Overview

This project documents the design and execution of a distributed penetration testing lab built across two physical machines. The lab simulates a real-world internal network environment for practicing offensive security techniques.

Objectives

• Build a segmented lab network
• Simulate real internal penetration testing scenarios
• Perform structured attack workflows
• Produce professional-grade documentation

Lab Environment

• Attacker: Kali Linux VM (Main PC)

• Target Host: VMware Workstation (Secondary PC - 8GB RAM)

• Network: Host-only (192.168.56.0/24)

• Routing Path:

  Kali → LAN → VMware Host → Internal Lab Network

  Network Flow

  Kali (Attacker)
      │ 192.168.1.10
      │
      ▼
  VMware Host (Pivot)
      │ 192.168.1.20 (LAN)
      │ 192.168.56.1 (VMnet1)
      ▼
  Internal Lab Network (192.168.56.0/24)
      │
      ├── Metasploitable2 (192.168.56.10)
      ├── OWASP Juice Shop (192.168.56.20)
      └── Windows Target (Optional)
  

Methodology

This project follows the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES):

1. Pre-Engagement & Setup
2. Intelligence Gathering
3. Vulnerability Analysis