Metasploit 101: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet

Anjola.A

— 4 min read
computer terminal

What is Metasploit?

Metasploit is one of the most powerful and popular tools for penetration testing in cybersecurity. It gives security professionals, ethical hackers, and red teamers everything they need to find vulnerabilities, build exploits, and test how strong a system’s defences are.

First built by H.D. Moore back in 2003, Metasploit has become the go-to framework for simulating real-world attacks. Thanks to its modular design, you can scan networks, exploit weaknesses, and take control of systems, in a flexible and customisable way.

Some of the primary uses of Metasploit include:

  • Vulnerability Scanning: Metasploit makes network scanning and identifying vulnerabilities easy. It helps you find the weak spots before an attacker does, allowing you to know exactly where to focus your fixes.
  • Exploitation of Security Flaws: Metasploit gives you the tools to exploit vulnerabilities once you find them. Whether you are testing systems or building attack chains, it makes launching exploits fast and flexible.
  • Post Exploitation: After getting access to a system, Metasploit has a variety of tools to dig deeper. You can pull sensitive data, move laterally inside networks, and escalate your privileges for permanent access.
  • Payload Generation: Metasploit can generate all kinds of payloads depending on what you need. From popping a reverse shell to setting up full backdoor access, it lets you customise and deploy them quickly on the fly.
  • Security Research and Proof of Concept Creation: If you are building or testing new exploits, Metasploit is your go-to. It makes it simple to put together proof-of-concept code so you can show exactly how a vulnerability could be abused in the real world.
  • Community and Commercial Support: Metasploit is backed by a large community and serious commercial support. Whether you are just learning or doing professional red team work, there is a vast body of knowledge including updates, that help keep you sharp.

Common Metasploit Commands

Short Title Command Description
Start Metasploit msfconsole Starts the Metasploit console where all operations happen.
Search Modules search [keyword] Looks for modules that match a keyword, like exploits or scanners.
Load Module use [module_path] Loads a specific module to work with.
Module Info info Gives detailed information about the loaded module.
List Exploits show exploits Lists all available exploits in Metasploit.
List Auxiliary show auxiliary Lists all auxiliary modules like scanners and fuzzers.
List Payloads show payloads Shows all payloads available to attach to exploits.
List Encoders show encoders Displays all encoders for obfuscating payloads.
List NOPs show nops Lists all no-operation generators for payload padding.
Show Module Options show options Displays the configurable options for a loaded module.
Set Module Option set [option] [value] Sets a value for a specific option in the loaded module.
Set Global Option setg [option] [value] Sets a global value to persist across modules.
Unset Option unset [option] Clears a set option from the current module.
Unset Global Option unsetg [option] Clears a global setting that was previously set.
Back to Console back Exits the module and returns to the main console.
Exit Metasploit exit or quit Fully exits the Metasploit console.
Check Vulnerability check Tests if the target is vulnerable before exploiting.
Run Module run Executes an auxiliary module like a scanner or brute-forcer.
Launch Exploit exploit Launches the loaded exploit module at the target.
List Sessions sessions Lists all active sessions from successful exploits.
Interact with Session sessions -i [ID] Opens an interactive shell with a specific session.
Background Session background Pushes the active session into the background.
List Jobs jobs Lists all background jobs like scanners and listeners.
Kill Job kill [job_id] Stops a running background job.
Nmap Scan db_nmap [options] Runs an Nmap scan directly inside Metasploit and stores results.
List Vulnerabilities vulns Lists vulnerabilities found during scanning.
List Hosts hosts Displays all discovered hosts.
List Services services Displays services running on discovered hosts.
View Loot loot Manages and displays collected files and session data.
Use Handler use exploit/multi/handler Loads a handler to catch reverse shells or staged payloads.
Set Payload set PAYLOAD [payload_name] Sets the specific payload you want to use.
Show Targets show targets Lists available targets for the exploit you loaded.
Show Advanced Options show advanced Displays advanced options for the loaded module.
Reload Module reload Reloads the currently loaded module.
Save Configuration save Saves your current workspace and settings.
Load Saved Configuration load Loads previously saved settings.
Generate Payload msfvenom Creates a custom payload manually.
Update Metasploit msfupdate Updates the Metasploit Framework to the latest version.
Connect to Remote Host connect [IP] [Port] Opens a simple TCP connection to a target host.
Resource Script resource [script.rc] Runs a script with a list of Metasploit commands automatically.
db_status db_status Shows the current status of the database connection.
Workspace Management workspace Creates or switches between multiple Metasploit workspaces.
Clear Console clear Clears the Metasploit console screen.

Now that you're familiar with the basics, check out our Metasploit in 100 seconds video on YouTube. Remember to like and subscribe 😉.

Metasploit in 100 seconds.

For more information, feel free to explore the Metasploit Docs.

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