Attacking Hosts, Cloud Technologies, and Specialized Systems

Penetration testers need to be able to gain access to a wide variety of systems and devices. This chapter details specific exploit methodologies and vulnerabilities for devices and systems, including cloud environments and services and specialized systems like mobile, Internet of Things, industrial control systems, and virtualized environments. It explores techniques that a penetration tester can use to attack data storage systems and management interfaces, how to attack mobile devices, and the basics of attacking containers and virtual machines to exploit the systems that run them. The chapter explains how to acquire credentials from common credential store locations and how to leverage powerful password recovery tools to crack hashed passwords quickly from common password formats. The Linux kernel is the core of the Linux operating system, and it handles everything from input and output, memory management, and interfacing with the processor to interfacing with peripherals like keyboards and mice.