connect directly to the machine where
IMPACT Pro is running.
By default the web server is run on the localagent. To configure the web server to run on a different agent,
change the Web Server Agent parameter in the Serve Agent in Web Server module parameters, then execute
the module.
Getting Started
67
68
Getting Started
Figure 6.39. Serve Agent in Web Server Module Parameters
When the module runs:

The web server will be run on the agent and that you specify and will listen on the TCP port entered
in the WEB SERVER PORT parameter
The URL to which you should direct your target users will be displayed in the Module Log pane for
the Serve Agent in Web Server module (see image below).
Figure 6.40. Serve Agent in Web Server Log
The exploit file will be saved in the location specified in the OUTPUT_FILE parameter.
You can then use one of the many modules in the Exploits->Client Side folder to deliver your attack.
Client-side exploits automatically enable the deployed agent to escape to a different process rather than
running in the one originally exploited. This is an important discriminator of IMPACT Pro commercial-grade
exploits because it ensures that the agent will continue working even after the end-user exits the client-side
application or if the client-side application becomes unstable after exploitation.
For example, the IE IFRAME Buffer Overflow exploit takes advantage of a vulnerability in IE and deploys an
agent into IE's iexplore.exe process. After exploitation, IE may become unresponsive, and it is very likely that
the end-user driving it will restart it, eliminating the agent in the process. In this example, after the agent is
successfully deployed the Module Log says:
escaping to process: c:\winnt\explorer.exe, pid: 1408
This log line indicates that the agent will attempt to escape to the explorer.exe process on PID 1408. After
injecting a new agent into this process, the new agent will connect back to the console and the old agent will
terminate. That is why you will see two new agents appear on the Entity View (one alive and one uninstalled)
when using exploits with this functionality. To learn more about agent auto injection see the section called
Agent Auto Injection.
68
Getting Started
Getting Started
69
Agent Connection Parameters
By default, when a Client-side exploit is executed, the new agent communicates back to the source agent
(usually the localagent). If you want to use a different agent for this, you can do so by configuring and
launching the exploit manually through the Modules View.
To do this:
1. Click the Modules tab to access the Modules View.
2. Expand the Exploits folder, then the Client Side folder.
3. Under the Client Side folder, double-click the exploit that you wish to launch. This will open the
exploit's email template.
4. On the template window, click the Parameters button.
Figure 6.41. Client-side Exploit Parameters button
The exploit's parameters form will open.

5. Expand the Agent Connection section.
6. To select a different agent for the exploit's agent to communicate back to, click in the Agent field and
then click the ellipsis ( ) button.
Figure 6.42. Client-side Exploit Parameters
Getting Started
69
70
Getting Started
7. In the Select Agent Connection window, locate and place a check next to the desired agent, then click
the OK button.
8. Continue to configure the client-side exploit and launch the attack.
Local Information Gathering

The Local Information Gathering RPT step collects information about hosts that have an agent deployed on
them. This macro takes advantage of the deployed agent to interact with the compromised host and gather
information such as precise OS information, agent privileges, users and installed applications.
To run the Local Information Gathering step, click on the step and click Next when the Wizard appears.
70
Getting Started
Getting Started
71
1. By default, information will be gathered on all connected agents. To select one or more specific
agents, click the Selected agents radio button and then click the ellipsis button next to the Selected
agents field. Follow the prompts to select your desired agents.
Module Log panels of the Console.
Privilege Escalation
The Privilege Escalation RPT step executes local privilege escalation attacks on connected agents not running
as the super user or the administrator. This macro automatically selects and executes exploits from the
Exploits/Local module folder and some modules from the Exploits/Tools folder, such as Revert To Self or
Chroot Breaker.
After successfully running Privilege Escalation, you may want to run the Local Information Gathering step to
obtain more information from the compromised hosts. If an in-depth penetration test is being performed (and
depending on the target network's topology), it is possible to change the current source agent and cycle back
to the Information Gathering step. Refer to Set as Source for information regarding the source agent. All the
initial 4 steps will execute from any IMPACT Pro agent.
To run the Privilege Escalation RPT step, click on the step and click Next when the Wizard appears.
1. Specify which agents will run the Privilege Escalation macro. By default, all currently connected
agents will perform this step (All agents will perform a check to see if they are already running
SYSTEM or root-level access. If they are, they will not attempt to perform Privilege Escalation.) An
agent name will be automatically set if the macro was dropped over a specific agent. Uncheck the All
connected agents check-box if you wish to only target that agent. To choose a single agent other than
the one displayed, or to select multiple agents on which to escalate privileges, uncheck the All
connected agents check-box and click the ellipsis button next to the Only on agent field. Follow the
prompts to select your desired agents.
Getting Started
71
72
Getting Started
2. Click Next.
3. For each target host, this macro selects relevant attacks from the Exploits/Local Module folder based
on the target's platform. The default selections on the Exploit selection screen are intended to
minimize the risk of exploits leaving services unavailable. For a more aggressive attack strategy,
check or uncheck the appropriate check-boxes.
Module Log panels.
Clean Up
The Clean Up step automatically uninstalls every currently-connected agent. Agents are uninstalled in post
order to support complex agent chains (see the section called Agent Chaining). Check the Select to confirm
uninstall of every connected agent check-box and then click Finish to clean up all deployed agents.
Figure 6.46. Clean Up Dialog Box
72
Getting Started
Getting Started
73
Client-side Report Generation

The Client-side Report Generation step allows you to automatically generate robust system reports by
processing information collected about the target systems and the different penetration tests you have
performed. Report instructions are consolidated in the RPT Reports section.
One-Step Client-side Vulnerability Test

IMPACT Pro's One-Step Client-side Vulnerability Test targets specific applications on your users' computers.
By sending an email to your users, they initiate the test and IMPACT Pro reports back the results to you.
Before running a Client-side Vulnerability Test, you must:
1. Prepare a file that contains the email address(es) of your target users. This should be a .txt file that
contains email addresses separated by commas.
2. Configure the Outgoing E-mail Information in the One-Step section of IMPACT Pro's Options.
3. Determine which application on the users' computers you want to test.
Starting a Client-side Vulnerability test
The below steps illustrate how to run a One-step Client-side Vulnerability test manually. You can also execute
this test using the Scheduler - see Using the Scheduler for more details.
To manually run a One-step Client-side Vulnerability Test:
1. Activate the Client-Side RPT.
2. Click Client-side Vulnerability Test under the One-Step heading.
3. The Client-side Vulnerability Test Wizard will appear. Click the Next button to proceed with the
Wizard.
4. Click the Browse... button next to the Import email addresses from a file field and navigate to your
email text file.
Getting Started
73
74
Getting Started
Select the file and click the Open button.
Each address in the file will receive an email asking the recipient to click a link within the email,
initiating the test on their computer.
5. Set the Wait for client-side connections for x hour(s) value according to your preference. If you set
this value to 5 hours, then recipients of the email must act within 5 hours or their test will not
contribute to your client-side vulnerability test results.
6. Select from the Client-side application to attack drop-down menu. This will determine the application
that is tested when users click the link within the email they receive.
7. Click the Finish button.
Prev
Network RPT
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

With software being increasingly deployed over the Internet, the threat of attacks specific to web applications
is a growing concern. IMPACT Pro's WebApps RPT lets users test the vulnerability of their web-based
applications and gives them an opportunity to address any vulnerabilities. The Web Applications RPT tests
the following attack types:
SQL Injection attacks occur when SQL queries are passed through the user interface of a web
application and are executed in the database. IMPACT Pro also tests for Blind SQL Injection attacks
which can pose an additional threat to web applications.
Remote File Inclusion vulnerabilities allow malicious users to execute their own PHP code on the
vulnerable web application.
Reflected Cross Site Scripting (XSS) occurs when attackers are able to inject arbitrary code into
vulnerable web servers. The malicious code is ultimately executed by the web browsers of
unsuspecting users of the vulnerable web application.
WebApps Information Gathering

The WebApps Information Gathering step scans the domain of a known web-based application and identifies
pages that may be vulnerable to potential attacks. To begin Information Gathering:
1. Click the Web View tab of the Entity View. The WebApps RPT steps will appear in the RPT Panel.
2. Click WebApps Information Gathering and the Wizard will commence.
3. The WebApps RPT applies to Scenarios that you define.
A Scenario serves as a context in which you can test a web application and it will provide clarity to
the results of the WebApps modules. You can use multiple scenarios to test the same web application
with varying settings, or segment a web application and test each part independently in a different
scenario.
If you are creating a new Scenario, complete the Scenario Name field. If you wish to Use an existing
scenario, click the appropriate radio button and click the ellipsis button to select the desired Scenario.
For this option to work, a scenario must already exist in the Web View.
74
Getting Started
Getting Started
75
Then select the crawling method that the RPT should use.
Automatic web crawling: the RPT will run all necessary modules in the background and any
found pages will appear in the entity view. (See Automatic Web Crawling section for details)
Interactive web crawling: you will manually navigate your web application and IMPACT Pro
will track each page that you view. (See Interactive Web Crawling for details)
Figure 6.47. Scenario and Crawling Method Selection
The Automatic and Interactive web crawling methods have different configurations options. Skip to
the appropriate section of this document:
Automatic Web Crawling: See the section called Automatic Web Crawling.
Interactive Web Crawling: See the section called Interactive Web Crawling.
Automatic Web Crawling
With Automatic web crawling, the RPT scans the web application base URL to locate pages. Any pages that
are found are then displayed in the Web View tab of the entity view.
1. Enter the Starting Page URL where the RPT should begin scanning for pages.
2. Select the Max. depth level to crawl. This value dictates how many links deep into the web
application the RPT will go.
3. If you want the web crawler to log in to the web application, check the Use session management
check-box. Checking this box will add 2 additional steps to the Wizard.
Figure 6.48. Automatic Web Crawling
Getting Started
75
76
Getting Started
4. If a proxy server is needed to access the web application, select the appropriate proxy option and, if
necessary, enter the server details.
Direct connection to the internet will connect to the Internet without connecting to a proxy
server.
Use CORE IMPACT proxy settings will follow the settings that are in the
Tools->Options->Network form.
Use Internet Explorer proxy settings will follow the settings as defined in your Internet
Explorer preferences.
Use Custom proxy settings will follow the proxy settings in the fields just below.
Figure 6.49. Proxy Settings
76
Getting Started
Getting Started
77

5. In the Crawling options, use the Select a browser to impersonate drop-down menu to determine which
browser type and version the WebApps RPT should run the test as.
If you want the RPT to not venture outside of the domain you entered in step 1, check the Restrict
crawling to starting page domain check-box. If you check this option, you can then enter specific
domains other than the starting page domain that are open to the RPT.
Check Detect web server and application framework if you want the RPT to try and discover
structural details about the web application.
Check Follow links in robots.txt files in web site if you would like IMPACT Pro to try and locate a
robots.txt file that may exist in the root of the target web application's web server. Oftentimes,
web application administrators will use a robots.txt file to instruct search engines and other web
robots to not search certain pages. If the IMPACT Pro web crawler locates the robots.txt file, it
can follow the links listed in the file and try to locate further vulnerabilities. Note that this setting will
respect the Restrict crawling to starting page domain option.
Use the Link parsing module field to assign a module to handle dynamic hyperlinks within the web
application. This is an advanced feature that requires users to create the custom module.
Note
Please contact Core Securities Customer Support (see the section called Product Support) for a
sample plugin module.
Figure 6.50. Crawling Options
Getting Started
77
78
Getting Started
6. If you opted in step 3 above to have the web crawler log in to the web application (Session
Management), enter the Username and Password that should be used. Then select an authentication
method:
Do form based authentication: Use this type if the web application has a login page that
contains username and password fields.
Do HTTP authentication: Use this type if the web application presents users with integrated
Windows authentication (Kerberos or NTLM) before allowing them to view any pages from
the application.
Do custom authentication: Use this type if the web application has a login page but does not
use standard login fields (e.g. username and password). You will need to create a custom
module that will match your web application's authentication requirements. The Login on
Forms module is provided as a template for use when developing your own custom module
(see Custom Modules).
Figure 6.51. Session Management
78
Getting Started
Getting Started
79
7. Continue with Session Management options by selecting an IMPACT Pro module that will prevent
the RPT from executing links that might terminate the session.
Note
You can extend IMPACT Pro's functionality by writing your own custom modules. For more
information about writing custom modules, please contact Customer Support (see the section called
Product Support).
If you chose to Do form based authentication in step 6, the RPT step will attempt to automatically
detect the web application's login page, login form, and user name and password fields. Because there
are no standards for login forms, this automatic detection may not succeed, in which case you should
opt to Configure parameters to customize login form detection. Once this option is checked, you can
enter a specific page, form and username/password fields that the RPT step should use for session
management.
Figure 6.52. Session Management (contd)
Getting Started
79
80
Getting Started
Once the Wizard closes, the RPT will proceed and attempt to identify pages - if any are found, they will be
saved in the Web View under the appropriate scenario.
Interactive Web Crawling
With interactive web crawling, you set your web browser to use IMPACT Pro as a proxy and then navigate
your web application. As you navigate the web application, IMPACT Pro will capture each page that you
view and add them to the Web View under the appropriate scenario. After selecting the Interactive Web
Crawling radio button, continue to configure the RPT:
1. If you want the RPT to not record pages outside of a specific domain, check the Restrict crawling to
specific domain check-box. If you check this option, you must then enter the specific domain(s) to
which the crawler will be restricted.
The Detect web server and application framework is checked by default. This setting will cause the
RPT step to find out details about the underlying web application platform.
Figure 6.53. Interactive Web Crawling Parameters
80
Getting Started
Getting Started
81
2. If a proxy server is required for IMPACT Pro to connect to the web application, check the Use a
proxy server check-box and activate the appropriate radio button:
Use IMPACT Pro settings will follow the settings that are in the Tools->Options->Network
form.
Use Internet Explorer settings will follow the settings as defined in your Internet Explorer
preferences.
Use Custom HTTP Proxy will follow the proxy value in the field just below.
3. The final page of the interactive web crawling Wizard contains a notification about how to proceed
with the RPT step. You will need to configure your web browser to use 127.0.0.1:8080 as its web
proxy before you begin navigating your web application. When you are finished browsing the
application, you will then need to manually terminate the WebApps Information Gathering module in
IMPACT Pro.
Figure 6.54. Web Browser Configuration
Getting Started
81
82
Getting Started
Once the Wizard closes, you will manually access and navigate the target web application - IMPACT Pro will
save the pages you visit in its entity view under the appropriate scenario.
Advanced WebApps Information Gathering Options
There are several WebApps options that are available through IMPACT Pro modules but not through the RPT
wizards.
Checking for Backup/Old Copies of Web Pages
It is not uncommon for web application administrators to backup or store old copies of web pages on the
server along with the active pages for the web application. IMPACT Pro's Check for backup/old copies of
Web Pages module - when run - will attempt to locate these pages for a given scenario and then add them to
the scenario for further vulnerability assessment. To execute the module:
1. Navigate to the Modules view and make sure that the Web entity tab is active.
2. Type the string "backup" into the module search field. This should reveal the Check for backup/old
copies of Web Pages module.
3. Double-click the Check for backup/old copies of Web Pages module. The module's parameters will
appear.
TARGET: The scenario that the module will target.
EXTENSIONS: The module will scan for files that include these extensions (commonly used
for backup or old files). Modify this list to expand the search.
ADD FOUND PAGES: If set to "true", any pages that are found by the module will be added
to the scenario in the TARGET field. If set to "false", the pages will not be added.
Figure 6.55. Check for backup/old copies of Web Pages Module Parameters
82
Getting Started
Getting Started
83

Checking for Hidden Pages
It is not uncommon for web applications to contain active pages that are not directly linked to from within the
application. These tend to be "secret" pages for use by application administrators who know their direct
URLs. IMPACT Pro's Check for hidden Web Pages module - when run - will attempt to locate these pages
and add them to your scenario for further vulnerability assessment. To run the module:
1. Navigate to the Modules view and make sure that the Web entity tab is active.
2. Type the string "hidden" into the module search field. This should reveal the Check for hidden Web
Pages module.
3. Double-click the Check for hidden Web Pages module. The module's parameters will appear.
TARGET: The scenario that the module will target.
DB FILE: The module will scan for pages (e.g. config.php) that are listed in the
db_tests file that is included with your IMPACT Pro installation
(%appdata%/IMPACT/components/modules/webapps/data). Modify this file to
expand the search to include other pages.
LOOK INTO: If set to "Domains", the module will scan the root level of the scenario's
domain (e.g. www.webapp.com/config.php). If set to "Domains and Paths", the module will
also scan sub-paths (e.g. www.webapp.com/directory1/config.php,
www.webapp.com/directory2/config.php, etc.).
ADD FOUND PAGES: If set to "true", any pages that are found by the module will be added
to the scenario in the TARGET field. If set to "false", the pages will not be added.
Figure 6.56. Check for hidden Web Pages Module Parameters
Getting Started
83
84
Getting Started

WebApps Attack and Penetration

If the WebApps Information Gathering step identifies target pages, the WebApps Attack and Penetration step
can detect whether those pages will be vulnerable to SQL Injection, Remote File Inclusion or Cross Site
Scripting (XSS) attacks. To begin the WebApps Attack and Penetration step:
1. Click WebApps Attack and Penetration in the RPT process panel. The Wizard will begin.
Figure 6.57. WebApps Attack and Penetration Wizard
84
Getting Started
Getting Started
2. On the Target Selection page, click the ellipsis (
85
) button to display a list of existing scenarios.
The Entities Selection box will appear.

3. Place a check next to each scenario that is to be tested for vulnerabilities. You can alternatively check
individual pages within the scenario.

4. You will return to the wizard. Click the Next button.
Figure 6.59. Target Selection
Getting Started
85
86
Getting Started
5. On the Vulnerability Types page of the Wizard, select any of the following options:
Look for SQL Injection vulnerabilities: Then click the Next button for further configurations.
See Further Configurations for SQL Injection Attack and Penetration.
Look for PHP Remote File Inclusion vulnerabilities: Then click the Finish button to begin the
test.
Look for XSS vulnerabilities: Then click the Next button for further configurations. See
Further Configurations for XSS Attack and Penetration.
Execute exploits for known vulnerability: Check this option if you want IMPACT Pro to
attempt to execute exploits as a part of the test.
Figure 6.60. Vulnerability Types
86
Getting Started
Getting Started
87
If you selected only Look for PHP Remote File Inclusion, then the WebApps Attack and Penetration step will
commence. You will be able to see module progress in the Executed Modules panel and specific output in the
Module Log panel.
If the WebApps Attack and Penetration is successful, then WebApps Agents will appear under vulnerable
pages in the Entity View. See the section called Interacting with WebApps Agents for information about
how to leverage the WebApps Agents. Additionally, if a vulnerability is found, it is assigned a Vulnerability
ID which will allow IMPACT Pro users to track reported vulnerabilities after testing. The Vulnerability ID
will appear in the ''Information'' pane when the vulnerable web page is selected and also in the name of the
agent that is deployed for the page. For example, if the SQLi Analyzer finds a vulnerability and assigns it ID
7, an agent configured from that vulnerability will be named ''SQL Agent (7)''.
Further Configurations for SQL Injection Attack and Penetration
If you chose to look for SQL Injection vulnerabilities in the WebApps Attack and Penetration wizard, then
you will have additional configuration options. These configuration steps follow:
1. SQL Injection tests can be performed for any of the following page parameters:
Web page forms
Request parameters
Request cookies
Select any of these by placing a check next to the desired option(s).
2. The WebApps Attack and Penetration step can exert varying levels of testing on the web page's
parameters. Select the depth of the test using the drop-down menu:
FAST: quickly runs the most common tests
NORMAL: runs the tests that are in the FAST plus some additional tests
FULL: runs all tests
3. If you know in advance how the target web application's error pages will appear - what text will be in
the body or the header - check the Use custom error page detection check-box. You will further
configure this feature in a subsequent step in the Wizard.
Getting Started
87
88
Getting Started
4. To configure a module to avoid testing pages that could terminate the session, use the ellipsis ( )
button. By default, the Session arguments avoid list module will be enabled for this purpose. Click the
Clear button if you do not want any module to perform this function.
Note
You can extend IMPACT Pro's functionality by writing your own custom modules. For more
information about writing custom modules, please contact Customer Support (see the section called
Product Support).
If you opted to Use custom error page detection in step 8 above, click the Next button. Otherwise,
click the Finish button.
Figure 6.61. SQL Injection Test Configuration
5. In the Use the Custom error configuration form, you can add one or more rules that IMPACT Pro will
check when it receives data from the web application. Each rule can apply to the header of the
document or the data content. You then can define whether the header or data does or does not
contain certain text strings. For example, if you know that the web application will produce error
pages that contain in the page body the sentence "We're Sorry. An unknown error occurred while
processing your request. Please try again", then you could create a custom error configuration as
shown below:
Figure 6.62. Custom Error Page Detection Configuration
88
Getting Started
Getting Started
89
If IMPACT Pro identifies an error page, it will then evaluate whether it (or the conditions that
produced the error page) are vulnerable to SQL Injection attacks.
Use the Apply the above conditions when the HTTP status code was: list to indicate that custom error
rules should only be applied if IMPACT Pro receives a specific HTTP status code with the page.
6. If you chose to test for XSS vulnerabilities in addition to SQL Injection, click the Next button and
proceed to Further Configurations for XSS Attack and Penetration.
If you chose only to look for SQL Injection vulnerabilities, click the Finish button. The WebApps
Attack and Penetration step will commence. You will be able to see module progress in the Executed
Modules panel and specific output in the Module Log panel.
If the WebApps Attack and Penetration is successful, then WebApps Agents will appear under
vulnerable pages in the Entity View. See the section called Interacting with WebApps Agents for
information about how to leverage the WebApps Agents. Additionally, if a vulnerability is found, it is
assigned a Vulnerability ID which will allow IMPACT Pro users to track reported vulnerabilities after
testing. The Vulnerability ID will appear in the ''Information'' pane when the vulnerable web page is
selected and also in the name of the agent that is deployed for the page. For example, if the SQLi
Analyzer finds a vulnerability and assigns it ID 7, an agent configured from that vulnerability will be
named ''SQL Agent (7)''.
Further Configurations for XSS Attack and Penetration
If you chose to look for XSS vulnerabilities in the WebApps Attack and Penetration wizard, then you will
have additional configuration options. These configuration steps follow:
1. Select the specific browser that you would like to target, or select Any to target all types.
Figure 6.63. XSS Tests Configuration
Getting Started
89
90
Getting Started
2. Check the Test POST parameters option if you want the test to evaluate POST parameters when it
runs.
The WebApps Attack and Penetration step will commence. You will be able to see module progress
in the Executed Modules panel and specific output in the Module Log panel.
If the WebApps Attack and Penetration is successful, then WebApps Agents will appear under
vulnerable pages in the Entity View. See the section called Interacting with WebApps Agents and
WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration for information about how to leverage the WebApps
Agents and potential XSS vulnerabilities. Additionally, if a vulnerability is found, it is assigned a
Vulnerability ID which will allow IMPACT Pro users to track reported vulnerabilities after testing.
The Vulnerability ID will appear in the ''Information'' pane when the vulnerable web page is selected
and also in the name of the agent that is deployed for the page. For example, if the XSS Analyzer
finds a vulnerability and assigns it ID 7, an agent configured from that vulnerability will be named
''XSS Agent (7)''.
WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration

If you opted to search for Cross Site Scripting vulnerabilities in the WebApps Attack and Penetration step,
then you can run the WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration step to exploit any vulnerable web pages. This
RPT step will send to your list of recipients an email with a link that will simulate a XSS attack. To run the
WebApps XSS Attack and Penetration wizard:
1. Click the WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration step to begin. The Wizard will open.
Figure 6.64. WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration Wizard
90
Getting Started
Getting Started
91
2. On the Email Target Selection form, use the From: button to select an email address from the entity
database that will serve as the sender of the test email. Use the To: button to select email address(es)
from the entity database that will serve as recipients of the test email.
Figure 6.65. Email Target Selection

3. On the Exploit and Email Template Selection form, click the ellipsis (
Agent to leverage.
) button to Select an XSS
Figure 6.66. Exploit and Email Template Selection

Getting Started
91
92
Getting Started
4. The Entities Selection window will open. Navigate to the XSS folder under Vulnerable pages, then
locate and select an XSS Agent.
Click the OK button to return to the wizard form.

5. Ensure that the email template and email Subject are set appropriately for your test.
Figure 6.68. Exploit and Email Template Selection
92
Getting Started
Getting Started
93

6. On the Communications Form, enter the name or address of the SMTP Server that will send your
attack simulation emails.
Also specify the Port on which the SMTP server is listening.
Figure 6.69. Communications Settings
Then click the Finish button to begin the RPT.
Getting Started
93
94
Getting Started
The WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration step will commence. You will be able to see module progress
in the Executed Modules panel and specific output in the Module Log panel. Note that a Web Server module
will also start. This web server will deliver the simulated attack to the users when they click the link in the
email they received.
Report Generation
The WebApps Report Generation RPT step allows you to automatically generate robust system reports by
processing information collected about target web pages you have identified. Report instructions are
consolidated in the RPT Reports section.
Prev
Client Side RPT
Prev
Up
Home
Reports
Next
Reports
Next
Reports
Each of the Rapid Penetration Tests provides rich reports that can be used to consolidate, view and distribute
your test findings as well as to plan ongoing prevention and remediation efforts. Reporting options are similar
for each RPT and several reports are available for more than one RPT. In the following list of reports, the
icons indicate the RPTs in which a report can be run: Network RPT
, Client-side RPT
, WebApps RPT
.
Note
For any report that consolidates data for more than one workspace, unique IP addresses and unique email
addresses are treated differently for data summaries. For example, if the same IP address is discovered in 3
different workspaces, the report's Summary of Discovered Hosts will show a count of 3 hosts. Alternatively, if
the same email address is reported in 3 different workspaces, the report's Summary of Targeted Users will
show a count of 1 email address.
Host Report
A detailed report about the hosts you tested using IMPACT Pro, grouped by host IP address. Reported data
Includes:
Number of compromised hosts
Services and applications found on each host
Average number of exploited vulnerabilities on those hosts
The CVE names of the vulnerabilities found on each compromised host
94
Getting Started
Getting Started
95
This report is closely linked to the Vulnerability report (see below). (For Network RPT and Client-side RPT
only)
Customization options:
Include application list for each host: Select this option to include detected applications for each host
in the report.
Include closed ports for each host: Select this option to include detected closed ports for each host in
the report.
Black and white charts: Select this option to have charts created in black and white instead of in color.
PCI Vulnerability Validation report

A report containing validation and severity information for vulnerabilities imported from external
vulnerability scanners.
Vulnerability Report
A detailed report about the vulnerabilities that were successfully exploited on each host (versus potential
vulnerabilities). This report provides details for each of the exploited vulnerabilities listed for compromised
hosts in the Host Report. Data includes Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (CVE) as well as Common
Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) details.
Client-Side Penetration Test Report

A detailed report of Client-side Penetration Tests including:
Summary of client-side attack types
Email messages sent to deliver attacks or lure users to a malicious web site
Exploits used in client-side attacks
User Report
A detailed report about all the users that were discovered and targeted as a part of the penetration test.
Getting Started
95
96
Getting Started
Host Based Activity Report

A report showing all modules run for each detected host.
FISMA Exploited Vulnerabilities Report

A report that shows a summary and detailed information of vulnerabilities exploited by IMPACT Pro. This
report is designed to comply with standards and requirements of the U.S. Government Federal Information
Security Management Act (FISMA) and can help you achieve NIST SP 800-53A compliance.
Delta Report
The Delta Report will show a side-by-side comparison of test statistics for any 2 workspaces.
Select 2 workspaces to compare.
Trend Report
A Trend report is a summary report which shows graphically the changes across many work spaces. This
report is only available when Running Reports from the Dashboard.
Timeline to be used in the report: Select the scale of the report as daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or
yearly.
Executive Report
A summary report of all completed penetration test activities and their results. Reported data includes:
Summary of exploited vulnerabilities
Summary of discovered hosts
Summary of targeted users
Most exploited vulnerabilities (overall and by operating system)
96
Getting Started
Getting Started
97
Attack Graph Report
For any attack vector where you have successfully penetrated a system, you can obtain a graphical
representation of the test by running the Attack Graph report. The Attack Graph illustrates your penetration
test by using nodes and edges as in this example:
Figure 6.70. Attack Graph Report Sample
A node represents any participant in the attack - either a system or application.

An edge (arrowed line) represents an attack. The type of edge indicates the type of attack according to the
below key:
Solid
Dashed
Dotted
Network attacks
Client-side attacks
WebApps attacks
Attack Graphs are created using Graphviz, which can be downloaded at www.graphviz.org. Graphs can be
produced in a raw .dot format which can then be edited with Graphviz' gvedit.exe as well as other 3rd
party tools.
Output filename: The name of the file that will contain the attack graph. If you don't change the
Output Filename, the resulting report file will be saved in %programfiles%/CORE Security
Technologies/Impact/bin.
Edge color: The color of the attack lines between nodes (red or black).
Edge detail: Select Full if you want the graph to display each exploit as its own edge. So if there were
14 exploits used, you will see 14 edges. Select Compacted to show a single edge for each attack type
between two nodes. In Compacted mode, you will see edges with different thicknesses. The thick
edges indicate that several attacks were performed between the same two nodes but using different
exploits.
Node detail: This setting determines how much information is displayed per node. With any of these
options, the nodes are shown in tiers based on their distance from the localhost node.
Getting Started
97
98
Getting Started
Full: In this mode, the node displays verbose identification information (IP address, URL or
web browser and version). All other Node Detail modes are compacted in that they display
icons to indicate the type of node.
Compacted BFS (Breadth-First Search): In this mode, each node contains a number in
parentheses that represents the order in which the node was attacked.
Compacted In Degree: In this mode, the nodes contain two numbers. The first number (not in
parentheses) shows the number of distinct exploits with which the node was attacked (this
number would correspond with the number of edges connecting to the node). The number in
parentheses is a rank (starting at 0) based on number of attacks received. For example, a node
showing 34 (0) was attacked with 34 exploits and it was also the node that received the most
attacks. In this mode, you should see localhost as having the highest number rank and no
number of attacks.
Compacted Out Degree: In this mode, the nodes contain two numbers. The first number (not
in parentheses) shows how many attacks originated from the node. The number in parentheses
is a rank (starting at 0) based on number of attacks performed. For example, a node showing 2
(5) performed 2 attacks and there were 5 nodes that performed the same or more attacks.
Activity Report
A detailed report of all modules executed in IMPACT Pro, grouped by date/time run and module.
Log detail level: select from Low, Medium or High.
Include only parent level tasks: Select this option to prevent the report from showing details on
sub-modules.
Wifi Report
Shows detail on all known wireless relationships that have been found while Testing a Wireless Environment.
Running RPT Reports

To run an RPT report:
1. Click the Report Generation step for your RPT. The Report Generation wizard will open.
2. Click Next to begin.
3. Select the report category from the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Report and click the Next button. The report selections in the below image are from the
Client-side Report Generation wizard; options will vary for other RPTs.
Figure 6.71. Report Type
98
Getting Started
Getting Started
99
5. Make any Report customizations that are available. Customizations will vary for the different report
types.
Figure 6.72. Client-side Report Customizations
6. For WebApps RPT Reports only, click the ellipsis ( ) button to choose the scenario(s) for which
you would like a report. Then click the Next button.
7. For certain Network and Client-side RPT Reports, you must select the Workspace(s) for which you
would like a report. On the Workspace Selection page, click the ellipsis ( ) button to choose the
workspace(s) for which the report should run.
8. For any workspace that you want to include in the report, select it on the left (Available Workspaces)
and click the Add button to move it to the Selected Workspaces pane. If you add a workspace that
isn't the currently-opened workspace, you will be prompted for the workspace's password.
Figure 6.73. Workspace Selection
Getting Started
99
100
Getting Started
9. Click the OK button to return to the Report Wizard.

10. Click the Finish button to run the report.
The report will run and automatically display in the Crystal Reports Viewer Window. The following is an
example of an IMPACT Pro Host report displayed in the Crystal Reports Viewer Window:
Figure 6.74. Crystal Reports Viewer Window - IMPACT Pro Host report Example
The main functionality for the Reports Viewer Window is provided by the Export Report, Print Report, and
Toggle Group Tree buttons located on the top left corner of the window. Descriptions of each of these buttons
are provided below.
Toggle Group Tree
Allows you to collapse the Preview Pane for better individual report viewing/processing or expand it
to select from available options (in this case host IPs). This feature is not available on the Client-side
Penetration Test, User, or PCI Vulnerability Validation reports.
Print Report
100
Getting Started
Getting Started
101
Allows you to print your report using the standard Windows Print Dialog Box.
Export Report
Allows you to export your report to your chosen destination in your chosen document format.
If you are exporting your report, the Export Dialog Box will appear and you will be prompted to provide
information on report format and destination, and then the export file location.
Figure 6.75. Report Generation - Export Dialog Box
After you provide this information, the Export Records Dialog Box will appear and export your report.
Running Reports from the Dashboard

Reports can also be executed from the Dashboard which can be more convenient if you want to report on data
across multiple workspaces.
1.
Click the Reports button
The Reports wizard will appear.

3. Select the Report Category from the drop-down menu as either General, Network, Client-side, or
WebApps.
4. Select the report you want to run, then click the Next button.
5. If applicable, select the workspaces for which you want the report to run.
6. If applicable, set any other customization options that are available.
7. Click the Finish button.
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Next

There are several ways that you can export data in order leverage IMPACT Pro's test results.
IMPACT Workspace data

If you have an external system into which you want to import IMPACT Pro workspace data (hosts, entities,
agents, vulnerabilities, etc), you can customize and use the Export IMPACT Workspace to XML File module.
To customize the module:
Getting Started
101
102
Getting Started
1. Make sure the Network Entity tab is active, then locate the Export IMPACT Workspace to XML File
module in the Modules tab (use the search feature or navigate to the Import-Export folder).
2. Right-click on the module, then select Edit.
3. Modify the module .py file as desired, then use Save As to save the file with a new name.
4. Click the Modules menu, then select Reload. This will refresh the modules list and should reveal your
new, custom export module.
SCAP
You can export vulnerability data from IMPACT Pro that is compatible with a Security Content Automation
Protocol (SCAP) system. To do this:
1. Make sure the Network Entity tab is active, then locate the Export results in SCAP xml format
2. In the module parameters window, select the destination of the xml file, then click OK.
3. Navigate in Windows to the location of the export file. You can then use the file with your SCAP
system.
You can also view the publish and last updated dates for the exploits used within IMPACT Pro. To extract
this information, perform the below query from the Windows command line or using a SQL Client connected
to IMPACT Pro's SQL database.
Command Line Query
osql -E -S .\SQLEXPRESS -d corevuln -Q "SELECT 'CVE-' + CAST(vuln_ncve_year AS
VARCHAR) + '-' + CAST(vuln_ncve_number AS VARCHAR) AS CVE, vuln_published AS
Published, vuln_lastchange AS LastChange FROM corevuln.dbo.vulnerability"
SQL Client Query
SELECT 'CVE-' + CAST(vuln_ncve_year AS VARCHAR) + '-' + CAST(vuln_ncve_number AS
VARCHAR) AS CVE, vuln_published AS Published, vuln_lastchange AS LastChange FROM
corevuln.dbo.vulnerability
PCI Connect Format

You can export workspace data in XML format acceptable for importing to the QualysGuard PCI Connect
format. To do this:
1. Make sure the Network Entity tab is active, then locate the Export results in PCI Connect format
2. Double-click the module.
3. In the module parameters window, select the destination of the xml file, then click OK.
4. Navigate in Windows to the location of the export file. You can then use the file with QualysGuard.
Windows Account Hashes

IMPACT Pro can export account hashes that can then be used by a password cracking tool to discover the
actual passwords (see Obtaining and Utilizing User Credentials for more details). To perform this export:
1. Make sure the Network Entity tab is active, then locate the Export Windows Accounts hashes to LCP
2. Double-click the module.
3. In the module parameters window, enter the Export File Path as the destination of the export file, then
click OK.
4. Navigate in Windows to the location of the export file. You can then use the file with an external
password cracking tool.
102
Getting Started
Using IMPACT
Prev
Reports
103
Up
Home
Part II. Using IMPACT
Prev
Next
Next
Using IMPACT
Table of Contents
7. Managing Workspaces
Closing a Workspace
8. Testing a Wireless Environment
Join WiFi Network
9. Working with Modules
Running Modules
Stopping Modules
Resuming Modules
Custom Modules
Macro Modules
10. Controlling Agents
Deploying Agents
11. IMPACT Pro Entities
View
Client Side View
Web View
Managing Entities
Entity Details
Entity Properties
12. Integration
13. Obtaining and Utilizing User Credentials
Using IMPACT
103
104
Using IMPACT

14. Understanding Licenses
15. Setting Console Options
Modules
Agents
Entities
Network
One-step RPT
User Actions
Search Engines
Community Usage
Other
16. CVE and IMPACT Pro
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Chapter 7. Managing Workspaces
Next
Next

Table of Contents
Closing a Workspace
Every penetration test in IMPACT Pro is run within a workspace. A workspace is a place where information
regarding a specific test is stored. If you completed the exercises in the IMPACT Pro Quickstart chapter, you
have already created a workspace. This chapter walks you through the workspace creation procedure in
greater depth, and also teaches you how to close, remove, and import/export Workspaces.
The information in any IMPACT Pro workspace includes the following:
The Entity Database. Information about the target network, users or web pages acquired during the
penetration test. This includes (but is not limited to) discovered targets, their properties and deployed
agents.
The Executed Modules log. Information related to the modules you have run such as time, duration,
status, source agent, parameters, and generated output.
Note
All workspace information is stored in the Console's database, which is found in an .mdf file in the SQL
Server directory that corresponds with IMPACT Pro.
104
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
Prev
Prev
105
Up
Home
Next
Next

To create a workspace, follow this procedure:
1. Choose File->New workspace from IMPACT Pro's main menu or click on the New Workspace icon
( ) on the toolbar. The New Workspace Wizard appears.
2. The Workspace name is required and can be up to 200 characters long but cannot contain any of the
following characters:
\ / : * ? " < >|
The remainder of the form is useful only for reference purposes. It can be viewed or updated at any
time by selecting File->Properties from IMPACT Pro's main menu. Use these fields as needed:
Company name: The name of the company where the penetration test is being conducted.
Contact name: The name of a contact inside the (client company) related to this particular
engagement.
Contact phone number: The phone number of the client contact.
Contact e-mail: The email address of the client contact.
Location: The location of the client.
Workspace comment: Any comments about the workspace and the tests to be performed
within it.
Engagement start date and dealine
Click Next after entering a name for the new workspace.
Figure 7.1. New Workspace Wizard
3. If you are using a Consulting/Engagement license, when you create a new workspace, you must
Using IMPACT
105
106
Using IMPACT
assign an appropriate license to it. For enterprise licenses, the General License is the default for all
Workspaces. Currently-installed licenses will be displayed in the Available licenses panel of the New
Workspace Wizard Dialog Box. Refer to Understanding Licenses for more information about using
different IMPACT Pro licenses. Click Next after you choose the desired license.
Figure 7.2. New Workspace Wizard
4. A Workspace key is generated every time a new workspace is created. This key is only used for
communication with remote agents that perform client authentication. This means that different users
of IMPACT Pro use different workspace keys and will not be able to connect to the same agents. It is
important to note that this key does not currently protect the information inside IMPACT Pro's
database, and that its sole purpose is to protect the workspace's deployed agents from being accessed
by another IMPACT Pro workspace.
Enter a pass phrase in the Passphrase field and re-enter it for verification in the Retype passphrase
field. This pass phrase is used to protect the key material that is generated by the wizard. The pass
phrase must be at least 8 characters in length. After entering a pass phrase, move the mouse inside the
rectangle on the right to generate a new key pair, and click Next. Refer to the section called Crypto
Channel for more information on how IMPACT Pro uses this key pair.
Figure 7.3. Key Generation Dialog Box
106
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
107
5. After checking that all the information displayed in the Completing the New Workspace Wizard
Dialog Box is correct, click Finish. The new workspace is created and will automatically open.
Figure 7.4. Completing the New Workspace Wizard Dialog Box
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

To open an existing IMPACT Pro workspace, follow this procedure.
Using IMPACT
107
108
Using IMPACT
1. Select File->Open workspace from IMPACT Pro's main menu or click on the Open Workspace icon
(
) on the toolbar. The Open Workspace Dialog Box appears.
Figure 7.5. Open Workspace
2. Click on the workspace you wish to open, enter the corresponding pass phrase, and click the OK
button. Please note that although only one workspace can be opened at a time, a single workspace can
be used to test multiple hosts and networks.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Closing a Workspace
Next
Closing a Workspace
Next
Closing a Workspace
To close the active workspace, choose File->Close workspace from IMPACT Pro's main menu. If there are
modules running when you close a workspace (or shut down IMPACT Pro), you will be asked if you want to
stop running modules:
Yes: The workspace (or IMPACT Pro) will be closed and all running modules will be stopped.
No: The workspace (or IMPACT Pro) will be closed and all running modules will remain running.
Any exploits launched after the workspace is closed will be able to register agents with IMPACT Pro
and will be visible in the Entity Database when you subsequently open the workspace.
Cancel: The workspace will not be closed and all running modules will remain running.
Figure 7.6. Stop Running Modules Prompt
When you close a workspace, all in-memory (non-persistent) agents deployed from that workspace will be
uninstalled automatically.
108
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
Prev
Prev
109
Up
Home
Next
Next
To permanently remove a workspace, choose File->Delete workspace from IMPACT Pro's main menu. The
Delete Workspace Dialog Box will appear. Check the workspace(s) you wish to delete and click the Delete
button. The workspace(s) will be removed from the Console's database.
Prev
Closing a Workspace
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Next

IMPACT Pro allows you to move Workspaces from one database file to another. This functionality is useful
when you wish to share workspace information among several different users, or for purposes of data backup.
You can import Workspaces into and export Workspaces out of any IMPACT Pro database file. A single
database file can hold multiple Workspaces at the same time. Before importing or exporting Workspaces,
close any active workspace to ensure that the database is not being updated. Import/Export features are
disabled when there is an active workspace open in the console.
The Import/Export Wizard will guide you through the process of importing or exporting Workspaces from
different database formats. To use the Wizard, first ensure that all Workspaces are closed, and then follow one
of the below procedures:
Import a Workspace
Export a Workspace
Import a Workspace
Follow the below procedure to import a workspace into IMPACT Pro:.
1. If you have a workspace opened, close it by navigating to File->Close Workspace.
2. Navigate to Tools->Import/Export Workspaces from IMPACT Pro's main menu. When the
Import/Export Workspace Wizard appears, click Next.
Figure 7.7. Choose a Data Source Dialog Box
Using IMPACT
109
110
Using IMPACT
3. Using the drop-down menu, select the Data source type of the import file as either Microsoft Access
or Microsoft SQL Server.
If you select Microsoft Access, you must specify the location of the file to be imported, either by
entering its full path in the File name field or by clicking on the ellipsis button (
and selecting the file. Click Next.
) and navigating to
To export a workspace from your IMPACT Pro installation, select IMPACT's Database as the Data
source type and click Next.
Figure 7.8. Select a Workspace Dialog Box
110
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
111
4. Click the ellipsis button ( ) then navigate to and select the source file. Click the Open button to
return to the Import Wizard.
Figure 7.9. Choose a Data Source
Click Next.
5. Select a workspace from the next dialogue box. This will be the workspace that will be imported.
Figure 7.10. Select a Workspace
Using IMPACT
111
112
Using IMPACT

6. From the drop-down menu, select the destination of the import. To have the import reside in IMPACT
Pro, select IMPACT's Database.
Figure 7.11. Choose a destination

7. Click the Finish button and the Import operation will begin.
Figure 7.12. Completing the Import Workspace Wizard
112
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
113
Export a Workspace
Follow the below procedure to export a workspace from IMPACT Pro:.
1. If you have a workspace opened, close it by navigating to File->Close Workspace.
2. Navigate to Tools->Import/Export Workspaces from IMPACT Pro's main menu. When the
Import/Export Workspace Wizard appears, click Next.
3. To export a workspace from your IMPACT Pro installation, select IMPACT's Database as the Data
source type.
Figure 7.13. Choose a Data Source Dialog Box
Using IMPACT
113
114
Using IMPACT

4. Select the workspace that you wish to export from the Select a Workspace list.
Figure 7.14. Select a Workspace Dialog Box

5. Using the drop-down menu, select the Data destination type for the workspace as Microsoft SQL
Server.
Then click the ellipsis button (
114
) to define the destination source file for the export.

Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
115
Figure 7.15. Choose a destination Dialog Box

6. Click the Finish button and the Export operation will begin.
Figure 7.16. Completing the Export Workspace Wizard Dialog Box
Prev
Using IMPACT
Up
Home
Next
115
116
Using IMPACT
Chapter 8. Testing a Wireless
Environment
Chapter 8. Testing a Wireless Environment
Prev
Next

Table of Contents
Join WiFi Network
The use of 802.11 wireless networks (WiFi) is increasing throughout the enterprise. With WiFi, security
professionals are presented with a new realm of challenges as attackers no longer need to be physically
plugged in to access information systems. IMPACT Pro provides several ways in which testers can evaluate
the security of these wireless networks which serve as both keepers of and conduits to sensitive data.
Although the WiFi tests are not among IMPACT Pro's Rapid Penetration Test (RPT), they are simple to
launch and easy to integrate into one's penetration testing practice. The WiFi tests are executed from the
Modules View so, if you are not already familiar with how to run modules directly, review Working With
Modules. Additionally, see Wireless Vector Reporting for how to report on your wireless penetration test
results.
When you discover wireless networks, they will be represented in the Network tab of the Entity view as
shown below.
Figure 8.1. Wireless Entities
The below tests are specifically designed for use on WiFi networks. The modules are available by navigating
to the Modules View and expanding the WiFi folder (ensure that the Network entity tab is active):
116
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
117

Join WiFi Network
Note
IMPACT Pro's WiFi vector capabilities require the use of an AirPcap adapter from CACE Technologies
(www.cacetech.com or http://www.cacetech.com/products/airpcap.html). At a minimum, AirPcap
Classic&"navfooter">
Prev
Up
Home
Prev
Next
Next

The Access Point Discovery module is an information gathering procedure that will report any detectable
wireless networks as well as any devices connected to them. To run the module:
1. Ensure that the Network Entity tab is active, then click the Modules view.
2. Expand the WiFi folder, then the Information Gathering folder. This will reveal the Access Point
Discovery module.
3. Double-click the Access Point Discovery module. This will open the module's parameters.
4. Adjust any parameters as needed, then click the OK button.
CHANNELS: Sets the wireless channels on which the module should sniff for traffic.
DELAY_BETWEEN_HOPS: The number of seconds the module will wait before sniffing
the next channel.
STOP_AFTER: The variable to determine when the module should stop sniffing and report
its output. Choose either Hours, Minutes, Packets, or Seconds.
VALUE: The value that corresponds with the STOP_AFTER value.
The module will run and you can view its progress in the Module Log pane.
5. When it completes, if any wireless networks were detected, they will appear in the Wireless folder of
the Network entity view. If any clients were detected, they will appear under the access point.
Prev
Chapter 8. Testing a Wireless
Environment
Prev
Up
Home
Next

Next

The Wireless AirPcap Traffic Sniffer module will report on all detectable wireless network traffic. The output
will be a .pcap file - in order to read and analyze the file, you will need to use Wireshark, a network protocol
analyzer available at www.wireshark.org. Additionally, make sure that your Wireshark executable path is set
in Other Options.
To run the module:
Using IMPACT
117
118
Using IMPACT
2. Expand the WiFi folder, then the Information Gathering folder. This will reveal the Wireless AirPcap
Traffic Sniffer module.
3. Double-click the Wireless AirPcap Traffic Sniffer module. This will open the module's parameters.
4. Modify the parameters as needed, then click the OK button.:
FILENAME: Determines the location and name of the .pcap file that will be produced by the
module.
CHANNELS: Sets the wireless channels on which the module should sniff for traffic.
DELAY_BETWEEN_HOPS: The number of seconds the module will wait before sniffing
the next channel.
STOP_AFTER: The variable to determine when the module should stop sniffing and report
its output. Choose either Hours, Minutes, Packets, or Seconds.
LAUNCH_WIRESHARK: If YES, Wireshark will automatically launch and open the
resulting .pcap file. If set to NO, you will have to manually locate and open the .pcap file.
WIRESHARK_PATH: Set the path to the Wireshark executable if you have set
LAUNCH_WIRESHARK to YES.
Figure 8.2. Wireless AirPcap Traffic Sniffer Parameters
5. When it completes, the .pcap file will open if you set the LAUNCH_WIRESHARK parameter to
YES. Otherwise, locate and open the resulting .pcap file to review and analyze the wireless traffic.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

The Crack WEP WiFi Network module attempts to penetrate a wireless access point that uses WEP security.
To run the module:
118
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
119
2. Expand the WiFi folder, then the Attack folder. This will reveal the Crack WEP WiFi Network
module.
3. Double-click the Crack WEP WiFi Network module (or drag and drop the module onto the access
point that you wish to target). This will open the module's parameters.
4. Modify the parameters as needed, then click the OK button.:
TARGET: Determines the target access point.
STOP_AFTER: The variable to determine when the module should stop. Choose either
Hours, Minutes, Packets, or Seconds.
Figure 8.3. Crack WEP WiFi Network Parameters
5. If the module succeeds, IMPACT Pro will store the WEP key with the targeted access point in the
entity view. At this point, you could run the Join WiFi Network module and attempt to connect to the
access point.
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Next
Prev

The Crack WPA-PSK WiFi Network module attempts to gain access to a wireless access point that uses WPA
security. For WPA2 networks, use the Crack WPA2-PSK WiFi Network module.
To run the module:
2. Expand the WiFi folder, then the Attack folder. This will reveal the Crack WPA-PSK WiFi Network
module.
3. Double-click the Crack WPA-PSK WiFi Network module (or drag and drop the module onto the
access point that you wish to target). This will open the module's parameters.
4. Modify the parameters as needed, then click the OK button:
Using IMPACT
119
120
Using IMPACT
DICT_PATH: The path to a dictionary of possible WPA passphrases. By default, this
dictionary file is provided, but you can modify this file, use your own or check our customer
service forums for related resources.
PASSIVE: If true, the module will wait for a device to log onto the network and try to
intercept the "handshake" between the device and the access point. If false, the module will
attempt to force one or more connected devices to disconnect. As most devices are configured
to do so, they will automatically try and reconnect to the network. The Crack WPA-PSK
WiFi Network module will then get to capture the WPA "handshake".
Figure 8.4. Crack WPA-PSK WiFi Network Parameters
5. If the module succeeds, IMPACT Pro will store the WPA details along with the access point in the
entity view. At this point, you could run the Join WiFi Network module and attempt to connect to the
access point.
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Next

The Station Deauthentication Flood module provides a way for testers to run a Denial of Service (DoS) attack
on one or more wireless targets. This module can be used to demonstrate how an attacker with wireless access
could disrupt a network.
Note
This is the method used by the Crack WPA-PSK WiFi Network module to force devices to disconnect from
the network
To run the module:
120
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
121
2. Expand the WiFi folder, then the Denial of Service folder. This should reveal the Station
Deauthentication Flood module.
3. Double-click the Station Deauthentication Flood module (or drag-and-drop the module onto the
wireless access point that you wish to attack). This will open the module's parameters.
4. Modify the parameters as needed, then click the OK button:
STOP_AFTER: The variable to determine when the module should stop. Choose either
Hours, Minutes, Packets, or Seconds.
Figure 8.5. Station Deauthentication Flood
Prev
Up
Home
Join WiFi Network
Prev
Next
Join WiFi Network
Next
Join WiFi Network

In order to join a wireless network that IMPACT Pro has detected, you can use the Join WiFi Network
module. This modules configures the Windows WiFi interface to join the selected WiFi network.
To run the module:
2. Expand the WiFi folder. This will reveal the Join WiFi Network module.
3. Double-click the Join WiFi Network module (or drag-and-drop the module onto the wireless access
point that you wish to join). This will open the module's parameters.
4. Enter a target access point, then click the OK button.
5. When it completes, you will be connected to the access point and can perform other IMPACT Pro
capabilities on this network.
Using IMPACT
121
122
Prev
Prev
Using IMPACT
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 9. Working with Modules
Next

Table of Contents
Running Modules
Stopping Modules
Resuming Modules
Custom Modules
Macro Modules
IMPACT Pro modules are the mechanisms that underlie the RPTs - they are your individual tools for
penetration testing. Modules help you complete simple tasks such as resolving hostnames or very complex
ones such as exploiting a buffer overflow vulnerability on a remote host. When you perform a Rapid
Penetration Test (RPT), the system executes individual modules behind the scenes for you. Modules can be
executed individually, or you can use modules to execute other modules. These macro modules execute other
modules in the manner and order you desire.
Individual modules can be accessed from the Modules View of the Console, shown below.
Figure 9.1. Modules View - Individual Modules Displayed
On the Modules View, modules are organized into folders (also known as 'categories') that refer to the
module's general purpose or use. When you select a module, information such as version and a description of
what the module does is displayed in the Quick Information Panel at the bottom of the Console.
122
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
123
The list of available modules is automatically created from IMPACT Pro's module directory when you open
the first workspace. This list can be recreated at any time by selecting Modules->Reload from IMPACT Pro's
drop-down menu.
The Modules view will only show modules that are applicable for the currently-select entity view. For
example, if the Client Side entity view is active, only modules that apply to client-side testing will be visible
in the Modules View.
Additionally, the Modules view automatically highlights modules that are applicable to the object type that is
selected (if any) in the entity view. For example, if a host with a known operating system is currently-selected
in the Network entity view, IMPACT Pro will highlight only those modules in the Modules view that work on
or against that specific host's operating system. Note that you can run a non-highlighted module to try to
validate an assumption on the target's operating system. The colors used for highlighting can be changed in
the Modules category of the Options Dialog Box (Tools->Options) - see Modules Options.
Refer to IMPACT Pro's Module Reference documentation for an in-depth look at each of IMPACT Pro's
modules.
Prev
Join WiFi Network
Prev
Up
Home
Running Modules
Next
Running Modules
Next
Running Modules
To run a module, you can either double-click on it or drag and drop it onto a target. Some modules will
require additional parameters be set prior to execution. When you run a module, the Module Parameters
Dialog Box appears. Each module specifies the parameters it needs. The first time a module is executed,
default values are used for all parameters.
For information about a specific parameter and its possible values, select the parameter in the Module
Parameters Dialog Box and press F1 to display contextual help describing the selected parameter.
Figure 9.2. Module Parameters Dialog Box
Using IMPACT
123
124
Using IMPACT
When you launch a module, the TARGET value in the Module Parameters Dialog Box is automatically set to
the currently-selected object in the Entity View Panel. All the remaining parameters are set to their default
values. You can change these values before clicking OK, which will execute the module. Some modules, such
as modules in the Shells category, do not need any parameters.
Dragging and Dropping Modules

The most common way of executing a module is to drag and drop it onto a valid target in the Entity View
Panel. This method is particularly convenient when the module needs a target with which to interact.
Whenever a module is dropped onto an entity, the TARGET parameter in the Module Parameters Dialog Box
is automatically set to the name of that entity (modules can also be dropped over a group of entities, see the
section called Multiple Targets for more information). If the module does not require a TARGET
parameter, dragging and dropping has the same effect as double-clicking it.
Some modules that typically require a target for execution are the different port scanners, RPC endpoint
mapper, and OS identification and attack modules, including client-side exploits.
Some modules specify the class of TARGET they work with (agents, hosts, emails, etc.). When dragging and
dropping these modules, the Console will only allow you to drop them onto targets of a valid class.
Specifying Host Ranges

Modules that work with IP addresses accept address ranges instead of a host. These modules use the
TARGETRANGE parameter instead of TARGET in the Module Parameters Dialog Box. These ranges follow
the syntax specified in the table below.
Table 9.1. Host Range Syntax

192.168.1.0/24
Specific ranges 192.168.1.*
192.168.1.0-255
Multiple ranges
124
192.168.1.*; 192.168.2.0/26
192.168.1.1-4,8,9; 192.168.2.100-120
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
You can also specify these ranges by clicking on the ellipsis button (
parameter's Value column.
125
) next to the TARGETRANGE
Figure 9.3. Select Ranges Dialog Box
The Select Ranges Dialog Box lets you add ranges in four different ways:
Single IP. A single IP address.
IP Range. A continuous range of IP address starting on the From address to the To address.
CIDR Notation. A network in the CIDR format, where the first four numbers specify the network
name and the number on the right side of the slash represents the number of "1"s in the binary
representation of the network's netmask.
Import From File. A text file with a list of IP addresses and/or ranges. Click on the ellipsis button to
browse for the file.
Click on the Add button as many times as necessary to build the desired target range. Click OK when you are
done. The TARGETRANGE parameter will reflect your changes.
Multiple Targets
You can execute any module against a network folder using any of the methods described above. IMPACT
Pro's Console will behave differently during this operation according to whether the module accepts host
ranges or not.
If the module accepts host ranges (receives a TARGETRANGE parameter), the Console will not update the
TARGETRANGE parameter since it denotes an IP list and might not make sense when dropping over a
folder. Typically, modules that need TARGETRANGE create new objects rather than work with existing
ones.
If the module does not accept host ranges (receives a TARGET parameter), a ";" -separated list of hosts with
the selected folder contents will be automatically created and set as the TARGET parameter for the module.
Upon execution, the module will iterate over each one and process them.
You can also specify multiple target hosts for a given module by clicking on the ellipsis button next to the
TARGET parameter's Value column.
Using IMPACT
125
126
Using IMPACT
Figure 9.4. Multiple TARGET selection
Using the TARGET selection dialog, you can select the specific hosts you wish to target by
checking/unchecking the check-box to the left of each host's name. When you are finished, click OK and you
will be returned to the Module Parameters dialog. The TARGET parameter will be set to the selected hosts.
Specifying Port Ranges

Modules that require a set of port numbers to do their work will ask you to provide a value for the PORT
RANGE parameter. This parameter can be a list of comma-separated port numbers and ranges (as in
"22,23,80,100-200"), a list of predefined port ranges, or a combination of both. IMPACT Pro includes three
predefined port ranges:
DYNAMIC. Includes all the default TCP ports relevant to the currently-installed remote exploits. For
126
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
127
instance, if IMPACT Pro only had two exploits, one for SSH and the other for SMTP, then the
DYNAMIC port range would be equivalent to "22,25".
TCP Common. Includes default TCP ports for known TCP services.
UDP Common. Includes default UDP ports for known UDP services.
You can select any combination of these predefined port ranges by using the Port Range Selection Dialog box.
To open this dialog box click on the Value column for the PORT RANGE parameter and click on the ellipsis
( ) button.
Figure 9.6. Port Range Selection Dialog Box
To select/unselect a given port range check/uncheck the check-box to the left of the range's name. You can
add an additional range by typing it in the Additional ports field at the bottom of the dialog box.
You can also define additional port ranges and give them a name for future reference. To add a new range,
click on the New button. The Port Range Groups dialog appears.
Figure 9.7. Port Range Groups Dialog Box
To add a new range, click on the

button. When finished click OK. Your new port range will be listed
along with the predefined ranges, and you can now use it either by itself or in combination with other port
ranges.
Using IMPACT
127
128
Using IMPACT
Launching Recently-executed Modules

The Console tracks modules you have recently executed and allows you to launch these modules from the
Entity View Panel by right clicking on the desired target and selecting a module from the Recent Modules list.
Figure 9.8. Recent Modules Command
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Stopping Modules
Next
Stopping Modules
Next
Stopping Modules
To stop a running module (thereby canceling its execution), right-click on the module in the Executed
Modules Panel and select Stop from the context menu. You can also issue the Stop All command from the
Modules drop-down menu in order to stop all running modules. The module's state changes from Running to
Stopped.
When running a module, an agent might have to wait for a system call to finish. Stopping a module in this
state will effectively uninstall the agent, since it is not possible to interrupt the remote blocking operation.
When this condition arises, IMPACT Pro will display a warning message and ask for confirmation. Note that
the module may terminate while the Console is waiting for user confirmation. If this happens, uninstalling the
agent is no longer necessary and closing the dialog is sufficient to stop the module.
Figure 9.9. Executed Modules Panel - Stop Module
128
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
Prev
Running Modules
Prev
129
Up
Home
Resuming Modules
Next
Resuming Modules
Next
Resuming Modules
If a Client-side or agent-packaging module is stopped, you may be able to resume it from the Executed
Modules pane and it will rerun with its original settings. If it can be resumed, its Resumable value will be set
to Yes. A module must successfully register its dependencies and establish its environment before it becomes
resumable. If it is stopped before this, it will not be resumable and will have to be restarted manually from the
Modules View.
To resume a stopped module, right-click on the module in the Executed Modules Panel and select Resume
from the context menu.
Figure 9.10. Executed Modules Panel - Resume Module
Prev
Stopping Modules
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Next

IMPACT Pro allows you to run certain tests on an automated schedule, giving you a lights-out approach to
your penetration tests. When you schedule a test, the test creates and runs in its own Workspace.
You can run the following tests with the Scheduler:
Using IMPACT
129
130
Using IMPACT
Client-side Vulnerability Test
With the Scheduler, you can do the following:

Create new scheduled tests
Manage existing scheduled tests
View executed scheduled tests
The Scheduler window contains the following components:
The Modules list shows the available tests that can be scheduled.
The Scheduled Tasks tab shows all tests that are scheduled to run. It also lists their frequency, when
they were last executed, and any errors that occurred during their last run.
The Executed Scheduled Tasks tab shows a log of all tests that have been executed.
To create a new scheduled test:
1. Navigate on the menu bar to Modules->Scheduler...
Figure 9.11. Scheduler
2. Click on the desired test in the Modules pane.

The test wizard will appear.
3. Enter a name for your Scheduled Test, then complete the wizard. For more details on these tests, see
the respective chapter:
Client-side Vulnerability Test
4. The final form of the wizard will contain schedule frequency. Select the date and time that the test
should first run. Then select how often the test should run.
Figure 9.12. Scheduled Task Frequency
130
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
131

The newly-scheduled test will appear in the Scheduled Tasks list.
To remove a task from the scheduler, simply right-click on the task in the Scheduled Tasks list and
select Delete.
To start a task immediately, right-click on the task and select Start now.
Note
Only 3 scheduled tasks can be running concurrently. If a 4th task begins, it will fail and will need to be run
again manually or according to its next scheduled run. For this reason, be sure your scheduled tasks are set to
run at appropriate intervals.
You can also see a list of tests that have run via the Scheduler in the Executed Scheduled Tasks pane.
Click on a task to view its details and output in the lower pane of the Scheduler.
To stop a task, right-click the task and select Stop.
Each scheduled task runs in its own workspace. To view the task running in its own workspace,
right-click the task and select Open.
Once a scheduled task has completed, it is listed on the IMPACT Pro Dashboard. To view the workspace and
interact with the scheduled task's modules, click the link on the dashboard.
Figure 9.13. Dashboard: Executed scheduled tasks
The list of Executed scheduled tasks on the Dashboard will show all unviewed workspaces in the order in
which their scheduled tasks completed, followed by all viewed workspaces in the order in which their
scheduled tasks completed.
Using IMPACT
131
132
Using IMPACT
Prev
Resuming Modules
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Next

Whenever a module changes execution status (starts executing, finishes, aborts with an error, or is cancelled
by the user), a log entry is filed within the workspace's database. This information is available to you in the
Executed Modules Panel.
Figure 9.14. Executed Modules Panel
This panel provides information related to specific executions of a module. It uses the fields described in the
table below.
Table 9.2. Executed Modules Panel Field Descriptions
Field name
Description
Name of the module that is executing/was executed and an icon describing the status of its
Name
execution
Started
Date and time the module was started
Finished
Date and time the module finished executing
Status
Current execution status
Source Agent Name of the agent selected as source when the module was executed
Resumable Displays whether the module can be restarted from the Executed Modules pane (Yes or No)
Table 9.3. Executed Module Status Definitions
Icon
132
Status
Initializing
Running
Stopped
Stopped and Resumable
Definition
The module is initializing but has yet to start executing
The module is running
The module has been cancelled by the user
The module has stopped but can be resumed in the Executed Modules pane
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
Aborted
Finished
133
The module has aborted execution due to an error condition
The module has finished executing
Prev
Up
Home
Prev
Next
Next

Executed modules produce two kinds of output: formatted output (referred to in this document simply as
'Output') and unformatted or debug output. You can view both types of output in the Executed Module Info
Panel located just below the Executed Modules Panel on the Console. The Executed Module Info Panel
displays information related to the currently selected module in the Executed Modules list. To display
information about another module, select that module in the Executed Modules Panel.
Figure 9.15. Executed Module Output Panel
This panel can display three different types of information regarding the executed module: Output, Log, and
Parameters. Select the type of information you wish to view using the tabs at the bottom of the window.
Module Output
The Module Output Tab shows the formatted output report of the module. Each module reports
different information on this tab depending on its goal and the results obtained.
Module Log
The Module Log Tab shows all the logging/debugging information messages that a module produced
while executing. The level of detail included in these messages is specific to each module.
There are three logging levels of detail for Log messages: HIGH, MEDIUM and LOW. A higher level
will display more details. You can configure this tab to display messages at any of these logging
levels. To change the current detail level, right-click in the Executed Module Info Panel when this tab
is active and select your desired detail level from the context menu.
Figure 9.16. Setting Detail Level on Module Log Tab
Using IMPACT
133
134
Using IMPACT
Module Parameters
The Module Parameters Tab displays the parameters that were used when the module was initially
executed. This information is important because in order to correctly assess the results of a module
execution, you must know which parameters were set when the module was run. The Parameters Tab
holds all the parameters and values that were used for a particular module execution.
Figure 9.17. Module Parameters Tab
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

You can search for currently-installed modules using the Search box (
located at the top of the Modules Panel of the Console.
You can (optionally) first select from the following search criteria using the
button of the Search box:
All. A combination of all of the different criteria.

Category. Partial match of the module's category (Agents, Denial of Service, etc.).
CVE. Partial match of the module's associated CVE name (mostly related to exploit modules).
Examples: "2003", "2003-0719", "CVE-2003-0722". When searching for a specific vulnerability by
CVE name, it is recommended that you omit the "CAN"/"CVE" at the beginning of the name.
134
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
135
Name. Partial match of the module's name. Examples: "IIS", "apache", "discovery", "SSL".
Service. Exact match of the module's target service (mostly related to exploits). Examples: "http",
"https", "smtp", "netbios-ssn".
Supported System. Partial match of the module's supported systems (generally related to exploit
modules). Examples: "windows", "solaris", "sp4", "windows 2000 server - sp2".
Application. Partial match of the application that the modules can target (generally related to exploit
modules).
Figure 9.18. Modules Tab - Search Box Search Criteria
Next, type your desired search text in the Search box. The Modules Panel automatically displays the search
results. To clear your search and display all modules again, click on the Clear Search (
) button located to
the right of the Search box. Remember, the Modules view will only show modules that are applicable for the
active Entity View. For example, if the Client Side entity tab is active, only modules that are applicable for
client-side testing will appear in the Modules view.
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Editing/Deleting Modules from the
Home
Modules Panel
Next

To edit a module, right click on it in the Modules Panel and select Edit from its context menu. The configured
editor for .py files will be opened for the selected module. For this operation to succeed, a text editor must be
defined in the Modules Options, accessible from the Tools drop-down menu..
Figure 9.19. Edit Module Command
Using IMPACT
135
136
Using IMPACT
To delete a module, right-click on it in the Modules Panel and select Delete from its context menu. Note that
deleting a module from this panel deletes it from the Modules View and moves the python file to the Deleted
Files folder.
Figure 9.20. Delete Module Command
You can refresh the currently available modules list at any time by selecting Modules->Reload from IMPACT
Pro's main menu.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Custom Modules
Next
Custom Modules
Next
Custom Modules
The modules that perform IMPACT Pros security tests are constantly being updated with the latest threats.
The power to create these modules is accessible to all users through IMPACT Pro's open, standard Python
language interface. The New Module Wizard makes this even easier by guiding the user through the process
of creating module templates, which they then simply populate with Python script.
Important
This process requires a working knowledge of the Python Programming Language. See
http://www.python.org for more information.
136
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
137
Creating a Custom Module

To create a new module:
1. Navigate in IMPACT Pro's menu bar to Modules->New Module...
2. The New Module Wizard will open. Click the Next button to proceed.
3. Complete the first form with the following details:
Name: The name of the module as it will appear in the modules list.
File name: The Python (.py) file where the module will be written and stored in the file
system.
Category: The location in the Modules list where the new module will reside. By default,
custom modules are saved in the My Modules folder, but you can change this by clicking on
the ellipsis button ( ) and selecting a new location.
Brief description: Optional description of the module. This description cannot contain special
characters or carriage returns.
Figure 9.21. New Module Wizard - Module Name and Description
Click the Next button after the form is complete.

4. In the Module Parameters box, click the plus sign (
) icon to add a new parameter to the module.

To subsequently remove a parameter, select it and click the delete ( ) icon.
Figure 9.22. New Module Wizard - Module Parameters
Using IMPACT
137
138
Using IMPACT
5. For each parameter, enter the following attributes:

Type: The category of parameter. For example, ip_range, string, ports, os, etc.
Name: The name of the parameter. For example, TARGET, Operating System, Port Numbers,
etc.
Default Value: The default value of the parameter when the module is executed.
Description: A brief description of the parameter.
When all parameters are established, click the Next button.
6. On the final page of the wizard, you will see confirmation that you have provided all the required
information.
Click the Finish button and the Module will be created.
You can view the progress of the generation process by selecting the New Module Generator module
in the Executed Modules panel, then clicking on the Module Log tab.
Figure 9.23. Module Log from New Module Generator
138
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
139
7. Once it is created, the new .py file will open automatically in your default text editor.
Important
At this point, the module is not complete. It is only a template that still needs to be customized before
it will be functional.
Inside of the .py file, you will find commented guidance on how to edit and complete your new
module.
Modify your .py file as needed, then save and close the file. Your new module can then be managed
just as any other module in IMPACT Pro.
Debugging a Module
IMPACT Pro supports open Python debugging tools to make the creation of custom modules easier and more
efficient. This also enables customization and reuse of all the modules included with IMPACT Pro.
Note the following:
You can only debug one module at a time.
The debugger cannot be attached to a module that was launched before the Attach debugger to
running modules setting was enabled.
Before you can use debugging for a module, you will need to download and install the following packages:
Python 2.5.2 for Windows: Download from the following link: http://www.python.org/download
WxPython Unicode 2.8: Download from the following link:
http://www.wxpython.org/download.php#binaries
Winpdb Client 1.4.0: Download from the following link:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=145018
Winpdb Server: This is an IMPACT Pro package containing the debugger's server-side library named
rpdb2.py. Download from the following location:
http://cs.coresecurity.com/files/professional/Winpdb_Debugger_Library_Version_1.imp.
After downloading this update, install it by running the IMPACT Pro module named Install IMPACT
modules from file. Set the module FILENAME parameter to the path of the downloaded file before
clicking the OK button.
Using IMPACT
139
140
Using IMPACT
Figure 9.24. Install IMPACT Pro Module From File
Once the debugging packages are in place, you can debug your IMPACT Pro modules with the following
steps:
1. Ensure that the Attach debugger to running modules option is enabled in the Modules options page
(Tools->Options).
Figure 9.25. Modules Options: Attach Debugger to Running Modules
2. Execute your custom module (or any module) from the Modules View.
3. You may see a pop-up warning message stating that the Winpdb client needs to be started before
debugging can proceed. The pop-up also notes that the debugger should be attached to IMPACT Pro
using the password 'root'.
To resolve this, follow these steps. (If you run into problems with Winpdb, consult the Winpdb
documentation for more information):
a. Click the OK button.
b. Start Winpdb.
c. In Winpdb, navigate to File->Password and set the password to: root.
140
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
141
d. Navigate to File->Attach and attach Winpdb to IMPACT Pro.
e. Return to IMPACT Pro.

The module that you started should still be running.
4. Select the module in the Executed Modules pane and view the Module Log tab. If debugging is
active, you should see the text **** Debugging mode is enabled followed by detailed traceback
information.
Figure 9.26. Module Log in Debugging Mode
Prev
Editing/Deleting Modules from the
Modules Panel
Prev
Using IMPACT
Up
Home
Macro Modules
Next
Macro Modules
Next
141
142
Using IMPACT
Macro Modules
Macro Modules allow you to combine multiple IMPACT Pro modules into a single module package and then
to execute it on your target systems. With Macro Modules, you can automate common tasks that are usually
run in sequence with some preset parameters. For instance, the Information Gathering Example Macro in the
My Macros module folder will do the following:
1. Run the Network Discovery - ICMP module against a specified netblock.
2. Run the Network Discovery - TCP Connect module against a specified netblock.
3. Run the OS Detection module against each of the scanned hosts.
Macro Modules are no different from other IMPACT Pro modules written in Python except for the fact that
they take advantage of automation features built into IMPACT Pro's API.
The following section will show you how to Create Macro Modules.
Creating Macro Modules

You can create powerful macros graphically using IMPACT Pro's Macro Creation Wizard. To create a Macro
Module:
1. Navigate in IMPACT Pro's menu bar to Modules->Create Macro...
2. The Macro Wizard will open. Click the Next button to proceed.
3. Complete the first form with the following details:
Name: The name of the macro as it will appear in the modules list.
File name: The Python (.py) file where the Macro will be written and stored in the file
system.
View: The entity view for which the module will be visible. For example, if you select
Network, then the Network entity tab must be active in order for the new module to appear in
the Modules View.
Category: The location in the Modules list where the new macro will reside. By default, new
Macros are saved in the My Macros folder, but you can change this by clicking on the
drop-down menu and selecting a new location.
Brief description: Optional description of the Macro.
Auto Runnable: If this option is checked, you can configure an exploit to automatically run
this Macro Module if the exploit successfully launches an agent.
Figure 9.27. Name, description and category
142
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
143
Click the Next button after the form is complete.

4. Drag and drop each module that you want to include in the macro from the Available modules pane
(left) to the Execution order pane (right).
Figure 9.28. Macro Wizard - Modules and execution order Dialog Box
You can change the execution order of the modules in the Execution order pane by dragging a module
to a different position in the sequence. A dotted line is displayed to help you see where the module
will be dropped.
Using IMPACT
143
144
Using IMPACT
To remove a module from the sequence, select it and press the Delete key.
Click the Next button to proceed with the wizard.
5. For each module in the sequence, you can select which parameters will be manually set by the user
when the macro is run and which will be set by default. To configure this:
a. Select the module in the Modules to execute pane.
b. In the Module parameters pane, for each parameter, place a check in the Ask column if you
want the user to input the parameter value when the macro is executed. If the Ask box is not
checked, the data in the Value column will be used when the macro is executed.
c. Change any data in the Value column by clicking on the value. Some parameters will offer a
simple text field or a drop-down menu, and others will show an ellipsis ( ) button that,
when clicked, will provide more options for setting the value.
Figure 9.29. Macro Wizard - Setting Arguments for the Network Discovery Module
d. The TARGET parameter can be inherited from the results of a module higher in the sequence
by checking the Inherit TARGET from check-box. After checking this box, select the module
from which the current module should obtain its TARGET value(s). If the module selected in
the drop down box outputs more than one host, the module will be run on each one.
Figure 9.30. Macro Wizard - Setting Arguments for the SMB Information Gathering
Module
144
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
145
Click the Next button to continue.

e. On the final page of the wizard, you will see confirmation that you have provided all the
required information.
Click the Finish button and the Macro Module will be created. Once it is created, the new .py
file will open automatically in your default text editor.
You can view the progress of the generation process by selecting the Meta Module Generator module
in the Executed Modules panel, then clicking on the Module Log tab.
Figure 9.31. Module Log from the Meta Module Generator
Using Macro Modules

Macro Modules are used just as other modules in IMPACT Pro. To execute a macro module, follow these
steps:
Using IMPACT
145
146
Using IMPACT
1. Locate the macro in the Modules Panel. When the macro was created, you specified a location for it..
2. Launch the macro by either double-clicking it or dragging and dropping it onto an item in the Entity
Database.
3. The macro module's parameter dialog box will open.
If you wish, set the parameters and then click OK to execute the macro module.
Figure 9.32. Module Parameters Dialog Box - Setting Macro Module Parameters
See Running Modules for more details.

Prev
Custom Modules
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

IMPACT Pro's Get Updates performs two important functions:
Downloads and installs the latest set of IMPACT Pro modules.
Gathers and submits Usage Statistics to Core Security Technologies if you have opted into the Usage
Statistics program (see Usage Statistics).
To get the latest set of IMPACT Pro modules from Core Security Technologies, select Modules->Get
Updates... from IMPACT Pro's main menu, click on the Get Updates button on the Welcome Screen, or use
the Update IMPACT Pro modules module from the Maintenance module category.
Figure 9.33. Get Updates Command
146
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
147
IMPACT Pro will create a new HTTP connection to the update server, download any available updates, and
install them. If you use a proxy server to browse the Internet set the Update Settings options accordingly (see
Network Options). In some cases (indicated by the update module) IMPACT Pro will need to be restarted
before you can continue.
When you are done downloading module updates, view the Executed Module Info Panel for the Update
IMPACT Pro modules module for a report of which updates were downloaded.
Note
You need an active Internet connection to connect to the update server.
Prev
Macro Modules
Up
Home
Chapter 10. Controlling Agents
Prev
Next
Next

Table of Contents
Deploying Agents
IMPACT Pro agents are the results of penetration tests. They work with IMPACT Pro to execute modules
(your chosen tasks) on target systems. Every module needs an agent in order for it to operate.
Note that although a module is automatically assigned an agent (the source agent) for execution, it might
interact with other agents to accomplish its goal. Refer to the specific module's documentation for more
information.
Prev
Prev
Using IMPACT
Up
Next
Home
Next
147
148
Using IMPACT

An Agent (sometimes referred to as an OS Agent) represents an entity on a target system that serves as your
conduit to that system. When you create a new workspace there is one agent present, localagent, that comes
with the Console. This agent is always the starting point of a new Network or Client-side test since modules
that perform initial operations are first executed from the Console. As hosts are compromised, IMPACT Pro
deploys agents on those targets. At this point, you can instruct any module to run from an agent other than
localagent (see Set as Source in the Interacting with Agents section).
When an Agent is being prepared to be deployed on a target system, a cookie is generated so that the agent
can be identified by and connect to IMPACT Pro. This cookie will allow any agent to connect back to
IMPACT Pro, even after the IMPACT Pro workspace has been restarted (see Closing a Workspace for details
on closing a workspace and leaving modules running).
WebApps Agents are the result of WebApps testing. They represent the information of how to exploit a web
application vulnerability. If a WebApps agent exists in your Web View, then you have the ability to perform
certain activities on the web application's server. In this regard, a WebApps agent is similar to an OS agent.
There are 4 types of WebApps agents:
SQL Agent: Represents the knowledge of how to exploit a web application using SQL Injection.
RFI Agent for PHP: Represents the knowledge of how to exploit a web application using PHP File
Inclusion.
XSS Agent: Represents the knowledge of how to exploit a web application using Cross Site Scripting.
Web Browser Agent: Obtained when you gain control of a web browser through a XSS attack. Web
Browser Agents are launched on XSS agents.
The below graphic illustrates how Agents and WebApps Agents are created and what steps can be taken from
them. Note that from a WebApps Agent, one can optionally deploy an OS agent.
Figure 10.1. Agents Summary
See the section called Interacting with WebApps Agents for information on how to use WebApps Agents.
Prev
148
Up
Home
Next
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
Prev
149
Next

You can perform several functions by right-clicking on an agent and selecting from the context menu.
Figure 10.2. Agent Right-Click Menu
The menu may vary depending on the type of agent, its current status and other global settings:
Set as Source
By default, the localagent is the source agent for all attacks. If a new agent is deployed on a host
machine, you can set that agent as the source and all future attacks will be initiate from that agent.
This process is referred to as pivoting. With a remote source agent, you can launch new Network and
WebApps tests that might otherwise be less effective from the localagent.
Uninstall
Allows you to uninstall a currently-connected agent.
Connect
Allows you to reconnect with a persistent agent.
Shell
Executes a fully functional terminal on the host.
Mini Shell
Implements a limited set of commands on the host.
Python Shell
Executes a Python shell on the host.
File Browser
Allows file browsing on the host.
Make Persistent
This option will install an agent in the filesystem of the compromised computer so that it can be used
across system reboots for prolonged penetration tests.
Install Pcap Plugin
Installs the Pcap plug-in on the selected agent to enable faster scanning and to add support for packet
capture and packet injection to a remote pivoted agent.
Using IMPACT
149
150
Using IMPACT
Recover
This option can recover the connection to a non-persistent agent that was disconnected unexpectedly.
Set Reconnection Policy
Use this option to modify the Reconnection Policy for a specific agent - these settings override the
global Reconnection Policy set in Agents Options.
Update Connection Status
This option will gather performance statistics for a connected agent.
Recent Modules
This menu will show modules that you have recently executed so that you can easily repeat them for a
selected agent.
Add Comments...
Use the Add Comments... option to enter your own notes regarding the agent.
Delete
Use this option to delete an agent from a host as well as from the entity view.
Properties
This option will show properties of the agent in the Entity Properties pane.
The Shell
Agents can execute a fully functional terminal on the remote host. Select Shell from an agent's context menu
to launch the Shell and you will have the ability to perform all functions that you could with cmd.exe on
Windows or /bin/sh on a Unix system.
Figure 10.3. Running Info in a Shell
The Mini Shell

The Mini Shell uses a console-like interface to interact with an agent. Because the Mini Shell does not require
the presence or availability of a shell in the remote host, it implements only a limited set of commands. One of
the major benefits of using the mini shell is that it hides shell-like functionality from host intrusion detection
systems that may trigger an alert when a shell command is executed. The mini-shell also allows you to
transfer files between the agent and your local computer, something the Shell does not permit. Select Mini
Shell from an agent's context menu to launch the Mini Shell. Type help to get a list of valid Mini Shell
commands.
Figure 10.4. Running Commands in a Mini Shell
150
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
151
The Python Shell

In order to interface with the agent using a fully functional Python Shell, right-click on the agent and select
Python Shell from the context menu. This shell will accept any valid python commands.
Figure 10.5. Python Shell
The File Browser

You can use the File Browser to browse files in the host where the agent is running. Files and complete
folders can be uploaded to or downloaded from the target host's file system. To access the File Browser,
right-click on the desired agent and select Browse Files from the context menu.
Figure 10.6. Browse Files
Using IMPACT
151
152
Using the File Browser toolbar

or even delete a file in the remote system.
Using IMPACT
, you can view/open a file, download or upload a file,
Figure 10.7. Browsing Files on an Agent
Setting Source Agents

When you run a module (see Running Modules) the Console automatically runs the module from the point of
view of the agent that is currently set as the source agent. You can tell which agent is currently the source
agent because it will be marked with boldface in the Entity View Panel of the Console.
You can make any agent the source agent at any time by right clicking on the agent in the Entity View and
152
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
153
selecting the Set as source option from the context menu. Note that the agent needs to be in the "connected"
state to be eligible for source agent status.
To return to the default setting of localagent as source agent, right click on localagent and select Set as Source
or click on the Set localagent as source button (
) on the Entity View toolbar.
Agent States
Agents exist in one of three states. The following table describes these agent states and shows the icon that
represents each in the Entity View Panel of IMPACT Pro's Console.
Table 10.1. Agent States
Icon
State
Deployed but
unconnected
Deployed and
connected
Uninstalled
Description
The agent has been successfully deployed in the remote system but it is not
connected to the console.
An active communication channel exists between the console and the remote
agent.
The agent has been removed from the remote system and is no longer active.
Making Agents Persistent

By default, agents are deployed in memory only and will not survive if the host system is rebooted. To
prevent this, you can make an agent Persistent which will cause the agent to increase its presence on its host
machine by creating a service and establishing itself in the host's file system. If you wish to configure an agent
to be Persistent:
1. Right-click on the agent in the Entity View and select Make Persistent (An alternate method is to run
the "Make agent persistent" module in the Agents module folder against the desired agent in the
Entity View).
Figure 10.8. Make Agent Persistent command
2. In the parameters window, select the connection method.

Using IMPACT
153
154
Using IMPACT
Connect from target: A new TCP connection will be created originating from the remote
agent on the target host back to the host where the current source agent is located. The
Reconnection Policy that is set in Agents Options will determine the frequency and duration
of the attempted reconnection.
Connect to target: A new TCP connection will be created originating from the host where the
source agent is located, terminating at the remote agent on the target host.
HTTP Channel
HTTPS Channel
Also select the PORT number. If you leave the port at 0, the connection will occur over the agent's
original connection port.
Figure 10.9. Make Agent Persistent Parameters
3. Press the OK button.

A new agent will be created, representing the Persistent Agent.
Note
This process requires that the remote agent has administrator privileges.
After an agent is made persistent, you will be able to reconnect it to its rebooted target host. To do this, after
the host is rebooted:
1. Right click on the agent.
2. Select Disconnect.
3. Right click on the agent again.
4. Select Connect.
The agent will reconnect to the rebooted target host.
Connecting Agents
To connect a persistent agent that is in the unconnected state, right click on the agent in the Entity View Panel
and select Connect. Because connecting an agent can be a complex technical task, the Console uses a built-in
module called Agent Connect to connect to the agent.
You can view the status of the Agent Connect Module in the Executed Module Info Panel just as you can with
any other executed module. Check the Module Log to see if an error occurred in the module's execution (refer
to the section called Analyzing Module Output for information on how to consult module status and
output).
Figure 10.10. Agent Connect Module - Module Log Panel Displaying Error Text
154
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
155
Uninstalling Agents
You can uninstall a connected agent from the remote system by right clicking the agent in the Entity View
Panel and choosing the Uninstall command from the context menu.
Once you uninstall an agent, it is no longer available to you. However, the agent's entity remains in the
database for logging and reporting purposes. You can remove it by right clicking over on the agent and
selecting Delete. Note that if you choose to remove an agent in this manner, it will not be included in future
reports.
Note
Issuing a disconnect command to an in-memory agent (the default agent) effectively uninstalls that agent.
Disconnecting from a persistent agent leaves the agent on the filesystem and allows you to reconnect to it at a
later time. Deleting an agent removes it from the database, but it doesn't perform an uninstall on the target
machine. Always uninstall before deleting an agent.
SQL, XSS and PHP Agents represent knowledge of how to exploit a vulnerability on a webpage, they do not
represent running code on the page/application. Therefore there is no need (or ability) to uninstall a WebApps
Agent.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Deploying Agents
Next
Deploying Agents
Next
Deploying Agents
Agents are typically deployed when you launch an attack module to exploit a vulnerability or to exploit
end-users' lack of security awareness (client-side social engineering attacks). Successful exploits deploy a new
agent after compromising the target system. When an attack module creates a new agent and commits it to the
Entity Database, the agent automatically appears in the module's output panel and inside the compromised
host in the Entity View Panel.
You can also manually deploy agents by using a generic file-transfer-and-execute module or from outside of
IMPACT Pro's Console. If you choose to manually deploy an agent, you must register the agent's existence in
the Entity Database or the Console will not recognize it. To register the agent, go to the Modules Tab and use
the Register modules located in the Agents category.
There is no limit on the number of agents you can install on a single host.
Using IMPACT
155
156
Using IMPACT
Deploying an Agent Using Valid User Credentials

IMPACT Pro can use a valid username and password to deploy an agent on a remote host. In contrast to
agents deployed using the exploitation process, these agents are deployed not by exploiting a vulnerability but
by logging into the target hosts with the specified username and password. This is especially useful when
valid credentials are obtained from cracking password hashes gathered from a compromised host.
Agents can be deployed in this manner through a variety of different protocols. Utility modules for doing this
can be found in the Agents folder of the Modules panel. Some examples of these modules are:
Install Agent using SMB. Installs an agent by connecting to a network share.
Install an agent using ssh. Installs an agent by connecting through SSH.
Install an agent using rlogin. Installs an agent by connecting through rlogin. This module can take
advantage of trust relationships created by .rhosts files
Install an agent using telnet. Installs an agent using the telnet service.
Install an agent using unix-portshell. Installs an agent on a Unix target using a shell bound to a port.
Install an agent using VNC Protocol. Installs an agent using the VNC protocol.
Install an agent using win-portshell. Installs an agent on a Windows target using a shell bound to a
port.
To deploy agents using a valid username and password, follow this procedure:
1. Select the desired target hosts for which you have a valid username and password.
2. Select the install module from the Agents folder that corresponds with the install protocol you wish to
use.
3. Launch the module by dragging and dropping the module to the target host in the Entity View. This
will evoke the Module Parameters .
4. Change the USER and PASSWORD parameters to the username and password for the target host and
click OK.
5. A new agent with the privileges of the specified user will be installed on the target host. You can
continue to work with this agent as usual.
Establishing Agent Communication Channels

IMPACT Pro's Console must establish a communication channel with each agent in order to control it.
Communication channels are established in a number of different ways depending on the agent deployment
method and agent type.
When agents are deployed by an exploit module or a utility module, the exploit's CONNECTION_METHOD
parameter will control the way the communication channel is established. Agents will use a TCP connection
as a communication channel. The options available for the CONNECTION_METHOD parameter are:
Connect to target. A new TCP connection will be created originating from the host where the current
source agent is located, terminating at the remote agent on the target host. The AGENT_PORT
parameter will control the specific TCP port where the remote agent will listen for incoming
connections from the source agent.
Note
If IMPACT Pro is running on a computer behind a NAT device (such as a home DSL router), a
connection method different than "Connect to" will not be effective right away. To support "Connect
from", "Reuse connection" and "HTTP channel " in this scenario, activate the NAT support using the
Network section of the Options Dialog Box. Open the Options Dialog Box by selecting
Tools->Options from IMPACT Pro's main menu. Refer to Network Options for a description of these
156
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
157
settings.
Connect from target. A new TCP connection will be created originating from the remote agent on
the target host back to the host where the current source agent is located. The AGENT_PORT
parameter will control the specific TCP port to which the remote agent will attempt to connect to on
the source agent host. If the specified port is already in use by another exploit, the agent connector has
the ability to reuse that same port. Some client-side exploits will attempt to use the HTTP Connect
feature first when "Connect from" is selected. See the section called HTTP Connect Channel for
more information on HTTP Connect.
Reuse connection. The agent will reuse the same TCP connection that was used to deliver the attack.
For instance, if the agent is deployed using an attack against a web server listening on TCP port 80,
the agent will use that initial connection to communicate back to the Console.
HTTP channel. A new HTTP connection will be created from the remote agent on the target host to
the host on which the HTTP Tunnel resides. In the cases where the remote host has a HTTP proxy
defined, the remote agent will connect to the HTTP Tunnel end point through the configured proxy.
Additional settings related to this connection method can be configured within the "HTTP Tunnel"
section in the module's parameters. See the section called HTTP Tunnel Channel for more
information.
HTTPS channel. A new HTTPS connection will be created from the remote agent on the target host
to the source agent. Additional settings related to the HTTPS Channel can be configured in Agents
Options.
Note
The HTTPS connection method will work on Windows target hosts if one of the following conditions
is met:
The OS version is older than Windows Vista
If Windows Vista or newer, the Check for server certificate revocation is unchecked in the
Security section of the Advanced tab of the Internet Control Panel. This setting is enabled by
default.
If Windows Vista or newer with the Check for server certificate revocation enabled, the target
host has Internet access directly or through a proxy server.
Agent Chaining
Agent chaining allows you to connect to a newly-installed agent behind a firewall using an existing,
connected agent's communication channel. As you deploy successive agents, chaining allows the Console to
maintain a single connection versus many.
Figure 10.11. Agent Chaining Example
Using IMPACT
157
158
Using IMPACT
The diagram above demonstrates the necessity of agent chaining. Chaining becomes even more critical if your
network employs packet filtering. For example, the scenario illustrated above might include a packet filter in
the DMZ network that filters connections from the Internet to the internal private network. In this case, once a
host in the DMZ was compromised, the only way in which you could connect to agents inside the internal
network would be to re-use the original agent's channel.
Agents are "chained" to the agent that was set as source when they were connected. Typically this means that
agents are chained directly to the localagent (the Console), but the chaining relationship automatically
changes as you change source agents. This behavior is referred to as implicit chaining.
Viewing Agent Chains
If you switch source agents often, it is easy to lose mental track of current agent chains. To view agent chains,
use the Show agent chaining route module located in the Agents category on the Modules Tab of the Console
to obtain agent chaining information. This module receives an agent as its target and displays the current route
used to reach it. The following example includes typical information displayed on the Module Log Panel after
running this module.
Module "Show agent chaining route" started execution on Wed Mar 20 20:37:18 2002
Chaining route for agent: agent(5)
/localagent -> agent(1) -> agent(2) -> agent(5).
-Module finished execution after 1 secs.
Re-routing Agent Chains

Once you establish a chaining route to an agent, IMPACT Pro will attempt to reconstruct that route each time
the agent is reconnected. To reset the chaining route for an agent, follow this procedure.
1. Run the Delete agent chaining route module against the agent (Modules Tab/ Agents category).
2. Enter the new agent's name in the Value column, or use the ellipsis button to the right of the field to
select it and click OK. If you leave the proxy agent value for the new agent blank, the next time that
the agent is connected a new route will be set with the current source agent.
3. Click OK. The module will execute and information about the agent route is displayed in the
Executed Module Info Panel of the Console.
158
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
159
Using Agent Plug-ins

Agents can use plug-ins to add functionality to a deployed agent. The following plug-ins are available and,
once installed on an agent, extend that agents capabilities for as long as it exists. Plug-ins are automatically
removed when the agent is uninstalled:
PCAP. Provides packet-capture capabilities for the agent. An agent with the PCAP plug-in can
execute modules that require packet capture (for example, NMAP OS Stack Fingerprinting, Port
Scanner - Fast SYN, Password Sniffer or Network Discovery - Passive). Only the localagent and
agents with this plug-in installed can execute modules that require packet capture. For convenience,
this plug-in can be installed by right-clicking on an agent and selecting Install Pcap Plugin.
Note
The PCAP plug-in requires the presence of a packet-capture driver (WinPcap) in Windows hosts. If
there is no version of WinPcap installed on the machine, the driver is installed and removed when the
PCAP plug-in is installed/uninstalled.
TCP Proxy. Allows you to create TCP tunnels from IMPACT Pro's Console to the agent. By taking
advantage of this plug-in, you can redirect a local TCP port in the computer running IMPACT Pro to
a remote TCP port on the other side of the agent. Use the TCP Proxy Plugin module in the
Agents/Plugins module folder to open new TCP tunnels. You will then be able to tunnel SSH traffic
through that machine and pass it along to an SSH server.
HTTP Proxy over TCP Proxy. If the TCP Proxy plugin is already installed on the agent, you can use
the HTTP Proxy over TCP Proxy plugin to browse a web server that is visible from the agent's host
machine.
You can install or remove plug-ins using the modules in the Agents/Plugins/Install module folder.
Recovering Agents
If you have a Reconnection Policy established for an agent (see Set Reconnection Policy or Agents Options),
then you can use the Recover option to attempt to reconnect to an agent that has unexpectedly lost its
connection to the IMPACT Pro console.
Set Reconnection Policy

By default, if an agent is not set to be persistent, and there is no reconnection policy, then the agent
automatically self-destructs when it loses connectivity to IMPACT Pro's source agent, even if the connection
is disrupted for only an instant. To prevent this, you can set a Reconnection Policy for the agent and then
determine how that agent attempts to reconnect to the IMPACT Pro console following an unexpected
disconnection. Using the Set Reconnection Policy option overrides any global reconnection settings in Agents
Options.
To update an agent's reconnection policy:
1. Right-click on the agent.
2. Select Set Reconnection Policy. The module's parameters will appear.
3. Set the parameters of the policy and click the OK button.
ENABLE POLICY: This should be set to true if you want the agent to be able to reconnect to
its source agent following an unexpected disconnection.
CONNECTION TYPE: This should be set to Connect From if the Connection Policy is
enabled. This means that the agent will try to initiate a connection back to the source agent.
Using IMPACT
159
160
Using IMPACT
RETRY INTERVAL: This value determines how often an agent should attempt to connect
back to the IMPACT Pro console.
RETRY TIMEOUT: This value determines how long the agent should attempt to connect
back to the IMPACT Pro console.
AGENT PORT: The port on which you would like the reconnection to occur. Enter 0 to reuse
the agent's original connection port.
Figure 10.12. Set Agent Reconnection Policy
The agent's Reconnection Policy has now been modified.
Update Connection Status

When you run the Update Connection Status command on a connected agent, IMPACT Pro will test the agent
for 2 types of performance:
Connection (upload and download) speed between the IMPACT Pro console and agent
Performance of the agent on its host machine (measured in system calls per second)
The resulting performance data will appear in the Module Log pane and also stored in the agent's Quick
Information.
Common Agent Error Messages

This section describes error messages you may encounter when working with IMPACT Pro's agents.
syscall not supported by target
The module was not meant to run on the platform on which the source agent was deployed. For
example, the signal syscall is not part of the Windows Operating System. If a module uses it, it
will run on every agent except agents deployed on the Windows platform, where it will abort and
generate the syscall not supported by target message.
The module's description will include information about the supported platforms. Additionally,
module highlighting will not highlight a module which requires a syscall not supported by the source
agent.
the server is unreachable
The remote agent is down. Communication has been disrupted due to a networking problem or a loss
of control by the agent.
160
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
161
pcap_plugin is not installed

The PCAP plug-in (see the section called Using Agent Plug-ins) is not installed in the agent. Right
click the agent and select Install Pcap Plugin to install it.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

WebApps Agents will appear below individual pages in the Web View. The default name of the WebApps
agent indicates 2 important characteristics:
Vulnerability type: A WebApps agent will either be a SQL Agent, RFI Agent for PHP, XSS Agent, or
a Web Browser Agent that is attached to a XSS Agent.
Vulnerability: When you click on the parent page of a WebApps agent , the Quick Information panel
will display a numbered list of vulnerabilities that are confirmed and have associated WebApps agent.
If a WebApps agent was deployed using the 2nd vulnerability, then its name will contain a 2 [e.g.
SQL Agent (2)].
After a WebApps agent has been created in the Web View, you can perform a number of functions by
right-clicking on the object:
Change Display Name
Allows you to change the WebApps agent's name from the default to a custom name.
Add Comments
Presents text entry area for your commentary.
Properties
Activates the Entity Properties panel of the Console, showing the WebApps agent's details.
New
Allows you to create a new Scenario in the Web View..
Recent Modules
Shows a list of recently-executed modules for ease of access.
Delete
Removes the WebApps agent.
In order to leverage XSS Agents, you must run the WebApps Browser Attack and Penetration step.
Running a Shell with a WebApps Agent

If a SQL Agent exists in your Web View, then you have the ability to use a command console (shell) to
interface with the application's database:
SQL Shell: This console uses the SQL vulnerability to provide a SQL-based command prompt to the
web application's database.
Command Shell using SQL Agent: This console uses the SQL vulnerability to provide an operating
system command prompt to the machine where the web application's database resides.
Note
Currently, IMPACT Pro's SQL Agents can interface with the following databases:
Using IMPACT
161
162
Using IMPACT
MS SQL Server 2008
MS SQL Server 2005
MySQL 4.1
MySQL 5.0
MySQL 5.1
Oracle 9i
Oracle 10g
DB/2 9.5
If an RFI Agent for PHP exists in your Web View, then you have the ability to use a command console (shell)
to interface with the PHP engine:
Scripting Shell using RFI Agent (PHP): This console uses the PHP vulnerability to provide a
command prompt to the PHP engine. This console accepts PHP commands.
Command Shell using RFI Agent (PHP): This console uses the PHP vulnerability to provide a
command prompt to the machine where the PHP engine is running. This console accepts common
shell commands such as ls, cat, dir, etc.
If a Web Browser Agent exists is attached to a XSS Agent n your Web View, then you have the ability to use
a shell to interface with the target web browser:
Javascript Shell: This console allows you to execute Javascript code on the Web Browser Agent.
To initiate a command console via a WebApps agent:
Note
We will use a SQL Agent in this example but the steps are essentially the same for the other applicable
WebApps agents.
1. Activate the Web View of the Entity View to show your scenarios.
2. Expand a scenario to show a SQL Agent.
3. Click to select the WebApps agent upon which you want to run a module. By doing this, all
compatible modules will automatically become highlighted in the Modules View.
4. Activate the Modules View tab on the console.
5. Expand (double-click) the Shells folder.
6. Click and drag the SQL Shell module from the Modules View and drop it onto the target WebApps
agent.
A SQL Console will appear, giving you the ability to make direct queries of the web application's database.
Figure 10.13. SQL Shell
162
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
163
Deploying an Agent with a WebApps Agent

To deploy an OS agent through a SQL Agent or RFI Agent for PHP:
Note
We will use an RFI Agent for PHP in this example but the steps are essentially the same for the other
applicable WebApps agents..
1. Activate the Web View of the Entity View to show your scenarios.
2. Expand a scenario to show an RFI Agent for PHP.
3. Click to select the WebApps agent upon which you want to run a module. By doing this, all
compatible modules will automatically become highlighted in the Modules View.
4. Activate the Modules View tab on the console.
5. Expand (double-click) the Agents folder.
6. Click and drag the Install OS Agent using RFI Agent (PHP) module from the Modules View and drop
it onto the target WebApps agent .
Figure 10.14. Module: Install OS Agent using RFI Agent (PHP)
Using IMPACT
163
164
Using IMPACT

The module will run, showing its output in the Module Log panel.
8. When the module completes, navigate to the Visibility View and you should see the new agent under
the web application host.
Once an agent has been deployed on the web application's server, you can then interact with that agent using a
variety of options which are detailed in the remainder of this chapter.
Prev
Deploying Agents
Prev
Up
Home
Chapter 11. IMPACT Pro Entities
Next
Next

Table of Contents
View
Client Side View
Web View
Managing Entities
Entity Details
Entity Properties
When you run a penetration test with IMPACT Pro, information acquired from target systems, end-users or
web applications is stored in the system as entities. Entities are then accessed in a single and centralized
repository by users or by any IMPACT Pro module.
Any finding by a module that can be shared is represented in IMPACT Pro as an entity and will be visible in
the Entity View Panel. Modules use the target entities' properties to gather information needed by the module
to execute properly. For example, a module requiring an open TCP port might query the target host's
properties for information about target ports. In this example, the target host is an entity.
164
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
165
The Entity View Panel provides the functionality for you to access the various entities in the system. The
panel includes three "views" that allow you to see and work with different target information resulting from
your various tests:
Network View
Client Side View
Web View
You access these views using the tabs at the top of the Entity View Panel.
Figure 11.1. Entity View Panel Showing View Tabs
The following types of items are stored in the Entity Database:

Hosts. Host entities represent target systems. The entity contains information such as IP addresses,
operating systems, architecture, ports, and vulnerabilities found.
Wireless Access Point. Wireless Network entities represent individual wireless access points that are
detected by the Access Point Discovery module. The entity contains information such as SSID,
security method, wireless channel and signal strength.
Wireless End Station. Wireless End Stations represent individual devices (PCs, hand-held devices)
that are connected to a wireless access points. These devices are detected by the Access Point
Discovery module.
Agents. Agent entities represent agents running on remote systems. An agent entity holds information
about an agent's state and its communication channel.
Tags. Tags are user-defined labels that can be attached to an entity. This allows for custom grouping
of entities for easy access and management.
Search Folder. Search Folders are designed to be dynamic lists of entities. The search folder will
automatically be populated with (and updated to include) entities that match your search criteria (such
as "Windows hosts"). The search folders in the entity database allow for multiple search criteria,
making them another way for users to organize and manage their targets.
Emails. Email entities are email addresses used for client-side attacks. An email entity contains an
email address and, optionally, a person's name.
Scenarios. Scenarios are repositories for WebApps test objects.
Pages. Pages are the outcome of a successful WebApps Information Gathering session. These are
pages that are associated with a web application that may be susceptible to vulnerabilities.
WebApps Agents. WebApps Agents represent the knowledge of how to exploit a SQL or PHP
vulnerability in a web page.
In addition, the following two entities are created and added to the database when you create a workspace:
A host entity representing the local console host (localhost).
An agent called the localagent that represents the IMPACT Pro software running on the local console
host.
Each icon displayed in the Entity View Panel represents a different entity type. These icons are described in
Using IMPACT
165
166
Using IMPACT
the table below.

Table 11.1. Entity Icon Descriptions
Icon
Description
Windows Host
Solaris Host
Linux Host
AIX Host
OpenBSD Host
FreeBSD Host
Mac OS X Host
Unknown Host
Agent (Refer to Controlling Agents for more info on agents)
Network folder
Folder
Search Folder
Tag
Email
Scenario (Web View only)
Page (Web View only)
SQL Agent (Web View only)
RFI Agent for PHP (Web View only)
XSS Agent (Web View only)
Web Browser Agent (Web View only)
Wireless Access Point
A wireless device (station) connected to a wireless access point
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
View
Next
View
Next
View
The Network View Tab displays the entire entity hierarchy of the target network that results from a Network
RPT. You can use it to view the current state of all the entities in the active workspace's database. By
providing access to all entities in the target network, the Network View allows you to assess the state of the
overall penetration test.
Figure 11.2. Entity View - Network View
166
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
167
Understanding Visibility Changes

As with all of the entity tabs, the views are simply lists of entities that are organized and grouped by certain
attributes. By default, the Network view shows entities grouped by Visibility and Network, as illustrated in
the below figure.
Figure 11.3. Network View
Using IMPACT
167
168
Using IMPACT
With the default view, hosts are organized primarily by what host they are visible from and, secondarily, by
their network. The grouping can of course be changed by right-clicking on the column headers and selecting a
new Arrange By value (see Grouping Entities). Users can also change the view and quickly focus in on a
specific host as a visibility level by right-clicking on the host and selecting Show Hosts Visible from Here.
This action is the same as using the search function to filter the view by visibility (see Entity Search).
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Client Side View
Next
Client Side View
Next
Client Side View

IMPACT Pro's Client Side view allows you to customize and manage the client-side target information
generated by your client-side penetration tests. Client-side entities take the form of Email addresses that may
or may not contain an associated user's name.
Figure 11.4. Entity View - Client Side View
IMPACT Pro's client-side entities allow you to manipulate and view target information for client-side exploits
and modules, and execute attacks against targets in a convenient and customized manner. Entities are added to
this view from the Client Side Information Gathering RPT, client-side modules such as "HTTP Email Address
Grabber", or by adding them manually.
To manually add an entity to the Client-side view:
1. Activate the Client Side tab of the Entity View.
2. Right-click on the Emails folder.
3. Select New, then select Email...
4. Enter the email Address and Name of the user.
Figure 11.5. New Email Entity
168
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
169

The New Email module will run and, after a brief moment, you will see the new email appear in the Entity
View.
Entity Tags and Search Folders further enhance the usability of this view.
You can launch attacks against specific client-side entities in the Client-side View by using the Client-side
RPT wizards or manually dragging modules from IMPACT Pro's Modules View and dropping them onto a
specific search folder or entity. For example, if you wanted to launch an email exploit (such as "Firefox
compareTo exploit") against a group of targets, dragging and dropping the exploit onto a search folder would
result in the exploit running against all email addresses in that folder. Alternatively, for a more focused attack,
you could drag the exploit onto a single person in the same folder, which would result in the exploit attacking
only that entity. The above scenario can more easily be performed using the Client-side RPT Attack and
Penetration wizard.
Note that IMPACT Pro allows you to drag and drop only those exploits or modules to which the target entity
is a viable candidate. For example, if you attempt to drop an exploit designed to attack a host onto an email,
your cursor will display a ban (
) symbol and the module will not be launched.
For information on using IMPACT Pro modules, see Working With Modules.
Prev
View
Prev
Up
Home
Web View
Next
Web View
Next
Web View
IMPACT Pro's Web View shows the results of all web application testing.
Figure 11.6. Entity View - Web View
Using IMPACT
169
170
Using IMPACT
By default, when you first open your workspace, the Web View will be empty. To populate the view you can
run WebApps Information Gathering, or you can follow these steps:
1. Right-click inside of the Web View.
2. Select New->New Scenario.
A Scenario serves as a context in which you can test a web application and it will provide organized
structure to the results of the WebApps modules. You can use multiple scenarios to test the same web
application with varying settings, or segment a web application and test each part independently in a
different scenario.
3. In the resulting Module Parameters box, enter the details for your Scenario:
Table 11.2. Module Parameters for New Scenario
NAME
HTTPPROXY
CUSTOM
HTTPPROXY
USERAGENT
170
Provide a name that will help you identify this WebApps scenario
If there is a proxy server, select from the drop-down menu the appropriate
value:
Use IMPACT Pro settings will follow the settings that are in the
Tools->Options->Network form.
Use Custom HTTP Proxy will follow the proxy value in the next field
(CUSTOM HTTPPROXY)
Use Internet Explorer settings will follow the settings as defined in
your Internet Explorer preferences
If HTTPPROXY is set to Use Custom HTTP Proxy, enter the name or address
of the proxy server to be used.
Select from the drop-down menu the browser type and version that the
WebApps test will simulate.
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
171
CUSTOM
If the USERAGENT is set to Custom, enter the name of the browser to be
USERAGENT
simulated.
The new Scenario will appear in the Web View with the following subordinate folders:
Pages: Any pages that are identified by WebApps Information Gathering will be visible under this
folder.
Vulnerabilities: Any potential or confirmed vulnerabilities will appear under this folder.
Broken Links: As the web crawler searches for pages, it may find a link that generates a 404 Not
Found error. In this case, the link will be added to the Broken Links folder.
Prev
Client Side View
Prev
Up
Home
Managing Entities
Next
Managing Entities
Next
Managing Entities
In addition to the automated functions of the Entity View panels, there are several operations that can be
performed manually in order to better manage the data and organize your penetration targets.
Note
The steps provided here will apply across all view panels.
Adding Entities Manually

In the entity view panels, you can manually add entities.
Follow these steps to manually add a new Email:
1. Activate the Client Side View.
2. Right-click on the Emails folder.
3. Select New, then select Email...
4. In the Module Parameters window, enter the new email address and user name.
The new Email entity will appear in the Client Side view. Follow these same steps to manually add entities to
the Network and Web Views.
Grouping Entities
The display of entities allows management and organization through its columns. You can right-click on
column headers to obtain options for adding or removing columns or to control entity grouping based on
existing attributes. You can also click and drag the columns to resequence them to your preference.
To control the entity display, right-click on one of the columns and you will see the following menu.
Using IMPACT
171
172
Using IMPACT
The menu provides the following visual controls for the entity list:
Use the Arrange by menu to quickly arrange the entities by one of their attributes. With this menu,
you can use the Show in Groups option to have the entities grouped by a selected attribute.
The Sort Ascending / Sort Descending options change the direction of the list's sort. You can also
simply click on a column header to change the sort order.
The Group by this field option will group the entities by the attribute on which you right-clicked.
The Group by box option will open a box into which you can click and drag column headers. This
feature allows you to achieve a multiple grouping layout.
Select Remove Column to hide a column from the entity list.
Use the Field Chooser to add columns to the view. When the field chooser appears, simply click and
drag the new columns to the desired location among the existing column headers.
Click Reset Layout to return the view to its default setup.
Entity Tags
In order to facilitate the management and organization of your target information, IMPACT Pro allows you to
add custom tags and apply them to entities. Once you assign a tag to your entities, you can quickly view all
entities that contain that tag.
To create a new tag in the Network View:
1. Activate the Network View.
2. Right-click on Tags.
3. Select New, then select Tag...
4. In the Module Parameters window, enter the Tag value.
The new Tag will appear under the Tag heading. You now will need to assign that tag to one or more entities.
To assign a tag to one or more Network entities:
1. Activate the Network View.
2. Click the Hosts folder to view all available Network entities.
3. In the list of Network entities, select the entity(ies) that you wish to tag (use the Ctrl or Shift keys to
select multiple entities).
4. Right-click on a selected entity.
5. Select Tags, then select the new tag value.
The selected entity(ies) will now be tagged with your custom tag. Subsequently, if you want to view only
those entities with a specific tag, you simply select the tag and a filtered list of entities will appear below.
172
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
173
Note
Each entity view panel contains its own distinct list of tags.
Entities can be tagged with more than one tag.
Adding Comments to an Entity

You can add custom text to an entity in any of the views using comments. Comments are automatically saved
within the active workspace. To add or edit an entity's comment, right click on it in the Entity View Panel and
select Add comments... from the context menu.
Figure 11.7. Adding a comment to an entity.
You edit comments in the Entity comments Dialog Box that appears. After you edit them, the comments are
added to the entity database as a new entity property (see the section called Entity Properties).
Figure 11.8. Entity comments Dialog Box
Entity Search
Each Entity View includes a Search Bar that you can use to filter entities by specific criteria. Filtering by
condition allows you to quickly create a new "view" within the entity view. For example, in the below images,
the string "sample" is entered into the search bar in the Client Side view. This action quickly filters all Emails,
showing only those that contain the string "sample". The second image shows further search filtering made
available by clicking the options arrows (
Using IMPACT
173
174
Using IMPACT
) to the right of the search bar. The example shows that the list was filtered further by searching for those
emails that contained the string "index" in the Name field.
Figure 11.9. Entity Search Examples
To close the search results, click on a folder or tag in the view panel or click the reset button (
side of the search bar.
) at the right
Search Folders
Search folders are a powerful feature that allow you to view a dynamic list of entities based on
custom-specified characteristics.
To create a new Search Folder:
1. Activate the desired view.
2. Right-click on Search Folder.
3. Select New, then select Search Folder...
4. In the Module Parameters window, enter the Name of the search.
5. From the Add Criteria drop-down menu, select as many search criteria as needed.
6. Then enter the search data for all selected criteria (to remove a criterion, click the remove button (
) on the right).
The new search folder will appear below the Search Folder heading. To activate your search folder, simply
click on it and the dynamic results will appear in the entity list below.
Deleting Entities
To delete an entity from the entity database (in any view), right-click on it and select Delete from the context
menu.
174
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
175
Warning
Deleting a host will effectively delete all the entities in and below its visibility level. Note that since these
deleted entities will include agents, the tasks performed by these agents will no longer be included in future
reports.
Figure 11.10. Deleting an Entity from the Database.
Prev
Web View
Prev
Up
Home
Entity Details
Next
Entity Details
Next
Entity Details
When you select an entity in a view panel, summary information about that entity will be displayed in the
Quick Information Panel located at the bottom of the Console. Next to the Quick Information panel is the
Entity Properties tab which contains more details about the entity. Use the Entity Properties tab to edit the
entity's properties.
Host Entities can contain a lot of data. The Quick Information Panel or a host displays three categories of
information related to that host: Host Properties, Ports & Services, and Users & Groups. For your convenience
these categories are displayed in a collapsible/expandable format. Each of the information categories is
described below.
Host Properties. Displays host Name, IP (IP address), OS (Operating System), Architecture, and
known Vulnerabilities. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) data for a host's known
vulnerabilities along with data from the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) will be
shown as well as links to valuable reference information. Only vulnerabilities that were successfully
exploited are displayed. The basic host information is typically provided by the Network Information
Gathering step in the RPT View. Exploited vulnerability information is the result of attacks run
against the host.
Figure 11.11. Quick Info - Host Properties
Using IMPACT
175
176
Using IMPACT
Ports & Services. Displays information about identified open ports and the network services
identified as running on those ports. Fields include TCP Ports, UDP Ports, and DCERPC. Ports and
Services information is typically provided by the Network Information Gathering step on the RPT
Panel.
Figure 11.12. Quick Info - Ports & Services
Users & Groups. Displays available information about Users and Groups on the selected host. Users
and Groups information is typically provided by the Local Information Gathering step on the RPT
Panel.
Figure 11.13. Quick Info - Users & Groups
Prev
176
Up
Next
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
Managing Entities
Prev
177
Home
Entity Properties
Entity Properties
Next
Entity Properties
Entities can hold structured information in the form of properties. The user or a module can query or modify
existing entity properties and even create arbitrary ones with new information.
Properties can be viewed and modified through the Entity Properties Dialog Box. You can activate or
deactivate this dialog box using the Views->Entity Properties option of the main menu or by clicking the
icon on the Views Toolbar. Additionally, you can activate the Entity Properties dialog for a specific entity by
right-clicking on that entity and selecting Properties from the context menu.
Figure 11.14. Entity Properties Dialog Box
The Entity Properties Dialog Box is a dockable window, which means that you can move it around to a
different location, leave it floating, or hide it. To "dock" the window, drag it by its title bar to the desired
position. Windows can only be docked against the Console's edges. To "un-dock" the window, double click in
its title bar.
Individual properties are organized into containers (displayed in bold-face in the Properties Dialog Box). Each
container can be expanded or collapsed using the arrow head in front of its name. Containers can also hold
other containers.
Hidden properties. Some special system properties have a hidden attribute that keeps them from being
displayed in the Entity Properties Dialog Box. If you wish, you can make these properties visible using the
Show hidden properties option in the Entity Properties Tab of the Options Dialog Box (use Tools->Options).
Using IMPACT
177
178
Using IMPACT
Editing the Value of a Property

To manually change the value of a specific property, click on the Value cell of the property's row. The value
will be replaced by an edit box that allows you to enter new information or a drop down box that allows you
to select from a list of valid values.
Figure 11.15. Entity Properties Dialog Box - Editing Values
Adding a New Property to a Container

To add a new property to a container, follow this procedure.
1. Right-click on the container's name in the Entity Properties Dialog Box (to add a property to an
entity's root container, right-click on the entity's name). Select Add new from the context menu.
Figure 11.16. Entity Properties Dialog Box - Add New Property to Container
2. The Property value Dialog Box will appear. Enter a Name, select a Type, and enter a Value for the
new property. (See field definitions below.) Then click OK.
178
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
179
Figure 11.17. The Property value Dialog Box
Name
A name for the new property.
Type
The type of the new property can be any of the following:
Type
Description
arch
Host architecture
bool
true or false
container
A generic property container
entity_name An Entity name
file
A file in the agent's filesystem
int
Any integer value
null
No value. Useful for sets
os
Host operating system
port
A TCP/UDP port
ports
A container of ports
set
A set of properties. Sets can only contain null properties
string
Any string value
uint16
An unsigned integer 16 bits long
uint32
An unsigned integer 32 bits long
xmldata
Unparsed XML data
The types entity, entity listed, xmldata, and user are not currently configurable by the user.
Value
The initial value for the new property. This value can be edited using the Entity Properties Dialog
Box.
See the screenshot below for an example of the use of custom properties. In this example, the user has created
a custom container called vmware and added the emulated OS and emulated architecture properties. This
allows the user to add custom information to this host's properties, effectively consolidating all known
information about the target host.
Figure 11.18. Entity Properties Dialog Box - Creating a Custom Container with New Information
Using IMPACT
179
180
Using IMPACT
Prev
Entity Details
Up
Home
Chapter 12. Integration
Prev
Next
Next

Table of Contents
IMPACT Pro can import network information (OS, services, and potential vulnerabilities) from other security
products, including Vulnerability Scanners. You can use individual IMPACT Pro modules or the
Vulnerability Scanner Validator Test which will quickly step you through importing your scanner data.
IMPACT Pro can also integrate with the Metasploit Framework, increasing the overall breadth of your
penetration testing program.
Prev
Entity Properties
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

If you use Metasploit as a component of your penetration testing program, you can integrate it with IMPACT
Pro. This will allow you to use IMPACT Pro's advanced testing features on systems that are found to be
vulnerable to Metasploit exploits.
For details on how to set up Metasploit - IMPACT Pro integration, see How to Integrate with Metasploit.
180
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
181
Note
The Metasploit Framework is provided and maintained by a third party. Core Security Technologies does not
support the Framework and cannot offer any guarantee as to the safety of the exploits run by the Metasploit
Framework's db_autopwn functionality. Use the Metasploit Framework at your own risk.
There are 2 ways in which you can incorporate the functionality of the Metasploit Framework into your
testing with IMPACT Pro:
Run Metasploit with Network Attack and Penetration RPT: As a part of the Network Attack and
Penetration, IMPACT Pro will provide host details against which the Metasploit Framework will run
its exploits. You will see Metasploit's output in the Module Log pane of your IMPACT Pro
Workspace and any successful exploits in the Module Output pane. Any vulnerabilities found by
Metasploit will be labeled accordingly in IMPACT Pro's Quick Information pane as well as any
reports.
Figure 12.1. Quick Information with Metasploit exploit
Note
This method does not require that you open a Metasploit console.
Install IMPACT Pro agent from Metasploit console: With this method, Metasploit users can leverage
exploit and discovered host information to add hosts and install agents in an IMPACT Pro
Workspace. Subsequently, IMPACT Pro can be used to further explore the host or pivot from the
agent to perform extensive penetration tests. To install an IMPACT Pro agent from a Metasploit
console, follow these steps referencing the below image of a sample Metasploit session:
1. In Metasploit, you must first have a meterpreter payload connected to a host.
2. Enter the command load core_impact. This will initialize the IMPACT Pro plugin for the
current Metasploit session.
3. Enter the command install_impact_agent. This is an optional step that simply displays the
parameters that should be used with the install_impact_agent command.
4. Enter the command install_impact_agent with the associated parameters. In the example
below, the meterpreter session (-s) is set to 1, the existing Workspace (-w) is set to AlexMS,
and the Workspace's passprase (-p) is set to aaaaaaaa.
5. The console will display a message when the agent has been deployed in IMPACT Pro. At
this point, you can open your IMPACT Pro Workspace and use the fully functional agent.
The Metasploit session is no longer needed and can be closed.
Figure 12.2. Install agent from Metasploit Console
Using IMPACT
181
182
Using IMPACT
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Importing Data from Vulnerability
Home
Scanners
Next

IMPACT Pro comes ready to accept data from the following products:
Different importing modules for each product are available within the Import-Export folder in the Modules
view. The following modules are included in IMPACT Pro:
Retina
GFI LANguard
Nessus
Qualys Guard
PatchLink VMS
nCircle
SAINT
IBM Internet Scanner
STAT Guardian
To manually use a module to import data from one of these scanners, use the modules found in the
Import-Export folder. Double-clicking on any of these modules will open the parameters dialog where you
can specify the location of the output file where the product data is stored. Refer to each module's
182
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
183
documentation for additional information related to the specific product.

In addition, you can export all entities in IMPACT Pro's database (everything found in the Entity Views) to a
parsable format to facilitate the application's integration with other products.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

Importing network information can replace the Network Information Gathering step if these activities have
already been performed by the original scanner. After importing information you can advance immediately to
step 2 of the Network RPT process, Network Attack and Penetration.
To use imported network information within the Network RPT process, follow this procedure:
1. Import data from a scanner. The originally-scanned hosts will appear on the Entity View.
2. Run the Network Attack and Penetration RPT step (see Network Attack and Penetration) or individual
exploits from the Exploits/Remote module folder against the imported hosts. The Network Attack and
Penetration step will use the imported OS, and service information to select and execute applicable
exploits.
3. If any attack was successful, continue working with the deployed agents using RPT or individual
modules as usual.
If the imported data includes vulnerability information (as is the case when importing from vulnerability
scanners), this information can be used to drive exploit selection, providing an automated mechanism for
validating potential vulnerabilities. In this case, instead of utilizing the Network Attack and Penetration step
from RPT, you can launch the "Attack and Penetration using imported data" module from the Import-Export
module folder.
To validate potential vulnerabilities follow this procedure:
1. Import data from a scanner. The originally scanned hosts will appear in the Entity View.
2. Run the "Attack and Penetration using imported data" module from the Import-Export module folder
against the imported targets (see Running Modules for more information). This module will only
select exploits that match potential vulnerabilities identified by the vulnerability scanner.
3. If any of the attacks were successful, continue working with the deployed agents using RPT or
individual modules as usual. A successfully-deployed agent validates the exploitability of a potential
vulnerability.
4. To generate a report of the vulnerabilities imported from a vulnerability scanner that were exploited
using IMPACT Pro, you can use the PCI Vulnerability Validation report.
Prev
Up
Next
Importing Data from Vulnerability
Chapter 13. Obtaining and Utilizing User
Home
Scanners
Credentials
Chapter 13. Obtaining and Utilizing User Credentials
Prev
Next
Using IMPACT
183
184
Using IMPACT

Table of Contents
IMPACT Pro can collect user credentials from a compromised host through a deployed agent. This
information can later be used for cracking password hashes, if necessary, and then installing additional agents
as a valid user. It is fairly typical of most network setups that certain usernames and passwords are shared
among multiple components. If some of the passwords for these accounts can be cracked, IMPACT Pro
provides functionality to deploy additional agents using this information.
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Obtaining the Password Hashes from a
Home
Compromised Host
Next

In the case of a UNIX-like system such as Linux or Solaris, the agent can be used to download the
/etc/shadow file from the target. This file can then be used to download password hashes to be fed to a
password cracker. This can be done easily using the File Browser within the agent's context menu, or by using
the "get" command from the mini-shell. Please note that in a normal setup, the agent will have to be running
with root privileges on the system to be able to access the /etc/shadow file.
In the case of Windows systems, the password hashes are stored in the machine's SAM (Security Accounts
Manager). The file holding this data is locked while the OS is running and cannot be accessed directly by the
user. However, it is possible to access this information by injecting code directly into the LSASS process.
To access the Windows SAM database follow this procedure:
1. Start with an agent deployed on the Windows machine from which you want to recover the password
hashes. The agent has to be running as SYSTEM for this procedure to be successful. If the agent is
not currently running as SYSTEM, use the Privilege Escalation step on the RPT view (see Privilege
Escalation).
2. Select this agent on the Entity View.
3. Run the "Password Dump from SAM" module from the Information Gathering/Local folder in the
Modules Panel. If the agent is currently running as part of the LSASS process (i.e., it was deployed
with an exploit for a vulnerability within LSASS), then simply running the module will collect all the
user's password hashes. If this is not the case, then the "Agent process injector" module will
automatically be executed, injecting a new agent into the LSASS process from which the "Password
Dump from SAM" module will be able to collect password hashes.
Prev
Chapter 13. Obtaining and Utilizing User
Credentials
184
Up
Home
Next
Sniffing Password Hashes from the
Network
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
185
Prev
Next

Usernames, passwords and password hashes can sometimes be obtained by sniffing network traffic. To sniff
the network looking for passwords, use the "Password Sniffer" module from the root of the Information
Gathering folder in the Modules Panel. This module requires the agent to have packet capture capabilities.
Agents that have this capability are the localagent and agents with the Pcap plugin running with
root/administrator privileges.
To start looking for passwords by capturing packets, do the following:
1. Start by selecting an appropriate agent for this activity. As mentioned before, the agent must be able
to capture packets from the network. The host on which the agent is running must also be positioned
in the network at a point where it makes sense to sniff network packets, as only packets going through
the same network segment will be seen by that host. Also keep in mind that in switched environments,
all network packets are not received by every host on the same network segment.
2. Launch the Password Sniffer module from the Information Gathering folder. The module will run and
continually capture appropriate packets, extracting password or hash information when possible. This
information will be stored in the Entity Database.
Figure 13.1. Running the Password Sniffer module
Captured usernames and passwords will be stored in the Entity Database. Captured NTLM hashes can be
exported to a password cracker. This procedure is described in the following section.
Prev
Up
Next
Obtaining the Password Hashes from a
Exporting Obtained Password Hashes to
Home
Compromised Host
an External Password Cracker
Prev
Next
Using IMPACT
185
186
Using IMPACT
Exporting Obtained Password Hashes to an External

Password Cracker
Collected hashes from a Windows system can be exported to LCP, a Windows password cracker you can
download from www.lcpsoft.com.
To export this information, run the Export Windows Accounts hashes to LCP module from the Import-Export
module folder. The module will ask you for a destination folder, where two output files will be created:
lcp_pwdump.txt for the hashes obtained directly from the LSASS process
lcp_sniffed_data.txt for the hashes obtained by sniffing SMB traffic
To import the lcp_pwdump.txt file open LCP and select Import->Import From PwDump File from the
main menu.
To import the lcp_sniffed_data.txt file open LCP and select Import->Import From Sniff File from
the main menu.
Select Session->Begin Audit to start cracking these password hashes.
Prev
Up
Next
Logging Keystrokes on a Compromised
Sniffing Password Hashes from the
Home
Host
Network
Prev
Next

Username and password information can sometimes be obtained by logging keystrokes on a compromised
machine when an authorized user logs into the host or uses the compromised host to log into a different host.
IMPACT Pro has a built-in keylogger utility module for Windows systems that can be installed after an agent
has been deployed.
To install the Windows keylogger follow this procedure:
1. Select an appropriate agent to deploy the keylogger. The agent must be running on the Windows host
where the keylogger will be installed and must have Administrator or SYSTEM privileges.
2. Run the "Keylogger" module from the Information Gathering/Local folder. Default parameters will
configure the keylogger to store the log in memory. Refer to the module's documentation for
additional information.
3. The keylogger will now start logging keystrokes on the host.
4. The logged keystrokes will be downloaded and stored in the specified file.
Prev
Up
Next
Exporting Obtained Password Hashes to an
Home
External Password Cracker
Prev
Next
186
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
187

Some applications can save login information as a convenience for the user. Examples of applications that
have some form of password auto-completion are:
Internet Explorer
MSN Messenger
Outlook Express
Outlook 2003 & 2007
Mozilla
Firefox
Putty
Thunderbird
Trillian
Yahoo Messenger
In some cases it is possible to recover these credentials. To attempt recovering saved credentials from a
compromised host, follow this procedure:
1. Select an appropriate agent to collect credentials. The agent must be running on the host where you
want to search for login credentials.
2. Run any of "Password Dump from ..." modules from the Information Gathering/Local folder.
3. The module will start to attempt to recover credentials on the compromised host. Obtained credentials
will be added to the host entity as properties.
Prev
Logging Keystrokes on a Compromised
Host
Prev
Up
Home
Next

Next

IMPACT Pro can use obtained username and password information to deploy agents. In contrast to the agents
deployed by the exploitation process, these agents are deployed not by exploiting a vulnerability but by
logging into the target hosts with the specified username and password.
When using the SMB protocol to install an agent on a Windows host, it is possible to use password hashes to
log in as opposed to using a fully recovered password. This technique, sometimes referred to as "Pass the
hash" is implemented in the "Install Agent using SMB" module from the Agents module folder. When run
against a host from which hashes have been obtained (the hashes are stored in the host properties, within the
Accounts/SAM container), the module will automatically cycle through the available hashes until one is
successful.
To learn more about deploying agents with a valid username and password, see the section called Deploying
an Agent Using Valid User Credentials.
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 14. Understanding Licenses
Prev
Next
Using IMPACT
187
188
Using IMPACT

Table of Contents
Your IMPACT Pro distribution is configured to work under one or more licenses. Licenses define the targets
you can test with the product and also define the machine on which you can run IMPACT Pro. Remember,
you can add additional licenses to your distribution without reinstalling the product.
Navigate in IMPACT Pro to Tools->License manager to view your license details. A limited license has the
following factors associated with it:
Starting date
The date on which the license becomes valid.
Expiration date
The date on which the license expires. When a license expires, targets within a workspace cannot be
modified and new targets cannot be added.
IPs quantity
The maximum number of targets (unique IP addresses) that you can test with IMPACT Pro.
Remaining IPs
The remaining number of IPs that you can test.
IP Changes
The maximum number of IPs that you can remove after testing.
Remaining Changes
The remaining number of IPs that you can change. Clicking the Used IPs button will allow you to
remove IPs from the list.
IP Ranges
The range of IP addresses that can be tested with the product. You can add and modify targets that
belong to any of the listed ranges.
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

You can use the License manager to view installed licenses and install new ones. To use the License manager,
follow this procedure:
1. Select Tools->License manager from IMPACT Pro's main menu.
Figure 14.1. License manager Dialog Box
188
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
189
2. Click on any of the licenses listed in the Available licenses Panel to display its properties, or click on
Add new to install a new license from a downloaded license file. You will then browse to its location
and select it.
To purchase additional licenses, or if you wish to extend an existing license, contact Core Security
Technologies (see Chapter 18).
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Prev
Next

IMPACT Pro allows users a convenient way to back up and subsequently restore their license(s).
Backup the IMPACT Pro License

1. Make sure all Workspaces are closed and click Tools->Backup/Restore Impact Licenses...
2. Leave the Backup radio button selected.
3. Either type the full path or browse (using the ellipsis button) to the target file for the backup. The file
will be a (.bak) file.
Figure 14.2. Backup IMPACT Pro License
Using IMPACT
189
190
Using IMPACT

5. Click the OK button on the verification pop-up message.
Restore the IMPACT Pro License

1. Make sure all Workspaces are closed and click Tools->Backup/Restore Impact Licenses...
2. Select the Restore radio button.
3. Either type the full path or browse (using the ellipsis button) to the source .bak file of the backup.
Figure 14.3. Restore IMPACT Pro License

5. Click the OK button on the verification pop-up message.
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 15. Setting Console Options
Next

Table of Contents
Modules
Agents
Entities
Network
190
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
191
One-step RPT
User Actions
Search Engines
Community Usage
Other
You can configure IMPACT Pro's Console to meet your particular needs and preferences by setting global
options. Options are accessible from the main menu using the Tools->Options command. Each of the
configurable option categories visible on the left panel of the dialog box pictured below is described in the
following sections.
Figure 15.1. Options Dialog Box
Prev
Up
Home
Modules
Prev
Next
Modules
Next
Modules
The Modules panel of the Options Dialog Box includes options related to module execution and module
highlighting. Follow these steps to set the Modules options:
1. Select the Tools->Options command from the main menu.
2. Click the Module category and set your options using the fields described below. Then click OK.
Figure 15.2. Module Settings
Auto select new tasks
Using IMPACT
191
192
Using IMPACT
If you leave this check-box selected, new tasks will be automatically selected in the Executed
Modules Panel as they start executing.
Execute modules in debugging mode
If you select this option, modules are more verbose and generate more log lines in the Module Log
view. You will then have the option to Attach Debugger to Running Modules which will, if selected,
attach the debugger to any modules that are currently running.
Allow dropping modules over unsupported targets
If you select this check-box, the console will not block the execution of a module against an
unsupported target (for instance, running a Windows exploit against a Solaris box).
Add current time to every log line
If you select this option, each log line in the Module Log view will be time stamped.
Log detail level
Select the verbosity level of the Modules log as either High, Medium (default), Low.
Max. concurrent modules
The maximum amount of modules that can be run concurrently. When this maximum is reached, new
modules will wait in the initialized state until others finish.
Module Editing
This field allows you to set the preferred application for editing modules. To change from the default
(Notepad), click the browse icon ( ) and navigate to your preferred text editing application.
Highlighting
This section is used to select the color that modules are highlighted in the Modules View of the panel.
When you select an OS agent or WebApps agent in the entity view, the applicable modules will
automatically be highlighted for ease of identification.
RPT Pane
If you select this option, changing to a different entity pane will automatically change the RPT view
to match it.
Prev
Up
Home
Agents
Prev
Next
Agents
Next
Agents
The Agents panel of the Options Dialog Box includes options related to agents. Follow these steps to set the
Agents options:
2. Click the Agents category and set your options using the fields described below. Then click OK.
Figure 15.3. Agents Settings
192
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
193
Set new agents as source

If you select the Set new agents as source check-box, whenever a new agent is created it will be set as
the current default source agent. If the check-box is not set, you will have to manually set the new
agent as source.
Use encrypted channel for agents
This check-box controls whether to use a secure communication channel between the agents and the
console.
Play sound on agent installation
This check-box controls whether to play a sound when a new agent is installed. The sound file to be
played is defined in the following registry key:
HKCU\Software\Core Security Technologies\CORE Impact\Sounds
HTTPS Channel
Override Core IMPACT Pro SSL certificate with external certificate
Check this option if you want to use your own SSL certificate to facilitate agents' use of the
HTTPS Channel.
Certificate path
The path to the SSL certificate.
Private Key path
The path to the SSL certificate's private key. If applicable, check the Private Key file is
encrypted checkbox.
Private Key file passphrase
The passphrase to the certificate's private key.
Reconnection Policy
Use Reconnection Policy
Check this option if you want agents that lose connectivity to the IMPACT Pro console to
attempt to reconnect. Without a Reconnection Policy, agents that lose connectivity will
self-destruct. This is a global setting but it can be overridden for an individual agent - see Set
Reconnection Policy for details.
Reconnection Attempt Interval
This value determines how often an agent should attempt to connect back to the IMPACT Pro
console.
Using IMPACT
193
194
Using IMPACT
Reconnection Attempt Timeout

This value determines how long the agent should attempt to connect back to the IMPACT Pro
console.
Port
Specify a port on which you would like the reconnection to occur. Enter 0 to reuse the agent's
original connection port.
Agent Keep Alive Policy
Use Keep Alive
Oftentimes, agents that are left idle for a period of time have their connections terminated by
network devices or firewalls. Check this option if you want IMPACT Pro to send a packet to
agents to keep their communication channel active.
Keep Alive Interval
Determines the interval in seconds when IMPACT Pro should send a packet to agents to
maintain their communication channel.
Prev
Modules
Prev
Up
Home
Entities
Next
Entities
Next
Entities
The Entities Panel of the Options Dialog Box includes options related to the management of the Entity
Database. Follow these steps to set Entities options:
2. Click the Entities category and select or deselect the check-boxes described below. Then click OK.
Figure 15.4. Entities Settings
Show hidden properties

194
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
195
If you select this check-box, hidden properties will be displayed in the Entity Properties Editor.
Show modules
If you select this check-box the Entity Properties Window will display properties for the
currently-selected module in the Modules Panel.
Warn TARGET's visibility
If you select the Warn TARGET's visibility check-box, IMPACT Pro will warn the user when
executing a module against a TARGET that is outside the current source agent's visibility level.
Group hosts by netmask
Networks are identified and grouped in the entity view if they match this netmask address.
Prev
Agents
Prev
Up
Home
Network
Next
Network
Next
Network
The Network Panel of the Options Dialog Box includes options related to the management of network
interfaces. Follow these steps to set network interface options:
Figure 15.5. Network Settings
Network Interface for packet capture

Use the Network Interface for packet capture drop-down box to select the network interface that will
be used for modules that use PCAP when they are executed in the local agent. The selected interfaces
IP address is also used as the URL of the malicious web server for client-side attacks.
Internet connection
This section is used to set connection preferences. Click the radio button that corresponds with how
your IMPACT Pro console can connect to the Internet:
Using IMPACT
195
196
Using IMPACT
Use Internet Explorer Settings: This will use the same connectivity configurations that exist
in your Internet Explorer settings.
Direct connection to the Internet: Use this if your IMPACT Pro console has a direct
connection to the Internet.
Use a proxy server: Also enter the Address, Port, Username and Password for the proxy
server.
These settings are used in two places: when downloading Modules updates, and when connecting to
the Internet to get News. These settings are captured and stored from the parameters entered during
the IMPACT Pro installation and product activation.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
IMPACT Pro is behind a NAT
Check this box if IMPACT Pro is deployed behind a NAT device.
Public Address
Enter the external IP address of the NAT device.
Port Range
Enter the range of ports that are being redirected (forwarded) from the NAT device to the
Console.
The settings in the NAT Panel control the way IMPACT Pro exploits will behave when using
different agent connection methods. Note that changing these settings does not change your NAT
device configuration. You must do that manually.
To support the Connect from connection method, all the ports within the specified Port Range have to
be redirected to the internal address for the host running IMPACT Pro. An agent deployed with the
Connect from connection method will try to connect to the Public Address IP on a port within the
defined Port Range. The Console will wait for that incoming connection on the same port.
When NAT is activated, the Reuse connection method utilizes the specified Public Address to find the
correct TCP session in the target host's memory. In some cases, it will not be possible to exploit the
same target service twice in a row using Reuse connection unless the first agent is disconnected
before you launch the second attack.
News
If you do not wish to receive news about module or software updates, select the Do not connect to the
Internet to get news check-box. IMPACT Pro will oftentimes display messages on the top of the
Dashboard about new exploits or related information. Checking this option will prevent these
messages from appearing.
Prev
Entities
Prev
Up
Home
One-step RPT
Next
One-step RPT
Next
One-step RPT
The One-step RPT Panel of the Options Dialog Box configures the One-step RPTs. Follow these steps to set
One-step RPT options:
2. Click the One-step RPT category and set the options according to the below descriptions. Then click
OK.
Figure 15.6. One-step RPT Settings
196
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
197
Exploit Options
Try to exploit all possible vulnerabilities for each target host: If this option is not checked, the RPT will stop
testing a designated target as soon as an exploit is successful.
Do not use exploits that might shut down a service: Check this option to prevent the RPT from running any
exploits that could potentially either stop or restart the service or application being targeted.
Use exploits that take a long time to run: If this option is not checked, the RPT will only run exploits that will
take less than 10 minutes to complete.
Module Connection Settings
Connection method: When the One-step RPT successfully exploits a target computer, an agent is deployed on
that target. An agent is a temporary piece of code that runs in the target computers RAM and communicates
back to IMPACT Pro. The Connection Method setting determines how the deployed agent and IMPACT Pro
connect to one another:
Connect To: IMPACT Pro will initiate a connection to the agent on the target system. The target
system will listen on the port specified below. You might select this method if there are network or
firewall restrictions on traffic sent to the IMPACT Pro machine.
Connect From: IMPACT Pro will wait for a connection from the target system's agent. The IMPACT
Pro host will listen on the port specified below. You might select this method if there are network or
firewall restrictions on traffic sent to the machines to be tested.
HTTP Channel: IMPACT Pro will act as a web server and accept incoming connections from the
target system to TCP port 80. This method only applies for Client-side Vulnerabilities tests. If this
method is selected and a you run a Network Vulnerabilities test, the Default Connection Method will
be used.
Use random port (in the range 1024 - 65535): Check this option to allow IMPACT Pro to randomly select a
port for it or target systems to listen on (depends on the Connection Method selected).
Custom port: Check this option (and enter a port number) to manually define the port on which IMPACT Pro
or target systems will listen on (depends on the Connection Method selected).
Using IMPACT
197
198
Using IMPACT
Note
Regardless of the connection method you choose, it will be important for you to ensure that your IMPACT
Pro machine and the target machine(s) can communicate to one another using the designated ports. If you
elect to use a random port, then make sure all ports in the high range are open. If the high range of ports are
limited or restricted, then set a custom port number and ensure that IMPACT Pro machine and the target
system(s) can communicate on that port.
Outgoing E-mail Information (for Client-side Vulnerability Test)
From: The address you enter here will appear as the From: address in the email Client-side Vulnerability test.
E-mail template: Use a template that contains the body of your email. Click the ellipsis button to browse for
and select a template file. You will see several sample template files included in your IMPACT Pro
installation. These are located in the \data\templates directory of your IMPACT Pro installation.
Subject: The text entered here will appear as the Subject of the e-mail.
Outgoing SMTP Server: (for Client-side Vulnerability Test)
Address and Port: In order for IMPACT Pro to send email (in either a Client-side test or to send post-test
reports), you must provide the address and port of an active SMTP server.
Prev
Network
Prev
Up
Home
User Actions
Next
User Actions
Next
User Actions
User Actions are custom commands that can apply to entities (hosts, email addresses, web pages). When you
right-click on an entity, the User Actions appear in the list of available commands.
Figure 15.7. User Actions Settings
198
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
199
To create a User Action, perform these steps:

1. Access the User Actions Options (Tools->Options).
2. Click the New button.
3. Enter a Name for the new user action (e.g. Ping). This is the name that will appear in the right-click
menu.
4. Select the Entity type to which the action should apply (e.g. host). Your new action will only appear
when you right-click on an entity of the type selected here.
5. Enter a Program that will be used to execute your action. For the Ping example, one would enter the
path to the ping executable (ping.exe). The Program field can include environment variables such as
%ProgramFiles%, %AppData%, etc and Entity characteristics such as host [ip], email [address] and
web page [url].
6. Optionally, enter any Parameters to pass along to the Program. The Parameters field can include
environment variables such as %ProgramFiles%, %AppData%, etc and Entity characteristics such as
host [ip], email [address] and web page [url].
Your new User Action will appear when you right-click on an entity that matches the type you selected in step
4. For example, if you created a User Action for Hosts, navigate to the Network entity view, click on the
Hosts folder, then right-click on a host. Navigate to the User Actions option - this should reveal the available
User Actions that can apply to Hosts, including your new action.
Figure 15.8. User Action Example
Prev
One-step RPT
Prev
Up
Home
Search Engines
Next
Search Engines
Next
Search Engines
Client-side Information Gathering supports the use of API-based searches for some search engines (Bing
and Yahoo!). If your company has an API ID for a search engine, you can enter it in the Options form.
When IMPACT Pro's Client-side Information Gathering uses that search engine, the engine will know that the
searches are not from a robot and will not put forth any captcha challenges or otherwise restrict the search.
On the Search Engines Options form, select the Search Engine from the drop-down menu, then enter the API
ID for that search engine. Then click the OK button.
Figure 15.9. Search Engines Settings
Using IMPACT
199
200
Using IMPACT
Prev
User Actions
Prev
Up
Home
Community Usage
Next
Community Usage
Next
Community Usage
The Community Usage Panel of the Options Dialog Box determines what information IMPACT Pro will
gather and provide anonymously to Core Security Technologies for statistical analysis of the applications use.
Follow these steps to set Community Usage options:
2. Click the Community Usage category and select which types (if any) of data you are willing to
provide. Then click OK. All data will be gathered and transmitted automatically and all information
will be kept anonymous.
Figure 15.10. Community Usage Settings
200
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
201
To gather and send your usage statistics, see Usage Statistics.

Prev
Search Engines
Prev
Up
Home
Other
Next
Other
Next
Other
The Other category of options includes configurations for 2 IMPACT Pro features:
The Update Notifier is a utility that will run in the background to check for available module updates
even when IMPACT Pro is not running. If updates are identified, the Notifier will appear in the
system tray. If the Enable Update Notifiersetting is checked, then the Update Notifier will check for
updates as frequently as is specified in the Minutes between checks field.
If the Enable Update Notifier setting is unchecked, then it will not run at all.
Wireshark is a software utility that is required if you plan to use the Wireless AirPcap Traffic Sniffer.
Simply click the ellipsis button and navigate to the path of your Wireshark executable.
Figure 15.11. Other Settings
Using IMPACT
201
202
Prev
Community Usage
Prev
Using IMPACT
Up
Next
Customizing Toolbars and Keyboard
Home
Shortcuts
Next

Keyboard shortcuts and Console toolbars can be customized using the Customize dialog box. To open this
dialog box, select the Tools->Customize command from the main menu.
Figure 15.12. Customize Dialog Box
202
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
203
Customizing Toolbars
You can activate or deactivate toolbars, create new toolbars or remove existing toolbars using the Toolbars
Panel of the Customize dialog box. Active toolbars will automatically appear at the top of the Console.
To add or remove commands from a toolbar, click on the Commands tab of the Customize dialog box. Use
drag-and-drop to add or remove specific commands from an existing toolbar.
Figure 15.13. Adding commands to a toolbar
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

You can configure the Console's keyboard shortcuts using the Keyboard Panel of the Customize dialog box.
Figure 15.14. Customizing keyboard shortcuts
Using IMPACT
203
204
Using IMPACT
Category
Commands are grouped into categories (such as Edit or View) which correspond with the Main Menu
and the Toolbar.
Commands
The actions you can perform using the keyboard command.
Key assignments
Used to assign new keyboard shortcuts or remove existing ones. Commands can have multiple
keyboard shortcuts.
Press new shortcut key
Changes the keyboard shortcut for any command.
Prev
Other
Prev
Up
Next
Home
Chapter 16. CVE and IMPACT Pro
Next

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) is a reference of standardized names for vulnerabilities
and other Information Security exposures. The goal of CVE is to standardize the names for all publicly-known
vulnerabilities and security exposures.
About CVE Compatibility. A "CVE-compatible" tool (Web site, database, or service) is one that uses CVE
names in such a way that it can cross-link with other repositories that also use CVE names.
Within IMPACT Pro, CVE names are used to uniquely identify the vulnerabilities exploited by each attack
module. When the Quick Information Panel displays information about the currently selected attack, it
includes the CVE name for the related vulnerability in the Exploits Vulnerability field. The CVE name is also
a link which takes you to the CVE web site for industry-derived information on the vulnerability.
Figure 16.1. Quick Information Panel - CVE name
You can also search for attack modules by CVE name. To find all attacks related to a specific CVE name,
select the CVE search criteria in the Search box in the Modules Panel and enter the desired name in the text
box.
Figure 16.2. Modules Panel - Searching by CVE Name
204
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
205
See the section called &"http://cve.mitre.org" target="_top">http://cve.mitre.org.

Prev
Up
Next
Chapter 17. IMPACT Pro Underlying
Customizing Toolbars and Keyboard
Home
Technology
Shortcuts
Chapter 17. IMPACT Pro Underlying Technology
Prev
Next

Table of Contents
Agent Technology
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Agent Technology
Next
Agent Technology
Next
Agent Technology
Agents are a critical component of IMPACT Pro's architecture because they provide the functionality to
execute code in the form of modules, either locally or on other agents. The following sections describe the key
underlying technology employed by IMPACT Pro agents.
The ProxyCall Interface

Every module execution in IMPACT Pro is associated with a source agent, the default agent that the module
uses to interact with the operating system (OS). The interaction between the agent and the OS is achieved
using the ProxyCall Interface, a common interface for all platforms. The ProxyCall Interface abstracts the
operating system's user-mode services using syscalls for UNIX and Win32 API functions for Windows. This
common interface makes IMPACT Pro's modules available in all platforms where a ProxyCall
implementation exists. A ProxyCall implementation provides the module with one function call for each
Using IMPACT
205
206
Using IMPACT
available syscall in the underlying OS and a mechanism to call arbitrary syscalls if needed.
For example, the gethostname()syscall is part of this common interface. In a UNIX ProxyCall
implementation the gethostname() call is translated in its corresponding syscall into the OS's kernel. In a
Windows implementation it is translated into a call to the gethostname()function within the wsock32.dll
dynamic library.
There are two main branches in the ProxyCall hierarchy:
UnixProxyCall and ProxyCallv2 for Unix, provide services for marshalling calls to any
system call supported by the underlying UNIX-like OS. These calls are sent directly into the system
kernel.
WindowsProxyCall and ProxyCallv2 for Windows, provide services for marshalling calls to
any DLL entry-point function by first dynamically loading the library into the process space of the
agent using the LoadLibrary call, then obtaining the offset of the desired function in the loaded
library using the GetProcAddress call, and lastly jumping into it.
Python
IMPACT Pro's Console uses a Python Virtual Machine (see http://www.python.org/) to run modules. The
only significant difference between the typical Python VM distribution and the one distributed with IMPACT
Pro is that IMPACT Pro's VM uses the ProxyCall Interface to implement all of Python's system services.
This means that:
Python's file object uses the ProxyCall Interface for all its functions.
Python's socket object uses the ProxyCall Interface for all its services.
Basic OS services implemented in the sys and os modules use the ProxyCall Interface.
A Python script that is typically used to open a socket will open a ProxyCall socket when run inside
IMPACT Pro. (This is why IMPACT Pro modules do not look significantly different from typical Python
code.)
SysCall Proxying
If a ProxyCall implementation forwards the call to a remote server instead of directly calling the
underlying OS syscall, remote execution will be simulated. Whenever a module is run by a remote source
agent, all the module's calls into the ProxyCall interface are forwarded to a remote ProxyCall server.
This is known as SysCall Proxying.
The following example describes how SysCall Proxying works:
1. A module is executed using a remote agent deployed in host victim.
2. The module calls the gethostname() from the agent's ProxyCall interface.
3. The function marshals its arguments into a structure that is specific to the remote system's OS and
generates a remote call into the ProxyCall server running in the victim host.
4. The server in victim calls the real gethostname() function in victim's operating system, marshals
the result, and sends it back to the client.
5. The client ProxyCall implementation returns the results to the module.
6. The module prints the gethostname() results to the console as if it was running in victim.
Inside IMPACT Pro's architecture ProxyCall servers are implemented as target-dependant assembly code.
Optimized for size, these tiny SysCall servers are the basic component of agents.
206
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
207
Using a SysCall server as payload for an exploit also makes the task of customizing a shellcode unnecessary.
Once the remote agent is up and running, further syscalls can be executed in the remote system.
The following example describes how this works:
1. An attack module that exploits a vulnerability in a ftp daemon succeeds and installs an agent.
2. You connect to the newly deployed agent and realize that you are inside a chroot jail.
3. You select the new agent as source and run a setuid module and a chroot breaker module.
4. The agent is freed from the chroot jail.
The successful completion of the process described above would typically require the exploit developer to
change the exploit's shellcode to accommodate the change made in step 3. It would also depend on the user
successfully exploiting the vulnerability again, which might not be possible.
For a comprehensive explanation of Syscall Proxying, refer to "Syscall Proxying - Simulating Remote
Execution" by Maximiliano Caceres.
About Agents
IMPACT Pro agents can multi-task (run multiple modules) and have a Secure Communication Channel. Once
deployed, they can provide all system calls and arbitrary code execution on platforms with built-in stack
protection (such as Solaris). Local agents use Python Virtual Machine and local Syscall implementation
embedded in the console connected to the database.
The following table lists the platforms that agents support.
Table 17.1. Agent-supported Platforms
Platform
Solaris 7 SPARC (sun4u, sun4m)
Solaris 8, 9, 10 SPARC (sun4u)
Ubuntu Linux 5.04, 5.10, 6.06, 6.06.1, 6.06.2, 6.10, 7.04, 7.10, 8.04 (i386)
Ubuntu Linux 6.06, 6.10, 7.04, 7.10 (x86_64)
Debian Linux 2.2, 2.3, 3, 3.1, 4 (i386)
RedHat Linux 6.1, 6.2, 7, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8, 9 (i386)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3, ES 3, WS 3, AS 4, ES 4, WS 4, AS 5, ES 5, WS 5, AS 5.1, ES 5.1, WS 5.1
(i386)
Mandrake Linux 7.1, 7.2, 8, 8.1, 8.2, 9, 9.2, 10 (i386)
Mandriva Linux 2006, 2007, 2008.1 (i386)
Linux Fedora Core 2 - 6 (i386)
Linux Fedora 7 - 8 (i386)
SuSE Linux 7, 7.1 - 7.3, 8, 8.1-2, 9, 9.1-3 (i386)
OpenSUSE 10.1-2 (i386)
SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 - sp0, sp1 (i386)
OpenBSD 3.5 - 3.9, 4.0 - 4.9 (i386)
Windows NT 4.0 i386
Windows 2000 i386
Windows XP i386
Windows 2003 i386
Using IMPACT
207
208
Using IMPACT
Windows Vista i386

Mac OS X 10.4.6 - 10.4.11 (Intel)
Mac OS X 10.5.0 - 10.5.2 (Intel)
Mac OS X 10.4.6 - 10.4.11 (PowerPC)
Mac OS X 10.5.0 - 10.5.1 (PowerPC)
AIX 5.2, 5.3 (PowerPC)
FreeBSD 5.5 (i386)
FreeBSD 6.0 - 6.3, 7 (i386)
The following table compares the functionality and attributes of the different deployment types of IMPACT
Pro agents. Because the communication channels available to agents are dependent on privilege level, the
table includes both agents and agents running "as root". Note that some agent functionality listed below (such
as sniffing and IP spoofing) is dependent on the presence of optional product plug-ins.
Table 17.2. Agent Functionality and Attribute Comparison
Category
Agent
Agent as root / Administrator
Agent + PCAP as root /
Administrator
Local Agent
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
N/A
yes
yes
yes
N/A (yes) no
Prev
Chapter 17. IMPACT Pro Underlying
Technology
Prev
no
no
Real
Spoof
Persistent
Shell
IP?
no
no
yes
no
yes
yes
Send
ICMP?
no
yes
Multi-task? Crypto?
Sniff?
Up
Home
yes
Next
Next
IMPACT Pro's agents communicate using communication channels. Channels provide reliable
communication between two agents and, in some cases, data transformations such as encryption.
Different channel implementations are available depending on the network scenario. You must decide which
channel to use for communication with an agent before you deploy the agent. This decision is typically made
when you set parameters for an attack module (a module that will eventually deploy an agent) or when you set
parameters for the deployment of an agent. In addition to selecting the channel, you must also set
channel-specific parameters.
A special channel called Crypto is available that provides data encryption and session authentication (see the
section called Crypto Channel). This channel is usually layered on top of another transport channel that
provides the actual communication.
Allowing for broad testing capabilities, IMPACT Pro will function across IPv6 backbone networks. In the
case of dual-stack systems, IMPACT Pro will automatically use only the IPv4 stack for security testing. All
Internet services from Core Security Technologies to IMPACT Pro, such as product activation and updates,
will remain IPv4 based.
208
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
209
TCP Channel
The TCP Channel provides communication using the underlying OS TCP sockets. This is the only
communication channel supported by agents.
You can set up a TCP Channel from the source agent to the target, or from the target to the source agent. The
second option is useful for scenarios where packet filtering disallows inbound connections and only allows
outbound connections. Depending on the vulnerable application, it is sometimes possible to reuse an existing
TCP connection as an agent communication channel. In attack modules, this behavior is typically configured
with the CONNECTION_METHOD parameter.
HTTP Connect Channel

This feature is now used by default by every client-side exploit when using the "Connect from" agent
connection method. It can be overridden on a per-exploit basis if an alternate method is preferred. The HTTP
Connect Channel enhances the regular TCP channel (using "Connect From") by allowing agents in Windows
hosts to use the CONNECT method from the HTTP 1.1 protocol to connect back to the current source agent
(usually the console) through a proxy.
A typical use scenario for this feature would be an external penetration test where the tested workstations can
only browse the Internet through a proxy.
Technical Details
Proxies that support the CONNECT command allow for tunneling any arbitrary TCP connection through the
original HTTP connection.
To start communication, the agent sends the following command to the proxy:
CONNECT host:port HTTP/1.0
The proxy then connects to the indicated host and port and, if the connection is established, responds with the
following:
HTTP/1.0 200 Connection established
After receiving this response, the agent can use the same open socket as if it were directly connected with the
host. The proxy will then transparently forward all data in both directions.
Configuration
The agent code auto-detects proxy settings by reading Internet Explorer's (IE's) configuration for the active
user. Settings include the proxy's address, listening port, and if necessary authentication information
(username and password).
If the connection fails, the agent defaults to the Connect From connection method and attempts to connect
back directly to the current source agent.
Known Issues and Limitations
Agents connecting back using a proxy will appear in the Entity View within a host with the proxy's IP
address (instead of the actual host's address).
Using IMPACT
209
210
Using IMPACT
Most proxies only allow tunneling port 443 (HTTPS). If AGENT_PORT is not 443, the proxy will
probably deny the connection. Because of the single connection limitation mentioned above,
client-side exploits have a default AGENT_PORT of 0, which indicates a random port within the
valid range (usually 40001 to 60000, but depends on NAT preferences).
The current payload for this connection method only supports reading IE's configuration from the
registry. If the user is not using IE or if IE is not configured correctly, the connection method will fail
and default to Connect From.
Proxies usually keep activity logs which include activity related to the CONNECT command. It is
reasonable to assume that the source agent's address will be recorded in this log.
Notes for Exploit Developers

To force the activation of this connection method, set the egg's "WebProxyTunnel" parameter to "yes." Set the
same parameter to "no" to force deactivation. Additionally, it is possible to hard-code the proxy configuration
within the exploit, reducing the payload's final size by excluding the auto detection code. To hard-code the
proxy's address and port set the "proxy_ip" and "proxy_port" parameters to the desired values.
For example, to force this connection method in an exploit hard coding the proxy address to 192.168.1.1 port
80 you can use the following code:
self.egg['WebProxyTunnel'] = 'yes'
self.egg['proxy_ip'] = '192.168.1.1'
self.egg['proxy_port'] = 80
The implementation for this connection method can be found in the WebProxyTunnel.py file located in the
"CORE IMPACT\Python\Lib\impact\LibEgg" folder.
HTTP Tunnel Channel

The HTTP Tunnel Channel provides communication using the HTTP protocol. IMPACT Pro agents can use
this communication channel to connect through an HTTP proxy verifying the presence of a valid HTTP
communication.
A typical use scenario for this channel would be an external penetration test where the tested workstations can
only browse the Internet through a protocol validating proxy.
Technical Details
Similar to agents using the HTTP Connect channel (see the section called HTTP Connect Channel), these
agents will automatically get connection settings from Internet Explorer.
Agents use GET requests to read data from the console and send data back using POST requests. These
requests use "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" as their MIME Content-Type. In order for communication
through a proxy to succeed, the proxy has to allow GET, POST, and the
"application/x-www-form-urlencoded" Content-Type.
Note
If the proxy is filtering "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" content, the agent will not be able to
communicate back to the console. This situation should be rare, as this content type is used by regular web
forms.
Exploits implementing this method use a helper module called "HTTP Tunnel". This module translates
between HTTP and the agent protocol in a manner that's transparent to the user.
210
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
211
Figure 17.1. HTTP Tunnel components
Agents using this method will first connect with their configured HTTP proxy (using IE's proxy settings) and
then request an HTTP URL from the HTTP Tunnel. Upon receiving the request, the HTTP Tunnel will
translate the HTTP request to the ProxyCall interface and send it to the IMPACT Pro Console.
Crypto Channel
The Crypto Channel provides data encryption and session authentication. Key agreement for communication
is performed using RSA and encryption is performed using 128-bit AES.
Each IMPACT Pro workspace has a public-secret-key pair which is used for key agreement in Crypto
Channels. Each agent packaged with Crypto will have a copy of the workspace's public-key which will be
used to authenticate the Console. This means that only the Console containing the workspace that created the
agent will be able to connect to it.
Prev
Agent Technology
Prev
Up
Home
Next
Next

In certain situations, the process in which the agent is currently executing has a limited lifetime. For instance,
when exploiting client side vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer (IE), it is fairly common for IE to stop
responding. This situation typically causes the user to re-start IE, thereby killing the deployed agent.
Similarly, if the user finishes using the application that was exploited he or she might close it, once again
killing the deployed agent.
To accommodate these cases, IMPACT Pro includes functionality to allow the agent to escape to an alternate
process in the exploited host after successful exploitation. This functionality is known as agent auto injection.
Technical Details
Agent auto injection is implemented within the exploitlib library in the agentEscape() method. This
method runs right after a client-side exploit has added the agent to the database. The agentEscape() method:
1. Enumerates running processes on the compromised host.
2. Searches for the PIDs of explorer.exe by default.
3. Injects a new agent into the process found in the previous step. This new agent connects directly to
the source agent (i.e., it doesn't chain with the existing agent) using the same connection method used
by the original agent ("HTTP Tunnel" in client-side exploits).
4. Disconnects and terminates the original agent once a connection with the second agent is established.
As mentioned in step 2, the agent will search for explorer.exe by default. This is specified within the
exploit.py file located in
%appdata%\IMPACT\components\modules\exploits\site-packages\impact\exploitlib,
and can be edited to include any other preferred destination processes.
Using IMPACT
211
212
Using IMPACT
The list is defined within the escapeToProcess attribute in the Exploit.__init__() method as follows:
self.escapeToProcesses = [ 'explorer.exe', 'svchost.exe', iexplore.exe' ]
Note
If you escape to a system process, the agent will not be able to determine the local user's proxy settings (if
needed).
Prev
Prev
Up
Next
Chapter 18. Contact Core Security
Home
Technologies
Chapter 18. Contact Core Security Technologies
Next

Table of Contents
Sales Support
Product Support
Core Security Technologies

41 Farnsworth St
Boston, MA 02210
USA
Prev
Prev
Up
Home
Sales Support
Next
Sales Support
Next
Sales Support
For all Sales inquiries, including purchasing new licenses or license extensions:
Phone: (617) 399-6980
<sales@coresecurity.com>
Prev
Chapter 18. Contact Core Security
Technologies
Prev
212
Up
Home
Next
Product Support
Product Support
Using IMPACT
Using IMPACT
213
Product Support
Product support for active customers is provided Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM US Eastern Time.
Phone: (617) 399-6980
<support-professional@coresecurity.com>
Prev
Sales Supp
Using IMPACT
Up
213
214
Using IMPACT
214
Using IMPACT

Core Impact 7.5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Core Impact 7.5

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Core Impact 7.5

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

Station Deauthentication Flood

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

Chapter 2. About this Guide

The CORE IMPACT Professional Version 10.5 User Guide

CORE IMPACT Professional v10.5 User Guide

Chapter 3. Installing IMPACT Pro

Installing IMPACT Pro

Minimum System Requirements for IMPACT Pro v10.5

Installing IMPACT Pro

Figure 3.2. InstallShield Wizard Welcome Window

Figure 3.4. Destination Location Window

Click the Finish button.

Activating the product

Activation Via Internet

Activation Via Email or Phone

Set Up IMPACT Pro

Figure 3.14. Setup Wizard

Then click the Next button.

Then click the Finish button.

How to Integrate with Metasploit

Automatic Integration with Metasploit

Manual Integration with Metasploit

Un-installing IMPACT Pro

Transferring an IMPACT Pro Installation

Click the Next button.

3. Un-install IMPACT Pro (see Un-installing IMPACT Pro).

Database Creation Wizard

Database Migration Wizard

Operating Systems discovered including version and service pack level

will initiate the

Chapter 4. IMPACT Pro Architecture

IMPACT Pro Architecture Features

Chapter 5. IMPACT Pro Quickstart

Getting Started: The Dashboard

The Dashboard will show:

Figure 5.1. The IMPACT Pro Dashboard

Figure 5.3. Workspace Name and Client Dialog Box

3. Select a License for your new workspace and click Next.

IMPACT Pro Console

Figure 5.7. Impact Pro Console

Chapter 6. Rapid Penetration Test (RPT)

Network Information Gathering

Network Attack and Penetration

The Entities Selection window will open.

Then click the OK button to return to the Wizard.

5. Make Exploit selection options.

Click the Next button.

Then click the Next button.

Click the Next button.

Click the Finish button.

Local Information Gathering

5. Click the OK button.

Network Report Generation