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Network Penetration Test — ECPE 178

A full penetration test against a hardened target VM for Network Security (ECPE 178) — from recon to root, with the whole kill chain documented.

Kali Linux Metasploit Nmap John the Ripper Privilege Escalation

Overview

For my Network Security course (ECPE 178) I ran a full penetration test against a hardened target VM from a Kali attack box. The goal was to work the whole chain end to end: map the attack surface, get initial access, escalate privileges, and prove it — then write it all up.

The Kill Chain

Recon: mapped open ports and services on the target with nmap
Initial access: exploited an UnrealIRCd backdoor (CVE-2010-2075) through Metasploit
Privilege escalation: chained a Docker-group misconfiguration to escalate to root
Credential access: dumped the credential hashes off the box
Cracking: broke the MD5-crypt hashes with John the Ripper and rockyou.txt
Reporting: documented the full chain with proof for each step

What I Learned

Reading nmap output to prioritize a real attack surface
Using Metasploit for targeted CVE exploitation instead of guessing
How common misconfigurations (like the Docker group) become root
Offline hash cracking workflow with John the Ripper and wordlists
Writing a clear, reproducible pen test report