Damn Vulnerable Linux (DVL) is everything a good Linux distribution isn’t. Its developers have spent hours stuffing it with broken, ill-configured, outdated, and exploitable software that makes it vulnerable to attacks.
DVL isn’t built to run on your desktop — it’s a learning tool for security students. DVL is a live CD available as a 150MB ISO.
It’s based on the popular mini-Linux distribution Damn Small Linux (DSL), not only for its minimal size, but also for the fact that DSL uses a 2.4 kernel, which makes it easier to offer vulnerable elements that might not work under the 2.6 kernel.
It contains older, easily breakable versions of Apache, MySQL, PHP, and FTP and SSH daemons, as well as several tools available to help you compile, debug, and break applications running on these services, including GCC, GDB, NASM, strace, ELF Shell, DDD, LDasm, LIDa, and more.
DVL was initiated by Thorsten Schneider of the International Institute for Training, Assessment, and Certification (IITAC) and Secure Software Engineering (S�e) in cooperation with Kryshaam from the French Reverse Engineering Team. «The main idea behind DVL,» says Schneider, «was to build up a training system that I could use for my university lectures.» His goal was to design a Linux system that was as vulnerable as possible, to teach topics such as reverse code engineering, buffer overflows, shellcode development, Web exploitation, and SQL injection.
You need to have virtualization software that allows you to create operating system images using either an ISO or installation CD. For this «how to», I will be using VMware Workstation. However, you can also use other popular tools, such as, VirtualBox.
Click Save
Save to C:\VMware ISO’s\DVL\
In my case, I save it to an external hard drive, hence Hard Drive 2 (E:)
3. Create VMware Image
Click on New Virtual Machine.
Bring up a FireFox Browser on your DVL machine.
Select Install disc image file (iso)
Select the Browse Button
Navigate to where you save the DVL iso.
In my case, the iso was saved to E:\VMware ISO’s\DVL\
Select DVL iso and click open
Select Next
Select the Linux OS, and Other Linux 2.6.x kernel
Naming and Saving Location
Virtual machine name: DVL
Location: In my case, I save it to my external hard drive at E:\VMware
Specify Disk Capacity
Click on the Customize Hardware.
Select Memory
Increase the memory from 256 MB to 512 MB.
Click OK.
Click Finish
Press Enter when you see «boot: »
3. Login to DVL
Credentials (See Below)
Login: root
Password: toor
3. Partition the disk
Determine what disk to format
Command : fdisk -l
Note : In my case, the disk is named /dev/sda
Select disk to be partitioned
Command : fdisk /dev/sda
Input : m
View the partition table
Select «p»
Note: There is 1044 cylinders
Add a new partition
Select «n»
Select «p»
Select «1»
Select the maximum amount of cylinders 1044.
View newly created partition
Select «p»
Note: Previously when «p» was selected there was not a partition listed.
Exit out of fdisk
Select «q»
4. Format the partition
Format the partition on /dev/sda
Command : mkfs.ext3 /dev/sda
Proceed : y
Change Language to English (See Below)
Right Click on DE and click on Configure
Highlight Germany, Click on Remove.
Highlight Italy, Click on Remove.
Only U.S. English should be left.
Click Apply
Click OK
Start the backlash installer
Configure installer as seen below
Note: If the installer completes in a few seconds, then the installer actually failed. The installer should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You should see messages like copying /opt with the status bar inching slowly forward.
Click the close button, when you see a status message of «All done! click Close button» and a status bar of 100% complete
Damn Vulnerable Linux (DVL) is everything a good Linux distribution isn’t. Its developers have spent hours stuffing it with broken, ill-configured, outdated, and exploitable software that makes it vulnerable to attacks.
DVL isn’t built to run on your desktop — it’s a learning tool for security students. DVL is a live CD available as a 150MB ISO.
It’s based on the popular mini-Linux distribution Damn Small Linux (DSL), not only for its minimal size, but also for the fact that DSL uses a 2.4 kernel, which makes it easier to offer vulnerable elements that might not work under the 2.6 kernel.
It contains older, easily breakable versions of Apache, MySQL, PHP, and FTP and SSH daemons, as well as several tools available to help you compile, debug, and break applications running on these services, including GCC, GDB, NASM, strace, ELF Shell, DDD, LDasm, LIDa, and more.
DVL was initiated by Thorsten Schneider of the International Institute for Training, Assessment, and Certification (IITAC) and Secure Software Engineering (S�e) in cooperation with Kryshaam from the French Reverse Engineering Team. «The main idea behind DVL,» says Schneider, «was to build up a training system that I could use for my university lectures.» His goal was to design a Linux system that was as vulnerable as possible, to teach topics such as reverse code engineering, buffer overflows, shellcode development, Web exploitation, and SQL injection.
You need to have virtualization software that allows you to create operating system images using either an ISO or installation CD. For this «how to», I will be using VMware Workstation. However, you can also use other popular tools, such as, VirtualBox.
Click Save
Save to C:\VMware ISO’s\DVL\
In my case, I save it to an external hard drive, hence Hard Drive 2 (E:)
3. Create VMware Image
Click on New Virtual Machine.
Bring up a FireFox Browser on your DVL machine.
Select Install disc image file (iso)
Select the Browse Button
Navigate to where you save the DVL iso.
In my case, the iso was saved to E:\VMware ISO’s\DVL\
Select DVL iso and click open
Select Next
Select the Linux OS, and Other Linux 2.6.x kernel
Naming and Saving Location
Virtual machine name: DVL
Location: In my case, I save it to my external hard drive at E:\VMware
Specify Disk Capacity
Click on the Customize Hardware.
Select Memory
Increase the memory from 256 MB to 512 MB.
Click OK.
Click Finish
Press Enter when you see «boot: »
3. Login to DVL
Credentials (See Below)
Login: root
Password: toor
3. Partition the disk
Determine what disk to format
Command : fdisk -l
Note : In my case, the disk is named /dev/sda
Select disk to be partitioned
Command : fdisk /dev/sda
Input : m
View the partition table
Select «p»
Note: There is 1044 cylinders
Add a new partition
Select «n»
Select «p»
Select «1»
Select the maximum amount of cylinders 1044.
View newly created partition
Select «p»
Note: Previously when «p» was selected there was not a partition listed.
Exit out of fdisk
Select «q»
4. Format the partition
Format the partition on /dev/sda
Command : mkfs.ext3 /dev/sda
Proceed : y
Change Language to English (See Below)
Right Click on DE and click on Configure
Highlight Germany, Click on Remove.
Highlight Italy, Click on Remove.
Only U.S. English should be left.
Click Apply
Click OK
Start the backlash installer
Configure installer as seen below
Note: If the installer completes in a few seconds, then the installer actually failed. The installer should take 5 to 10 minutes to complete. You should see messages like copying /opt with the status bar inching slowly forward.
Click the close button, when you see a status message of «All done! click Close button» and a status bar of 100% complete
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Home » Linux » Installing DVL (Damn Vulnerable Linux)
Installing DVL (Damn Vulnerable Linux)
I have been playing around with metasploit the last few days and I thought I would setup a lab environment for it.
The team over at metasploit has a virtual machine you can download and use for such purposes but unfortunately it runs on VMware. Not a huge issue normally but since I’ve moved across to Windows 8 I have found HyperV to be adequate for my needs so I would prefer to use that.
There is probably a way to convert the VM into a HyperV compatible format but for now I’ll try using DVL and see how I go.
Prerequisites
Download DVL – DVL_1.5_Infectious_Disease.iso (it appears that this project is discontinued, but I did find a download for it)
Setup virtual machine on Hyper-V. I used 2GB of ram, and 20gb disk. The only other gotcha is you need to use a “Legacy network adapter”.
Once you have the prerequisites done you can boot your VM up and start the installing.
Installing DVL
Boot your VM, you will get a login prompt. Login with root/toor
Configure your virtual hard disk
You will need at least a swap partition and one partition to install. I created a 2GB partition for swap and the rest I will use as the root partition.
Once you have setup your partitions you will need to create a file-system
# mkdir /mnt/dvl # mount /dev/hda2 /mnt/dvl # mount /dev/hdc /mnt/hdc_cdrom
Launch the gui by typing startx
On the bottom right hand corner you will see a “DE” sign, right click on this icon and select your preferred keyboard language.
Next you can start the installer, click on the K->Be ReSlaxed->System->BackTrack Installer
Enter the following settings in this dialog and then click install.