MSFConsole

Benefits to Using MSFconsole

It is the only supported way to access most of the features within Metasploit.
Provides a console-based interface to the framework.
Full readline support, tabbing, and command completion.
Execution of external commands in msfconsole is possible:

msf > ping -c 1 192.168.1.100
[*] exec: ping -c 1 192.168.1.100

PING 192.168.1.100 (192.168.1.100) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.1.100: icmp_seq=1 ttl=128 time=10.3 ms

--- 192.168.1.100 ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 10.308/10.308/10.308/0.000 ms
msf >

How to Use the Command Prompt

Launching MSFConsole

MSFconsole is located in the /usr/share/metasploit-framework/msfconsole directory.
The -q option removes the launch banner by starting msfconsole in quiet mode.

root@kali:# msfconsole -q
msf >

Help Information

Pass -h to msfconsole to see the other usage options available.

root@kali:~# msfconsole -h
Usage: msfconsole [options]

Common options
    -E, --environment ENVIRONMENT    The Rails environment. Will use RAIL_ENV environment variable if that is set.  Defaults to production if neither option not RAILS_ENV environment variable is set.

Database options
    -M, --migration-path DIRECTORY   Specify a directory containing additional DB migrations
    -n, --no-database                Disable database support
    -y, --yaml PATH                  Specify a YAML file containing database settings

Framework options
    -c FILE                          Load the specified configuration file
    -v, --version                    Show version

Module options
        --defer-module-loads         Defer module loading unless explicitly asked.
    -m, --module-path DIRECTORY      An additional module path


Console options:
    -a, --ask                        Ask before exiting Metasploit or accept 'exit -y'
    -d, --defanged                   Execute the console as defanged
    -L, --real-readline              Use the system Readline library instead of RbReadline
    -o, --output FILE                Output to the specified file
    -p, --plugin PLUGIN              Load a plugin on startup
    -q, --quiet                      Do not print the banner on startup
    -r, --resource FILE              Execute the specified resource file (- for stdin)
    -x, --execute-command COMMAND    Execute the specified string as console commands (use ; for multiples)
    -h, --help                       Show this message

Entering help or a ? once in the msf command prompt will display a listing of available commands along with a description of what they are used for.

msf > help

Core Commands
=============

    Command       Description
    -------       -----------
    ?             Help menu
    advanced      Displays advanced options for one or more modules
    back          Move back from the current context
    banner        Display an awesome metasploit banner
    cd            Change the current working directory
    color         Toggle color
    connect       Communicate with a host
    edit          Edit the current module with $VISUAL or $EDITOR
    exit          Exit the console
    get           Gets the value of a context-specific variable
    getg          Gets the value of a global variable
    grep          Grep the output of another command
    help          Help menu
    info          Displays information about one or more modules
    irb           Drop into irb scripting mode
    jobs          Displays and manages jobs
    kill          Kill a job
    load          Load a framework plugin
    loadpath      Searches for and loads modules from a path
    makerc        Save commands entered since start to a file
    options       Displays global options or for one or more modules
    popm          Pops the latest module off the stack and makes it active
    previous      Sets the previously loaded module as the current module
    pushm         Pushes the active or list of modules onto the module stack
    quit          Exit the console
    reload_all    Reloads all modules from all defined module paths
    rename_job    Rename a job
    resource      Run the commands stored in a file
    route         Route traffic through a session
    save          Saves the active datastores
    search        Searches module names and descriptions
    sessions      Dump session listings and display information about sessions
    set           Sets a context-specific variable to a value
    setg          Sets a global variable to a value
    show          Displays modules of a given type, or all modules
    sleep         Do nothing for the specified number of seconds
    spool         Write console output into a file as well the screen
    threads       View and manipulate background threads
    unload        Unload a framework plugin
    unset         Unsets one or more context-specific variables
    unsetg        Unsets one or more global variables
    use           Selects a module by name
    version       Show the framework and console library version numbers


Database Backend Commands
=========================

    Command           Description
    -------           -----------
    creds             List all credentials in the database
    db_connect        Connect to an existing database
    db_disconnect     Disconnect from the current database instance
    db_export         Export a file containing the contents of the database
    db_import         Import a scan result file (filetype will be auto-detected)
    db_nmap           Executes nmap and records the output automatically
    db_rebuild_cache  Rebuilds the database-stored module cache
    db_status         Show the current database status
    hosts             List all hosts in the database
    loot              List all loot in the database
    notes             List all notes in the database
    services          List all services in the database
    vulns             List all vulnerabilities in the database
    workspace         Switch between database workspaces

Tab Completion

As with most other shells, entering what you know and pressing ‘Tab’ will present you with a list of options available to you or auto-complete the string if there is only one option.

msf > use exploit/windows/smb/ms
use exploit/windows/smb/ms03_049_netapi
use exploit/windows/smb/ms04_007_killbill
use exploit/windows/smb/ms04_011_lsass
use exploit/windows/smb/ms04_031_netdde
use exploit/windows/smb/ms05_039_pnp
use exploit/windows/smb/ms06_025_rasmans_reg
use exploit/windows/smb/ms06_025_rras
use exploit/windows/smb/ms06_040_netapi
use exploit/windows/smb/ms06_066_nwapi
use exploit/windows/smb/ms06_066_nwwks
use exploit/windows/smb/ms06_070_wkssvc
use exploit/windows/smb/ms07_029_msdns_zonename
use exploit/windows/smb/ms08_067_netapi
use exploit/windows/smb/ms09_050_smb2_negotiate_func_index
use exploit/windows/smb/ms10_046_shortcut_icon_dllloader
use exploit/windows/smb/ms10_061_spoolss
use exploit/windows/smb/ms15_020_shortcut_icon_dllloader
msf > use exploit/windows/smb/ms08_067_netapi

MSFConsole Commands

Back

Move back from the current context.
Variables will only carry over if they are set globally.

msf auxiliary(ms09_001_write) > back
msf >

Banner

Display an awesome metasploit banner.

Check

To see if a target is vulnerable to a particular exploit instead of actually exploiting it.

msf exploit(ms08_067_netapi) > show options

Module options (exploit/windows/smb/ms08_067_netapi):

   Name     Current Setting  Required  Description
   ----     ---------------  --------  -----------
   RHOST    172.16.194.134   yes       The target address
   RPORT    445              yes       Set the SMB service port
   SMBPIPE  BROWSER          yes       The pipe name to use (BROWSER, SRVSVC)

Exploit target:

   Id  Name
   --  ----
   0   Automatic Targeting

msf exploit(ms08_067_netapi) > check

[*] Verifying vulnerable status... (path: 0x0000005a)
[*] System is not vulnerable (status: 0x00000000)
[*] The target is not exploitable.
msf  exploit(ms08_067_netapi) >

Color

Enable or disable color output.

Connect

A miniature Netcat clone is built into the msfconsole to support SSL, proxies, pivoting, and file transfers.
Connect to a remote host, by issuing the connect command with an IP address and port number.

msf > connect 192.168.1.1 23
[*] Connected to 192.168.1.1:23
DD-WRT v24 std (c) 2008 NewMedia-NET GmbH
Release: 07/27/08 (SVN revision: 10011)
DD-WRT login:

Edit

The edit command will edit the current module with $VISUAL or $EDITOR.
By default, this will open the current module in Vim.

msf exploit(ms10_061_spoolss) > edit
[*] Launching /usr/bin/vim /usr/share/metasploit-framework/modules/exploits/windows/smb/ms10_061_spoolss.rb

Exit

Exit msfconsole.

Grep

Grep the output of another command.
The following is an example of using grep to match output containing the string “http” from a search for modules containing the string “oracle”.

msf > grep http search oracle
   auxiliary/scanner/http/oracle_demantra_database_credentials_leak      2014-02-28       normal     Oracle Demantra Database Credentials Leak
   auxiliary/scanner/http/oracle_demantra_file_retrieval                 2014-02-28       normal     Oracle Demantra Arbitrary File Retrieval with Authentication Bypass
   auxiliary/scanner/http/oracle_ilom_login                                               normal     Oracle ILO Manager Login Brute Force Utility
   exploit/multi/http/glassfish_deployer                                 2011-08-04       excellent  Sun/Oracle GlassFish Server Authenticated Code Execution
   exploit/multi/http/oracle_ats_file_upload                             2016-01-20       excellent  Oracle ATS Arbitrary File Upload

Help

The help command will give you a list and small description of all available commands or options.

Info

The info command will provide detailed information about a particular module including all options, targets, and other information.
Be sure to always read the module description prior to using it as some may have un-desired effects.

msf  exploit(ms09_050_smb2_negotiate_func_index) > info exploit/windows/smb/ms09_050_smb2_negotiate_func_index 

       Name: Microsoft SRV2.SYS SMB Negotiate ProcessID Function Table Dereference
     Module: exploit/windows/smb/ms09_050_smb2_negotiate_func_index
    Version: 14774
   Platform: Windows
 Privileged: Yes
    License: Metasploit Framework License (BSD)
       Rank: Good
...snip...

IRB

Running the irb command will drop you into a live Ruby interpreter shell where you can issue commands and create Metasploit scripts on the fly. (IRB Scripting Mode)

msf > irb
[*] Starting IRB shell...

>> puts "Hello, metasploit!"
Hello, metasploit!
=> nil
>> Framework::Version
=> "4.8.2-2014022601"

Jobs

Display and terminate jobs.

Kill

The kill command will kill any running jobs when supplied with the job id.

msf exploit(ms10_002_aurora) > kill 0
Stopping job: 0...

[*] Server stopped.

Load

The load command loads a plugin from Metasploit’s plugin directory.
Arguments are passed as key=val on the shell.

msf > load
Usage: load  [var=val var=val ...]

Loads a plugin from the supplied path.  If path is not absolute, first looks
in the user's plugin directory (/root/.msf4/plugins) then
in the framework root plugin directory (/usr/share/metasploit-framework/plugins).
The optional var=val options are custom parameters that can be passed to plugins.

msf > load pcap_log
[*] PcapLog plugin loaded.
[*] Successfully loaded plugin: pcap_log

Loadpath

The loadpath command will load a third-part module tree for the path so you can point Metasploit at your 0-day exploits, encoders, payloads, etc.

msf > loadpath /home/secret/modules

Loaded 0 modules.

Unload

The unload command unloads a previously loaded plugin and removes any extended commands.

msf > unload pcap_log
Unloading plugin pcap_log...unloaded.

Resource

Run the commands stored in a file.
Use -r to pass a batch file to msfconsole at startup.

msf > resource karma.rc
[*] Processing karma.rc for ERB directives.
resource (karma.rc_.txt)> db_connect postgres:toor@127.0.0.1/msfbook
resource (karma.rc_.txt)> use auxiliary/server/browser_autopwn
...snip...


root@kali:~# echo version > version.rc
root@kali:~# msfconsole -r version.rc

Route

Route traffic destined to a given subnet through a supplied session.
To add a route, you pass the target subnet and network mask followed by the session (comm) number.

meterpreter > route add 192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 1
meterpreter > route remove 192.168.0.0/24 1
meterpreter > route get 192.168.0.11

Search

Searche module names, descriptions, references and etc, based on extensive regular-expression.

msf > help search
Usage: search [keywords]

Keywords:
  app       :  Modules that are client or server attacks
  author    :  Modules written by this author
  bid       :  Modules with a matching Bugtraq ID
  cve       :  Modules with a matching CVE ID
  edb       :  Modules with a matching Exploit-DB ID
  name      :  Modules with a matching descriptive name
  platform  :  Modules affecting this platform
  ref       :  Modules with a matching ref
  type      :  Modules of a specific type (exploit, auxiliary, or post)

Examples:
  search cve:2009 type:exploit app:client

msf > search usermap_script 

msf > search name:mysql

msf > search platform:aix

msf > search type:post

msf > search author:dookie

msf > search cve:2011 author:jduck platform:linux

Session

The sessions command allows you to list, interact with, and kill spawned sessions.
The sessions can be shells, Meterpreter sessions, VNC, etc.
To list any active sessions, pass the -l options to sessions.
To interact with a given session, use the -i switch followed by the id number of the session.

msf exploit(3proxy) > sessions -l

Active sessions
===============

  Id  Description    Tunnel
  --  -----------    ------
  1   Command shell  192.168.1.101:33191 -> 192.168.1.104:4444
  

msf exploit(3proxy) > sessions -i 1
[*] Starting interaction with 1...

C:WINDOWSsystem32>

Set

The set command allows you to configure Framework options and parameters for the current module you are working with.
Unset removes a parameter previously configured with set.
You can remove all assigned variables with unset all.

msf > set RHOSTS 192.168.1.0/24
RHOSTS => 192.168.1.0/24
msf > set THREADS 50
THREADS => 50
msf > set

Global
======

  Name     Value
  ----     -----
  RHOSTS   192.168.1.0/24
  THREADS  50

msf > unset THREADS
Unsetting THREADS...
msf > unset all
Flushing datastore...
msf > set

Global
======

No entries in data store.

msf >

Setg

Set global variables with the setg command.
The pitfall is forgetting you have saved globals, so always check your options before you run or exploit.
Use the unsetg command to unset a global variable.

msf > setg LHOST 192.168.1.101
LHOST => 192.168.1.101
msf > setg RHOSTS 192.168.1.0/24
RHOSTS => 192.168.1.0/24
msf > setg RHOST 192.168.1.136
RHOST => 192.168.1.136

Save

Run the save command to save your current environment and settings, which will be automatically loaded on the next startup.

msf > save
Saved configuration to: /root/.msf4/config

Show

Displays modules of a given type, or all modules.

msf > show
msf > show auxiliary
msf > show exploits
msf > show payloads
msf > show encoders
msf > show nops

When you are in the context of a particular exploit, you can:
- run show payloads to display the payloads that are compatible with that particular exploit.
- issue the show options command to display which settings are available and/or required for that specific module.
- run the show targets command to see which targets are supported.
- run show advanced to see more advanced options.

msf exploit(ms08_067_netapi) > show payloads
msf exploit(ms08_067_netapi) > show options
msf exploit(ms08_067_netapi) > show targets
msf exploit(ms08_067_netapi) > show advanced

Use

Selects a module by name.
The use command changes your context to a specific module, exposing type-specific commands.

msf > use dos/windows/smb/ms09_001_write
msf auxiliary(ms09_001_write) >

References

Using the MSFconsole Interface | Offensive Securityoffsectraining

MSFconsole Commands | Offensive Securityoffsectraining

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Last updated 3 years ago