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(Ebook) Learning Kali Linux by Ric Messier

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Instant digital products (PDF, ePub, MOBI) ready for you Download now and discover formats that fit your needs... Start reading on any device today! (Ebook) Learning Kali Linux: security testing, penetration testing, and ethical hacking by Messier, Ric ISBN 9780123456786, 9781492028697, 0123456789, 149202869X https://ebooknice.com/product/learning-kali-linux-security-testing-penetration- testing-and-ethical-hacking-11894646 ebooknice.com (Ebook) Learning Kali Linux: Security Testing, Penetration Testing, and Ethical Hacking, 2nd Edition by Ric Messier ISBN 9781098154134, 9781098154127, 1098154126, 1098154134 https://ebooknice.com/product/learning-kali-linux-security-testing-penetration- testing-and-ethical-hacking-2nd-edition-51708994 ebooknice.com (Ebook) Security Strategies In Linux Platforms And Applications by Michael Jang, Ric Messier ISBN 9781284090659, 1284090655 https://ebooknice.com/product/security-strategies-in-linux-platforms-and- applications-6624100 ebooknice.com (Ebook) Network Forensics by Messier, Ric ISBN 9781119328285, 1119328284 https://ebooknice.com/product/network-forensics-10440132 ebooknice.com
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Ric Messier SECURITY TESTING, PENETRATION TESTING & ETHICAL HACKING Learning Kali Linux
Ric Messier GCIH, GSEC, CEH, CISSP Learning Kali Linux Security Testing, Penetration Testing, and Ethical Hacking Boston Farnham Sebastopol Tokyo Beijing Boston Farnham Sebastopol Tokyo Beijing
978-1-492-02869-7 [LSI] Learning Kali Linux by Ric Messier Copyright © 2018 Ric Messier. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (http://oreilly.com). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: 800-998-9938 or corporate@oreilly.com. Acquisition Editor: Courtney Allen Editor: Virginia Wilson Production Editor: Colleen Cole Copyeditor: Sharon Wilkey Proofreader: Christina Edwards Indexer: Judy McConville Interior Designer: David Futato Cover Designer: Randy Comer Illustrator: Melanie Yarbrough Technical Reviewers: Megan Daudelin, Brandon Noble, and Kathleen Hyde August 2018: First Edition Revision History for the First Edition 2018-07-13: First Release See http://oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=9781492028697 for release details. The O’Reilly logo is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. Learning Kali Linux, the cover image, and related trade dress are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. While the publisher and the author have used good faith efforts to ensure that the information and instructions contained in this work are accurate, the publisher and the author disclaim all responsibility for errors or omissions, including without limitation responsibility for damages resulting from the use of or reliance on this work. Use of the information and instructions contained in this work is at your own risk. If any code samples or other technology this work contains or describes is subject to open source licenses or the intellectual property rights of others, it is your responsibility to ensure that your use thereof complies with such licenses and/or rights.
Table of Contents Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix 1. Foundations of Kali Linux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Heritage of Linux 1 About Linux 3 Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux 5 Desktops 8 GNOME Desktop 9 Logging In Through the Desktop Manager 12 Xfce Desktop 12 Cinnamon and MATE 13 Using the Command Line 15 File and Directory Management 17 Process Management 21 Other Utilities 24 User Management 25 Service Management 26 Package Management 28 Log Management 32 Summary 34 Useful Resources 35 2. Network Security Testing Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Security Testing 37 Network Security Testing 40 Monitoring 40 Layers 42 Stress Testing 45 iii
Denial-of-Service Tools 51 Encryption Testing 55 Packet Captures 60 Using tcpdump 61 Berkeley Packet Filters 63 Wireshark 65 Poisoning Attacks 68 ARP Spoofing 69 DNS Spoofing 72 Summary 73 Useful Resources 74 3. Reconnaissance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 What Is Reconnaissance? 75 Open Source Intelligence 77 Google Hacking 79 Automating Information Grabbing 81 Recon-NG 85 Maltego 88 DNS Reconnaissance and whois 92 DNS Reconnaissance 92 Regional Internet Registries 96 Passive Reconnaissance 99 Port Scanning 101 TCP Scanning 102 UDP Scanning 102 Port Scanning with Nmap 103 High-Speed Scanning 106 Service Scanning 109 Manual Interaction 110 Summary 112 Useful Resources 113 4. Looking for Vulnerabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Understanding Vulnerabilities 116 Vulnerability Types 117 Buffer Overflow 117 Race Condition 119 Input Validation 120 Access Control 120 Local Vulnerabilities 121 Using lynis for Local Checks 122 iv | Table of Contents
OpenVAS Local Scanning 124 Root Kits 126 Remote Vulnerabilities 128 Quick Start with OpenVAS 129 Creating a Scan 132 OpenVAS Reports 135 Network Device Vulnerabilities 139 Auditing Devices 139 Database Vulnerabilities 142 Identifying New Vulnerabilities 143 Summary 146 Useful Resources 147 5. Automated Exploits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 What Is an Exploit? 150 Cisco Attacks 151 Management Protocols 152 Other Devices 153 Exploit Database 155 Metasploit 157 Starting with Metasploit 158 Working with Metasploit Modules 159 Importing Data 161 Exploiting Systems 165 Armitage 168 Social Engineering 170 Summary 173 Useful Resources 173 6. Owning Metasploit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Scanning for Targets 176 Port Scanning 176 SMB Scanning 180 Vulnerability Scans 181 Exploiting Your Target 182 Using Meterpreter 185 Meterpreter Basics 185 User Information 186 Process Manipulation 189 Privilege Escalation 192 Pivoting to Other Networks 196 Maintaining Access 199 Table of Contents | v
Summary 202 Useful Resources 203 7. Wireless Security Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 The Scope of Wireless 205 802.11 206 Bluetooth 207 Zigbee 208 WiFi Attacks and Testing Tools 208 802.11 Terminology and Functioning 209 Identifying Networks 210 WPS Attacks 213 Automating Multiple Tests 215 Injection Attacks 217 Password Cracking on WiFi 218 besside-ng 219 coWPAtty 220 Aircrack-ng 221 Fern 224 Going Rogue 225 Hosting an Access Point 226 Phishing Users 228 Wireless Honeypot 232 Bluetooth Testing 233 Scanning 233 Service Identification 235 Other Bluetooth Testing 238 Zigbee Testing 239 Summary 240 Useful Resources 240 8. Web Application Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Web Architecture 241 Firewall 243 Load Balancer 243 Web Server 244 Application Server 244 Database Server 245 Web-Based Attacks 246 SQL Injection 247 XML Entity Injection 248 Command Injection 249 vi | Table of Contents
Cross-Site Scripting 250 Cross-Site Request Forgery 251 Session Hijacking 253 Using Proxies 255 Burp Suite 255 Zed Attack Proxy 259 WebScarab 265 Paros Proxy 266 Proxystrike 268 Automated Web Attacks 269 Recon 269 Vega 272 nikto 274 dirbuster and gobuster 276 Java-Based Application Servers 278 SQL-Based Attacks 279 Assorted Tasks 283 Summary 285 Useful Resources 285 9. Cracking Passwords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Password Storage 287 Security Account Manager 289 PAM and Crypt 290 Acquiring Passwords 291 Local Cracking 294 John the Ripper 296 Rainbow Tables 298 HashCat 304 Remote Cracking 306 Hydra 306 Patator 308 Web-Based Cracking 309 Summary 313 Useful Resources 313 10. Advanced Techniques and Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Programming Basics 316 Compiled Languages 316 Interpreted Languages 320 Intermediate Languages 321 Compiling and Building 323 Table of Contents | vii
Programming Errors 324 Buffer Overflows 325 Heap Overflows 327 Return to libc 329 Writing Nmap Modules 330 Extending Metasploit 333 Disassembling and Reverse Engineering 336 Debugging 337 Disassembling 341 Tracing Programs 343 Other File Types 345 Maintaining Access and Cleanup 346 Metasploit and Cleanup 346 Maintaining Access 347 Summary 349 Useful Resources 349 11. Reporting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Determining Threat Potential and Severity 352 Writing Reports 354 Audience 354 Executive Summary 355 Methodology 356 Findings 357 Taking Notes 358 Text Editors 358 GUI-Based Editors 360 Notes 361 Capturing Data 362 Organizing Your Data 364 Dradis Framework 365 CaseFile 368 Summary 370 Useful Resources 370 Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 viii | Table of Contents
Preface A novice was trying to fix a broken Lisp machine by turning the power off and on. Knight, seeing what the student was doing, spoke sternly: “You cannot fix a machine by just power-cycling it with no understanding of what is going wrong.” Knight turned the machine off and on. The machine worked. —AI Koan One of the places over the last half century that had a deep hacker culture, in the sense of learning and creating, was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and, specifically, its Artificial Intelligence Lab. The hackers at MIT generated a lan‐ guage and culture that created words and a unique sense of humor. The preceding quote is an AI koan, modeled on the koans of Zen, which were intended to inspire enlightenment. Similarly, this koan is one of my favorites because of what it says: it’s important to know how things work. Knight, by the way, refers to Tom Knight, a highly respected programmer at the AI Lab at MIT. The intention for this book is to teach readers about the capabilities of Kali Linux through the lens of security testing. The idea is to help you better understand how and why things work. Kali Linux is a security-oriented Linux distribution, so it ends up being popular with people who do security testing or penetration testing for either sport or vocation. While it does have its uses as a general-purpose Linux distribution and for use with forensics and other related tasks, it really was designed with security testing in mind. As such, most of the book’s content focuses on using tools that Kali provides. Many of these tools are not necessarily easily available with other Linux dis‐ tributions. While the tools can be installed, sometimes built from source, installation is easier if the package is in the distribution’s repository. ix
What This Book Covers Given that the intention is to introduce Kali through the perspective of doing security testing, the following subjects are covered: Foundations of Kali Linux Linux has a rich history, going back to the 1960s with Unix. This chapter covers a bit of the background of Unix so you can better understand why the tools in Linux work the way they do and how best to make efficient use of them. We’ll also look at the command line since we’ll be spending a lot of time there through the rest of the book, as well as the desktops that are available so you can have a comfortable working environment. If you are new to Linux, this chapter will pre‐ pare you to be successful with the remainder of the book so you aren’t over‐ whelmed when we start digging deep into the tools available. Network Security Testing Basics The services you are most familiar with listen on the network. Also, systems that are connected to the network may be vulnerable. To be in a better position to perform testing over the network, we’ll cover some basics of the way network protocols work. When you really get deep into security testing, you will find an understanding of the protocols you are working with to be an invaluable asset. We will also take a look at tools that can be used for stress testing of network stacks and applications. Reconnaissance When you are doing security testing or penetration testing, a common practice is to perform reconnaissance against your target. A lot of open sources are available that you can use to gather information about your target. This will not only help you with later stages of your testing, but also provide a lot of details you can share with the organization you are performing testing for. This can help them correctly determine the footprint of systems available to the outside world. Infor‐ mation about an organization and the people in it can provide stepping stones for attackers, after all. Looking for Vulnerabilities Attacks against organizations arise from vulnerabilities. We’ll look at vulnerabil‐ ity scanners that can provide insight into the technical (as opposed to human) vulnerabilities that exist at your target organization. This will lead to hints on where to go from here, since the objective of security testing is to provide insights to the organization you are testing for about potential vulnerabilities and expo‐ sures. Identifying vulnerabilities will help you there. Automated Exploits While Metasploit may be the foundation of performing security testing or pene‐ tration testing, other tools are available as well. We’ll cover the basics of using x | Preface
Metasploit but also cover some of the other tools available for exploiting the vul‐ nerabilities found by the tools discussed in other parts of the book. Owning Metasploit Metasploit is a dense piece of software. Getting used to using it effectively can take a long time. Nearly 2,000 exploits are available in Metasploit, as well as over 500 payloads. When you mix and match those, you get thousands of possibilities for interacting with remote systems. Beyond that, you can create your own mod‐ ules. We’ll cover Metasploit beyond just the basics of using it for rudimentary exploits. Wireless Security Testing Everyone has wireless networks these days. That’s how mobile devices like phones and tablets, not to mention a lot of laptops, connect to enterprise net‐ works. However, not all wireless networks have been configured in the best man‐ ner possible. Kali Linux has tools available for performing wireless testing. This includes scanning for wireless networks, injecting frames, and cracking pass‐ words. Web Application Testing A lot of commerce happens through web interfaces. Additionally, a lot of sensi‐ tive information is available through web interfaces. Businesses need to pay attention to how vulnerable their important web applications are. Kali is loaded with tools that will help you perform assessments on web applications. We’ll take a look at proxy-based testing as well as other tools that can be used for more automated testing. The goal is to help you provide a better understanding of the security posture of these applications to the organization you are doing testing for. Cracking Passwords This isn’t always a requirement, but you may be asked to test both remote sys‐ tems and local password databases for password complexity and difficulty in get‐ ting in remotely. Kali has programs that will help with password cracking—both cracking password hashes, as in a password file, and brute forcing logins on remote services like SSH, VNC, and other remote access protocols. Advanced Techniques and Concepts You can use all the tools in Kali’s arsenal to do extensive testing. At some point, though, you need to move beyond the canned techniques and develop your own. This may include creating your own exploits or writing your own tools. Getting a better understanding of how exploits work and how you can develop some of your own tools will provide insight on directions you can go. We’ll cover extend‐ ing some of the tools Kali has as well as the basics of popular scripting languages along the way. Preface | xi
Reporting The most important thing you will do is generate a report when you are done testing. Kali has a lot of tools that can help you generate a report at the end of your testing. We’ll cover techniques for taking notes through the course of your testing as well as some strategies for generating the report. Who This Book Is For While I hope there is something in this book for readers with a wide variety of experi‐ ences, the primary audience for the book is people who may have a little Linux or Unix experience but want to see what Kali is all about. This book is also for people who want to get a better handle on security testing by using the tools that Kali Linux has to offer. If you are already experienced with Linux, you may skip Chapter 1, for instance. You may also be someone who has done web application testing by using some common tools but you want to expand your range to a broader set of skills. The Value and Importance of Ethics A word about ethics, though you will see this come up a lot because it’s so important that it’s worth repeating. A lot. Security testing requires that you have permission. What you are likely to be doing is illegal in most places. Probing remote systems without permission can get you into a lot of trouble. Mentioning the legality at the top tends to get people’s attention. Beyond the legality is the ethics. Security professionals who acquire certifications have to take oaths related to their ethical practices. One of the most important pre‐ cepts here is not misusing information resources. The CISSP certification has a code of ethics that goes along with it, requiring you to agree to not do anything illegal or unethical. Testing on any system you don’t have permission to test on is not only potentially ille‐ gal, but also certainly unethical by the standards of our industry. It isn’t sufficient to know someone at the organization you want to target and obtain their permission. You must have permission from a business owner or someone at an appropriate level of responsibility to give you that permission. It’s also best to have the permission in writing. This ensures that both parties are on the same page. It is also important to have the scope recognized up front. The organization you are testing for may have restrictions on what you can do, what systems and networks you can touch, and dur‐ ing what hours you can perform the testing. Get all of that in writing. Up front. This is your Get Out of Jail Free card. Write down the scope of testing and then live by it. Also, communicate, communicate, communicate. Do yourself a favor. Don’t just get the permission in writing and then disappear without letting your client know what xii | Preface
you are doing. Communication and collaboration will yield good results for you and the organization you are testing for. It’s also generally just the right thing to do. Within ethical boundaries, have fun! Conventions Used in This Book The following typographical conventions are used in this book: Italic Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions. Used within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords. Constant width Used for program listings and code examples. This element signifies a tip or suggestion. This element signifies a general note. This element indicates a warning or caution. Using Code Examples This book is here to help you get your job done. In general, if example code is offered with this book, you may use it in your programs and documentation. You do not need to contact us for permission unless you’re reproducing a significant portion of the code. For example, writing a program that uses several chunks of code from this book does not require permission. Selling or distributing a CD-ROM of examples from O’Reilly books does require permission. Answering a question by citing this book and quoting example code does not require permission. Incorporating a signifi‐ cant amount of example code from this book into your product’s documentation does require permission. Preface | xiii
We appreciate, but do not require, attribution. An attribution usually includes the title, author, publisher, and ISBN. For example: “Learning Kali Linux by Ric Messier (O’Reilly). Copyright 2018 Ric Messier, 978-1-492-02869-7.” If you feel your use of code examples falls outside fair use or the permission given above, feel free to contact us at permissions@oreilly.com. O’Reilly Safari Safari (formerly Safari Books Online) is a membership-based training and reference platform for enterprise, government, educators, and individuals. Members have access to thousands of books, training videos, Learning Paths, interac‐ tive tutorials, and curated playlists from over 250 publishers, including O’Reilly Media, Harvard Business Review, Prentice Hall Professional, Addison-Wesley Profes‐ sional, Microsoft Press, Sams, Que, Peachpit Press, Adobe, Focal Press, Cisco Press, John Wiley & Sons, Syngress, Morgan Kaufmann, IBM Redbooks, Packt, Adobe Press, FT Press, Apress, Manning, New Riders, McGraw-Hill, Jones & Bartlett, and Course Technology, among others. For more information, please visit http://oreilly.com/safari. How to Contact Us Please address comments and questions concerning this book to the publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc. 1005 Gravenstein Highway North Sebastopol, CA 95472 800-998-9938 (in the United States or Canada) 707-829-0515 (international or local) 707-829-0104 (fax) We have a web page for this book, where we list errata, examples, and any additional information. You can access this page at http://bit.ly/learning-kali-linux. To comment or ask technical questions about this book, send email to bookques‐ tions@oreilly.com. For more information about our books, courses, conferences, and news, see our web‐ site at http://www.oreilly.com. Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/oreilly xiv | Preface
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/oreillymedia Watch us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/oreillymedia Acknowledgments Special thanks to Courtney Allen, who has been a great contact at O’Reilly. Thanks also to my editor, Virginia Wilson, and of course, my technical reviewers who helped make the book better—Brandon Noble, Kathleen Hyde, and especially Megan Daudelin! Preface | xv
CHAPTER 1 Foundations of Kali Linux Kali Linux is a specialized distribution of the Linux operating system. It is targeted at people who want to engage in security work. This may be security testing, it may be exploit development or reverse engineering, or it may be digital forensics. The thing about Linux distributions is that they aren’t the same. Linux is really just the kernel— the actual operating system and the core of the distribution. Each distribution layers additional software on top of that core, making it unique. In the case of Kali, what gets layered on are not only the essential utilities, but also hundreds of software pack‐ ages that are specific to security work. One of the really nice things about Linux, especially as compared to other operating systems, is that it is almost completely customizable. This includes the shell in which you type commands and the graphical desktop you use. Even beyond that, you can change the look of each of those things. Using Linux is all about making the system work for you, rather than having the system force the way you work because of how it works, looks, and feels. Linux actually has a long history, if you trace it back to its beginnings. Understanding this history will help provide some context for why Linux is the way it is—especially the seemingly arcane commands that are used to manage the system, manipulate files, and just get work done. Heritage of Linux Once upon a time, back in the days of the dinosaur, there existed an operating system called Multics. The goal of Multics was to support multiple users and offer compart‐ mentalization of processes and files on a per user basis. After all, this was an era when the computer hardware necessary to run operating systems like Multics ran into the millions of dollars. At a minimum, computer hardware was hundreds of thousands of 1
dollars. As a point of comparison, a $7 million system today (at the time of this writ‐ ing, in late 2017) would have cost about $44 million then. Having a system that could support only a single user at a time was just not cost-effective—thus the development of Multics by MIT, Bell Labs, and GE was a way of making computers more cost- effective. Inevitably, the project slowly fell apart, though the operating system was eventually released. One of the programmers assigned to the project from Bell Labs returned to his regular job and eventually decided to write his own version of an operating sys‐ tem in order to play a game he had originally written for Multics but wanted to play on a PDP-7 that was available at Bell Labs. Ken Thompson needed a decent environ‐ ment to redevelop the game for the PDP-7. In those days, systems were largely incompatible. They had entirely different hardware instructions (operation codes), and they sometimes had different memory word sizes. As a result, programs written for one environment, particularly if very low-level languages were used, would not work in another environment. The resulting environment, developed by a program‐ mer to make his life easier as he was getting Space Travel working on the PDP-7, was named Unics. Eventually, other Bell Labs programmers joined the project, and it was eventually renamed Unix. Unix had a simple design. Because it was developed as a programming environment for a single user at a time, it ended up getting used, first within Bell Labs and then outside, by other programmers. One of the biggest advantages to Unix over other operating systems was that the kernel was rewritten in the C programming language in 1972. Using a higher-level language than assembly, which was more common then, made it portable across multiple hardware systems. Rather than being limited to the PDP-7, Unix could run on any system that had a C compiler in order to compile the source code needed to build Unix. This allowed for a standard operating system across numerous hardware platforms. In addition to having a simple design, Unix had the advantage of being distributed with the source code. This allowed researchers not only to read the source code in order to understand it better, but also to extend and improve the source. Unix has spawned many child operating systems that all behaved just as Unix did, with the same design. In some cases, these other operating system distributions started with the Unix source that was provided by AT&T. In other cases, Unix was essentially reverse engineered based on documented functionality and was the starting point for two popular Unix-like operating systems: BSD and Linux. 2 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
As you will see later, one of the advantages of the Unix design— using small, simple programs that do one thing, but allow you to feed the output of one into the input of another—is the power that comes with chaining. One common use of this function is to get a process list by using one utility and feed the output into another utility that will then process that output, either searching specifi‐ cally for one entry or manipulating the output to strip away some of it to make it easier to understand. About Linux As Unix spread, the simplicity of its design and its focus on being a programming environment led to it being taught in computer science programs around the world. A number of books about operating system design were written in the 1980s based on the design of Unix. One of these implementations was written by Andrew Tannen‐ baum for his book Operating Systems: Design and Implementation (Prentice Hall, 1987). This implementation, called Minix, was the basis for Linus Torvalds’ develop‐ ment of Linux. What Torvalds developed was the Linux kernel, which some consider the operating system. Without the kernel, nothing works. What he needed was a set of userland programs to sit on top of his operating system as an operating environ‐ ment for users to do useful things. The GNU Project, started in the late 1970s by Richard Stallman, had a collection of programs that either were duplicates of the standard Unix utilities or were function‐ ally the same with different names. The GNU Project wrote programs primarily in C, which meant they could be ported easily. As a result, Torvalds, and later other devel‐ opers, bundled the GNU Project’s utilities with his kernel to create a complete distri‐ bution of software that anyone could develop and install to their computer system. Linux inherited the majority of Unix design ideals, primarily because it was begun as something functionally identical to the standard Unix that had been developed by AT&T and was reimplemented by a small group at the University of California at Berkeley as the Berkeley Systems Distribution (BSD). This meant that anyone famil‐ iar with how Unix or even BSD worked could start using Linux and be immediately productive. Over the decades since Torvalds first released Linux, many projects have started up to increase the functionality and user-friendliness of Linux. This includes several desktop environments, all of which sit on top of the X/Windows system, which was first developed by MIT (which, again, was involved in the development of Multics). The development of Linux itself, meaning the kernel, has changed the way developers work. As an example, Torvalds was dissatisfied with the capabilities of software repos‐ itory systems that allowed concurrent developers to work on the same files at the same time. As a result, Torvalds led the development of git, a version-control system About Linux | 3
that has largely supplanted other version-control systems for open source develop‐ ment. If you want to grab the current version of source code from most open source projects these days, you will likely be offered access via git. Additionally, there are now public repositories for projects to store their code that support the use of git, a source code manager, to access the code. Monolithic Versus Micro Linux is considered a monolithic kernel. This is different from Minix, which Linux started from, and other Unix-like implementations that use micro kernels. The differ‐ ence between a monolithic kernel and a micro kernel is that all functionality is built into a monolithic kernel. This includes any code necessary to support hardware devi‐ ces. With a micro kernel, only the essential code is included in the kernel. This is roughly the bare minimum necessary to keep the operating system functional. Any additional functionality that is required to run in kernel space is implemented as a module and loaded into the kernel space as it is needed. This is not to say that Linux doesn’t have modules, but the kernel that is typically built and included in Linux dis‐ tributions is not a micro kernel. Because Linux is not designed around the idea that only core services are implemented in the kernel proper, it is not considered a micro kernel but instead a monolithic kernel. Linux is available, generally free of charge, in distributions. A Linux distribution is a collection of software packages that have been selected by the distribution maintain‐ ers. Also, the software packages have been built in a particular way, with features determined by the package maintainer. These software packages are acquired as source code, and many packages can have multiple options—whether to include data‐ base support, which type of database, whether to enable encryption—that have to be enabled when the package is being configured and built. The package maintainer for one distribution may make different choices for options than the package maintainer for another distribution. Different distributions will also have different package formats. As an example, Red‐ Hat and its associated distributions, like RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and Fedora Core, use the RedHat Package Manager (RPM) format. In addition, RedHat uses both the RPM utility as well as the Yellowdog Updater Modified (yum) to man‐ age packages on the system. Other distributions may use the different package man‐ agement utilities used by Debian. Debian uses the Advanced Package Tool (APT) to manage packages in the Debian package format. Regardless of the distribution or the package format, the object of the packages is to collect all the files necessary for the software to function and make those files easy to put into place to make the software functional. 4 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Over the years, another difference between distributions has come with the desktop environment that is provided by default by the distribution. In recent years, distribu‐ tions have created their own custom views on existing desktop environments. Whether it’s the GNU Object Model Environment (GNOME), the K Desktop Envi‐ ronment (KDE), or Xfce, they can all be customized with different themes and wall‐ papers and organization of menus and panels. Distributions will often provide their own spin on a different desktop environment. Some distributions, like Elementar‐ yOS, have even provided their own desktop environment. While in the end the software all works the same, sometimes the choice of package manager or even desktop environment can make a difference to users. Additionally, the depth of the package repository can make a difference to some users. They may want to ensure they have a lot of choices in software they can install through the repository rather than trying to build the software by hand and install it. Different distributions may have smaller repositories, even if they are based on the same pack‐ age management utilities and formats as other distributions. Because of dependencies of software that need to be installed before the software you are looking for will work, packages are not always mix-and-match between even related distributions. Sometimes, different distributions will focus on specific groups of users, rather than being general-purpose distributions for anyone who wants a desktop. Beyond that, distributions like Ubuntu will even have two separate installation distributions per release, one for a server installation and one for a desktop installation. A desktop installation generally includes a graphical user interface (GUI), whereas a server installation won’t, and as a result will install far fewer packages. The fewer packages, the less exposure to attack, and servers are often where sensitive information is stored in addition to being systems that may be more likely to be exposed to unauthorized users. Kali Linux is a distribution that is specifically tailored to a particular type of user— those who are interested in performing security testing or forensics work. Kali Linux, as a distribution focused on security testing, falls into the desktop category, and there is no intention to limit the number of packages that are installed to make Kali harder to attack. Someone focused on security testing will probably need a wide variety of software packages, and Kali loads their distribution out of the gate. This may seem mildly ironic, considering distributions that focus on keeping their systems safe from attack (sometimes called secure) tend to limit the packages. Kali, though, is focused on testing, rather than keeping the distribution safe from attack. Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux The easiest way to acquire Kali Linux is to visit its website. From there, you can gather additional information about the software, such as lists of packages that are installed. You will be downloading an ISO image that can be used as is if you are Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux | 5
installing into a virtual machine (VM), or it can be burned to a DVD to install to a physical machine. Kali Linux is based on Debian. This was not always the case, at least as directly as it is now. There was a time when Kali was named BackTrack Linux. BackTrack was based on Knoppix Linux, which is primarily a live distribution, meaning that it was designed to boot from CD, DVD, or USB stick and run from the source media rather than being installed to a destination hard drive. Knoppix, in turn, inherits from Debian. BackTrack was, just as Kali Linux is, a distribution focused on penetration testing and digital forensics. The last version of BackTrack was released in 2012, before the Offensive Security team took the idea of BackTrack and rebuilt it to be based on Debian Linux. One of the features that Kali retains that was available in BackTrack is the ability to live boot. When you get boot media for Kali, you can choose to either install or boot live. In Figure 1-1, you can see the boot options. Figure 1-1. Boot screen for Kali Linux Whether you run from the DVD or install to a hard drive is entirely up to you. If you boot to DVD and don’t have a home directory stored on some writable media, you won’t be able to maintain anything from one boot to another. If you don’t have writa‐ ble media to store information to, you will be starting entirely from scratch every time you boot. There are advantages to this if you don’t want to leave any trace of 6 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
what you did while the operating system was running. If you customize or want to maintain SSH keys or other stored credentials, you’ll need to install to local media. Installation of Kali is straightforward. You don’t have the options that other distribu‐ tions have. You won’t select package categories. Kali has a defined set of packages that gets installed. You can add more later or even take some away, but you start with a fairly comprehensive set of tools for security testing or forensics. What you need to configure is selecting a disk to install to and getting it partitioned and formatted. You also need to configure the network, including hostname and whether you are using a static address rather than DHCP. Once you have configured that and set your time zone as well as some other foundational configuration settings, the packages will get updated and you will be ready to boot to Linux. Fortunately, Kali doesn’t require its own hardware. It runs nicely inside a VM. If you intend to play around with security testing, and most especially penetration testing, getting a virtual lab started isn’t a bad idea. I’ve found that Kali runs quite nicely in 4 GB of memory with about 20 GB of disk space. If you want to store a lot of artifacts from your testing, you may want additional disk space. You should be able to get by with 2 GB of memory, but obviously, the more memory you can spare, the better the performance will be. There are many hypervisors you can choose from, depending on your host operating system. VMware has hypervisors for both Mac and PC. Parallels will run on Macs. VirtualBox, on the other hand, will run on PCs, Macs, Linux systems, and even Solaris. VirtualBox has been around since 2007, but was acquired by Sun Microsys‐ tems in 2008. As Sun was acquired by Oracle, VirtualBox is currently maintained by Oracle. Regardless of who maintains it, VirtualBox is free to download and use. If you are just getting started in the world of VMs, this may be a place for you to start. Each works in a slightly different way in terms of how it interacts with users. Different keys to break out of the VM. Different levels of interaction with the operating system. Dif‐ ferent support for guest operating systems, since the hypervisor has to provide the drivers for the guest. In the end, it comes down to how much you want to spend and which of them you feel comfortable using. As a point of possible interest, or at least connection, one of the primary developers on BSD was Bill Joy, who was a graduate stu‐ dent at the University of California at Berkeley. Joy was responsible for the first implementation in Berkeley Unix of TCP/IP. He became a cofounder of Sun Microsystems in 1982 and while there wrote a paper about a better programming language than C++, which served as the inspiration for the creation of Java. Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux | 7
One consideration is the tools provided by the hypervisor. The tools are drivers that get installed into the kernel to better integrate with the host operating system. This may include print drivers, drivers to share the filesystem from the host into the guest, and better video support. VMware can use the VMware tools that are open source and available within the Kali Linux repository. You can also get the VirtualBox tools from the Kali repository. Parallels, on the other hand, provides its own tools. At the time of this writing, you can install the Parallels tools in Kali, but they’re not fully supported. But in my experience, they work well even if they aren’t fully supported. If you’d prefer not to do an install from scratch but are interested in using a VM, you can download either a VMware or VirtualBox image. Kali provides support for not only virtual environments but also ARM-based devices like the Raspberry Pi and the BeagleBone. The advantage to using the VM images is that it gets you up and running faster. You don’t have to take the time to do the installation. Instead, you download the image, load it into your chosen hypervisor, and you’re up and running. If you choose to go the route of using a preconfigured VM, you can find the images at the page on Kali’s site for downloading one of these custom images. Another low-cost option for running Kali Linux is a Raspberry Pi. The Pi is a very low-cost and small-footprint computer. You can, though, download an image specific for the Pi. The Pi doesn’t use an Intel or AMD processor as you would see on most desktop systems. Instead, it uses an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processor. These processors use a smaller instruction set and take less power than the processors you would usually see in desktop computers. The Pi comes as just a very small board that fits in the palm of your hand. You can get multiple cases to insert the board into and then outfit it with any peripherals you may want, such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. One of the advantages of the Pi is that it can be used in physical attacks, considering its small size. You can install Kali onto the Pi and leave it at a location you are testing but it does require power and some sort of network connection. The Pi has an Ether‐ net connection built in, but there are also USB ports for WiFi adapters. Once you have Kali in place, you can perform even local attacks remotely by accessing your Pi from inside the network. We’ll get into some of that later. With so many options to get yourself started, it should be easy to get an installation up quickly. Once you have the installation up and running, you’ll want to get familiar with the desktop environment so you can start to become productive. Desktops You’re going to be spending a lot of time interacting with the desktop environment, so you may as well get something that you’ll feel comfortable with. Unlike proprietary operating systems like Windows and macOS, Linux has multiple desktop environ‐ 8 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
ments. Kali supports the popular ones from their repository without needing to add any additional repositories. If the desktop environment that is installed by default doesn’t suit you, replacing it is easy. Because you’ll likely be spending a lot of time in the environment, you really want to be not only comfortable but also productive. This means finding the right environment and toolsets for you. GNOME Desktop The default environment provided in Kali Linux is based on the GNOME desktop. This desktop environment was part of the GNU (GNU’s Not Unix, which is referred to as a recursive acronym) Project. Currently, RedHat is the primary contributor and uses the GNOME desktop as its primary interface, as does Ubuntu and others. In Figure 1-2, you can see the desktop environment with the main menu expanded. Figure 1-2. GNOME desktop for Kali Linux Just as with Windows, if that’s what you are mostly familiar with, you get an applica‐ tion menu with shortcuts to the programs that have been installed. Rather than being broken into groups by software vendor or program name, Kali presents the programs in groups based on functionality. The categories presented, and ones covered over the course of this book, are as follows: Desktops | 9
• Information Gathering • Vulnerability Analysis • Web Application Analysis • Database Assessment • Password Attacks • Wireless Attacks • Reverse Engineering • Exploitation Tools • Sniffing & Spoofing • Post Exploitation • Forensics • Reporting Tools • Social Engineering Tools Alongside the Applications menu is a Places menu, providing shortcuts to locations you may want to get to quickly. This includes your Home directory, Desktop direc‐ tory, Computer, and Network. Next to the Places menu is a menu associated with the application with a focus on the desktop. If no program is running, there is no menu there. Essentially, it’s similar to the taskbar in Windows, except that running applica‐ tions don’t line up in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The only one you will see there is the application in the foreground. As in other modern operating systems, you’ll have a little collection of icons in the far right of the menu bar, which GNOME calls a panel, including a pull-down that brings up a small dialog box providing quick access to customizations, logout, power func‐ tions, sound, and network settings. Figure 1-3 shows this dialog box and the features supported through it. Mostly, it provides quick access to system functions if you want to use menu actions to perform them. 10 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Figure 1-3. GNOME panel menu Along with the menu in the top panel, there is a dock along the left side. The dock includes commonly used applications like the Terminal, Firefox, Metasploit, Armit‐ age, Burp Suite, Leafpad, and Files. The dock is similar to the dock in macOS. Click‐ ing one of the icons once launches the application. The options in the dock to start with also show up as favorites in the menu accessible from the panel. Any program that is not in the dock will be added to the dock while it is running. Again, this is the same behavior as in macOS. Whereas Windows has a taskbar that includes buttons for running applications, and also has a quick launch bar where you can pin applica‐ tion icons, the purpose of the dock in macOS and GNOME is to store the application shortcuts. Additionally, the Windows taskbar stretches the width of the screen. The dock in GNOME and macOS is only as wide as it needs to be to store the icons that have been set to persist there, plus the ones for running applications. The dock in macOS comes from the interface in the NeXTSTEP operating system, which was designed for the NeXT Computer. This is the computer Steve Jobs formed a company to design and build after he was forced out of Apple in the 1980s. Many of the elements of the NeXTSTEP user interface (UI) were incorporated into the macOS UI when Apple bought NeXT. Incidentally, NeXT‐ STEP was built over the top of a BSD operating system, which is why macOS has Unix under the hood if you open a terminal window. Desktops | 11
Logging In Through the Desktop Manager Although GNOME is the default desktop environment, others are available without much effort. If you have multiple desktop environments installed, you will be able to select one in the display manager when you log in. First, you need to enter your user‐ name so the system can identify the default environment you have configured. This may be the last one you logged into. Figure 1-4 shows environments that I can select from on one of my Kali Linux systems. Figure 1-4. Desktop selection at login There have been numerous display managers over the years. Initially, the login screen was something the X window manager provided, but other display managers have been developed, expanding the capabilities. One of the advantages of LightDM is that it’s considered lightweight. This may be especially relevant if you are working on a system with fewer resources such as memory and processor. Xfce Desktop One desktop environment that has been somewhat popular as an alternative over the years is Xfce. One of the reasons it has been popular is that it was designed to be fairly lightweight for a full desktop environment and, as a result, more responsive. Many hardcore Linux users I have known over the years have gravitated to Xfce as their pre‐ ferred environment, if they needed a desktop environment. Again, the reason is that it has a simple design that is highly configurable. In Figure 1-5, you can see a basic setup of Xfce. The panel on the bottom of the desktop is entirely configurable. You can change where it’s located and how it behaves, and add or remove items as you see fit, based on how you prefer to work. This panel includes an applications menu that includes all the same folders/categories that are in the GNOME menu. 12 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Figure 1-5. Xfce desktop showing applications menu While Xfce is based on the GNOME Toolkit (GTK), it is not a fork of GNOME. It was developed on top of an older version of GTK. The intention was to create something that was simpler than the direction GNOME was going in. It was intended to be lighter weight and, as a result, have better performance. The feeling was that the desk‐ top shouldn’t get in the way of the real work users want to do. Cinnamon and MATE Two other desktops, Cinnamon and MATE, owe their origins to GNOME as well. The Linux distribution, Linux Mint, wasn’t sure about GNOME 3 and its GNOME shell, the desktop interface that came with it. As a result, it developed Cinnamon, which was initially just a shell sitting on top of GNOME. With the second version of Cinnamon, it became a desktop environment in its own right. One of the advantages to Cinnamon is that it bears a strong resemblance to Windows in terms of where things are located and how you get around. You can see that there is a Menu button at the bottom left, much like the Windows button, as well as a clock and other system widgets at the right of the menu bar or panel. You can see the panel as well as the menu in Figure 1-6. Again, the menu is just like the one you see in GNOME and Xfce. Desktops | 13
Figure 1-6. Cinnamon desktop with menu As I’ve suggested above, there were concerns about GNOME 3 and the change in the look and behavior of the desktop. Some might say this was an understatement, and the reversion of some distributions to other looks might be considered proof of that. Regardless, Cinnamon was one response to GNOME 3 by creating a shell that sat on top of the underlying GNOME 3 architecture. MATE, on the other hand, is an out‐ right fork of GNOME 2. For anyone familiar with GNOME 2, MATE will seem famil‐ iar. It’s an implementation of the classic look of GNOME 2. You can see this running on Kali in Figure 1-7. Again, the menu is shown so you can see that you will get the same easy access to applications in all of the environments. The choice of desktop environment is entirely personal. One desktop that I have left off here but that is still very much an option is the K Desktop Environment (KDE). There are two reasons for this. The first is that I have always found KDE to be fairly heavyweight, although this has evened out some with GNOME 3 and the many pack‐ ages it brings along with it. KDE never felt as quick as GNOME and certainly Xfce. However, a lot of people like it. More particularly, one reason for omitting an image of it is that it looks an awful lot like Cinnamon. One of the objectives behind KDE always seemed to be to clone the look and feel of Windows so users coming from that platform would feel comfortable. 14 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Figure 1-7. MATE desktop with menu If you are serious about really getting started with Kali and working with it, you may want to spend some time playing with the different desktop environments. It’s impor‐ tant that you are comfortable and can get around the interface efficiently. If you have a desktop environment that gets in your way or is hard to navigate, you probably don’t have a good fit for you. You may try another one. It’s easy enough to install additional environments. When we get to package management a little later, you’ll learn how to install additional packages and, as a result, desktop environments. You may even discover some that aren’t included in this discussion. Using the Command Line You will find over the course of this book that I have a great fondness for the com‐ mand line. There are a lot of reasons for this. For one, I started in computing when terminals didn’t have what we call full screens. And we certainly didn’t have desktop environments. What we had was primarily command lines. As a result, I got used to typing. When I started on Unix systems, all I had was a command line so I needed to get used to the command set available there. The other reason for getting comfortable with the command line is that you can’t always get a UI. You may be working Using the Command Line | 15
remotely and connecting over a network. This may get you only command-line pro‐ grams without additional work. So, making friends with the command line is useful. Another reason for getting used to the command line and the locations of program elements is that GUI programs may have failures or may leave out details that could be helpful. This may be especially true of some security or forensics tools. As one example, I much prefer to use The Sleuth Kit (TSK), a collection of command-line programs, over the web-based interface, Autopsy, which is more visual. Since Autopsy sits on top of TSK, it’s just a different way of looking at the information TSK is capable of generating. The difference is that with Autopsy, you don’t get all of the details, especially ones that are fairly low level. If you are just learning how to do things, understanding what is going on may be far more beneficial than learning a GUI. Your skills and knowledge will be far more transferable to other situations and tools. So, there’s that too. A UI is often called a shell. This is true whether you are referring to the program that manages the desktop or the program that takes commands that you type into a termi‐ nal window. The default shell in Linux is the Bourne Again Shell (bash). This is a play on the Bourne Shell, which was an early and long-standing shell. However, the Bourne Shell had limitations and missing features. As a result, in 1989, the Bourne Again Shell was released. It has since become the common shell in Linux distribu‐ tions. There are two types of commands you will run on the command line. One is called a built-in. This is a function of the shell itself and it doesn’t call out to any other program—the shell handles it. The other command you will run is a program that sits in a directory. The shell has a listing of directories where programs are kept that is provided (and configurable) through an environment variable. Keep in mind that Unix was developed by programmers for pro‐ grammers. The point was to create an environment that was both comfortable and useful for the programmers using it. As a result, the shell is, as much as anything else, a programming language and environment. Each shell has different syntax for the control state‐ ments that it uses, but you can create a program right on the com‐ mand line because, as a programming language, the shell will be able to execute all of the statements. In short, we’re going to spend some time with the command line because it’s where Unix started and it’s also powerful. To start with, you’ll want to get around the filesys‐ tem and get listings of files, including details like permissions. Other commands that are useful are ones that manage processes and general utilities. 16 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
File and Directory Management To start, let’s talk about getting the shell to tell you the directory you are currently in. This is called the working directory. To get the working directory, the one we are cur‐ rently situated in from the perspective of the shell, we use the command pwd, which is shorthand for print working directory. In Example 1-1, you can see the prompt, which ends in #, indicating that the effective user who is currently logged in is a superuser. The # ends the prompt, which is followed by the command that is being entered and run. This is followed on the next line by the results, or output, of the command. Example 1-1. Printing your working directory root@rosebud:~# pwd /root When you get to the point where you have multiple machines, either physical or virtual, you may find it interesting to have a theme for the names of your different systems. I’ve known people who named their systems for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy characters, for instance. I’ve also seen coins, planets, and various other themes. For ages now, my systems have been named after Bloom County characters. The Kali system here is named for Rose‐ bud the Basselope. Once we know where in the filesystem we are, which always starts at the root direc‐ tory (/) and looks a bit like a tree, we can get a listing of the files and directories. You will find that with Unix/Linux commands, the minimum number of characters is often used. In the case of getting file listings, the command is ls. While ls is useful, it only lists the file and directory names. You may want additional details about the files, including times and dates as well as permissions. You can see those results by using the command ls -la. The l (ell) specifies long listing, including details. The a specifies that ls should show all the files, including files that are otherwise hidden. You can see the output in Example 1-2. Example 1-2. Getting a long listing root@rosebud:~# ls -la total 164 drwxr-xr-x 17 root root 4096 Nov 4 21:33 . drwxr-xr-x 23 root root 4096 Oct 30 17:49 .. -rw------- 1 root root 1932 Nov 4 21:31 .ICEauthority -rw------- 1 root root 52 Nov 4 21:31 .Xauthority -rw------- 1 root root 78 Nov 4 20:24 .bash_history -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3391 Sep 16 19:02 .bashrc Using the Command Line | 17
drwx------ 8 root root 4096 Nov 4 21:31 .cache drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Nov 4 21:31 .cinnamon drwxr-xr-x 15 root root 4096 Nov 4 20:46 .config -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 47 Nov 4 21:31 .dmrc drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 .gconf drwx------ 3 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 .gnupg drwx------ 3 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 .local -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 148 Sep 4 09:51 .profile -rw------- 1 root root 1024 Sep 16 19:36 .rnd -rw------- 1 root root 1092 Nov 4 21:33 .viminfo -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 20762 Nov 4 20:37 .xfce4-session.verbose-log -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 16415 Nov 4 20:29 .xfce4-session.verbose-log.last -rw------- 1 root root 8530 Nov 4 21:31 .xsession-errors -rw------- 1 root root 7422 Nov 4 21:31 .xsession-errors.old drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 4 20:06 .zenmap drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Desktop drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Documents drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Downloads drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Music drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Pictures drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Public drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Templates drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Videos Starting in the left column, you can see the permissions. Unix has a simple set of per‐ missions. Each file or directory has a set of permissions that are associated with the user owner, then a set of permissions associated with the group that owns the file, and finally a set of permissions that belong to everyone else, referred to as the world. Directories are indicated with a d in the very first position. The other permissions available are read, write, and execute. On Unix-like operating systems, a program gets the execute bit set to determine whether it’s executable. This is different from Win‐ dows, where a file extension may make that determination. The executable bit deter‐ mines not only whether a file is executable, but also who can execute it, depending on which category the execute bit is set in (user, group, world). Linux Filesystem Structure The Linux filesystem, just as the Unix filesystem before it, has a common layout. No matter how many disks you have installed in your system, everything will fall under / (the root folder). The common directories you will see in a Linux system are as fol‐ lows: /bin Commands/binary files that have to be available when the system is booted in single-user mode. 18 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
/boot Boot files are stored here, including the configuration of the boot loader, the ker‐ nel, and any initial ramdisk files needed to boot the kernel. /dev A pseudofilesystem that contains entries for hardware devices for programs to access. /etc Configuration files related to the operating system and system services. /home The directory containing the user’s home directories. /lib Library files that contain shared code and functions that any program can use. /opt Optional, third-party software is loaded here. /proc A pseudofilesystem that has directories containing files related to running pro‐ cesses, including memory maps, the command line used to run the program, and other essential system information related to the program. /root The home directory of the root user. /sbin System binaries that also need to be available in single-user mode. /tmp Temporary files are stored here. /usr Read-only user data (includes bin, doc, lib, sbin, and share subdirectories). /var Variable data including state information about running processes, log files, run‐ time data, and other temporary files. All of these files are expected to change in size or existence during the running of the system. You can also see the owner (user) and group, both of which are root in these cases. This is followed by the file size, the last time the file or directory was modified, and then the name of the file or directory. You may notice at the top that there are files that start with a dot, or period. The dot files and directories store user-specific set‐ tings and logs. Because they are managed by the applications that create them, as a general rule, they are hidden from regular directory listings. Using the Command Line | 19
The program touch can be used to update the modified date and time to the moment that touch is run. If the file doesn’t exist, touch will create an empty file that has the modified and created timestamp set to the moment touch was executed. Other file- and directory-related commands that will be really useful are ones related to setting permissions and owners. Every file and directory gets a set of permissions, as indicated previously, as well as having an owner and a group. To set permissions on a file or directory, you use the chmod command, which can take a numerical value for each of the possible permissions. Three bits are used, each either on or off for whether the permission is set or not. Since they are bits, we are talking about powers of 2. It’s easiest to remember the powers of 2 as well as the order read, write, and exe‐ cute. If you read left to right as the people of most Western cultures do, you will think about the most significant value being to the left. Since we are talking about bits, we have the powers of 2 with exponents 0–2. Read has the value of 22 , or 4. Write has the value of 21 , or 2. Finally, execute has the value of 20 , or 1. As an example, if you want to set both read and write permissions on a file, you would use 4 + 2, or 6. The bit pattern would be 110, if it’s easier to see it that way. There are three sets of permissions: owner, group, and world (everyone). When you are setting permissions, you specify a numeric value for each, meaning you have a three-digit value. As an example, in order to set read, write, and execute for the owner but just read for the group and everyone, you use chmod 744 filename, where filename is the name of the file you are setting permissions for. You could also just specify the bit you want either set or unset, if that’s easier. For example, you could use chmod u+x filename to add the executable bit for the owner. The Linux filesystem is generally well-structured, so you can be sure of where to look for files. However, in some cases, you may need to search for files. On Windows or macOS, you may understand how to look for files, as the necessary tools are embed‐ ded in the file managers. If you are working from the command line, you need to know the means you can use to locate files. The first is locate, which relies on a system database. The program updatedb will update that database, and when you use locate, the system will query the database to find the location of the file. If you are looking for a program, you can use another utility. The program which will tell you where the program is located. This may be useful if you have various loca‐ tions where executables are kept. The thing to note here is that which uses the PATH variable in the user’s environment to search for the program. If the executable is found in the PATH, the full path to the executable is displayed. A more multipurpose program for location is find. While find has a lot of capabilities, a simple approach is to use something like find / -name foo -print. You don’t have to provide the -print parameter, since printing the results is the default behavior; it’s just how I learned how to run the command and it’s stayed with me. Using find, you spec‐ ify the path to search in. find performs a recursive search, meaning it starts at the 20 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
directory specified and searches all directories under the specified directory. In the preceding example, we are looking for the file named foo. You can use regular expres‐ sions, including wildcards, in your search. If you want to find a file that begins with the letters foo, you use find / -name “foo*” -print. If you are using search patterns, you need to put the string and pattern inside double quotes. While find has a lot of capa‐ bilities, this will get you started. Process Management When you run a program, you initiate a process. You can think of a process as a dynamic, running instance of a program, which is static as it sits on a storage medium. Every running Linux system has dozens or hundreds of processes running at any given time. In most cases, you can expect the operating system to manage the processes in the best way. However, at times you may want to get yourself involved. As an example, you may want to check whether a process is running, since not all processes are running in the foreground. A foreground process is one that currently has the potential for the user to see and interact with, as compared with a background process, which a user wouldn’t be able to interact with unless it was brought to the foreground and designed for user interaction. For example, just checking the number of processes running on an otherwise idle Kali Linux system, I discovered 141 pro‐ cesses. Out of that 141, only one was in the foreground. All others were services of some sort. To get a list of processes, you can use the ps command. The command all by itself doesn’t get you much more than the list of processes that belong to the user running the program. Every process, just like files, has an owner and a group. The reason is that processes need to interact with the filesystem and other objects, and having an owner and a group is the way the operating system determines whether the process should be allowed access. In Example 1-3, you can see what just running ps looks like. Example 1-3. Getting a process list root@rosebud:~# ps PID TTY TIME CMD 4068 pts/1 00:00:00 bash 4091 pts/1 00:00:00 ps </pre> What you see in Example 1-3 is the identification number of the process, commonly known as the process ID, or PID, followed by the teletypewriter port the command was issued on, the amount of time spent in the processor, and finally the command. Most of the commands you will see have parameters you can append to the com‐ mand line, and these will change the behavior of the program. Using the Command Line | 21
Manual Pages Historically, the Unix manual has been available online, meaning directly on the machine. To get the documentation for any command, you would run the program man followed by the command you wanted the documentation for. These man pages have been formatted in a typesetting language called troff. As a result, when you are reading the man page, it looks like it was formatted to be printed, which is essentially true. If you need help finding the relevant command-line parameters to get the behavior you are looking for, you can use the man page to get the details. The man pages will also provide you with associated commands and information. The Unix manual was divided into sections, as follows: • General Commands • System Calls • Library Functions • Special Files • File Formats • Games and Screensavers • Miscellanea • System Administration Commands and Daemons When the same keyword applies in several areas, such as open, you just specify which section you want. If you want the system call open, you use the command man 2 open. If you also need to know relevant commands, you can use the command apro‐ pos, as in apropos open. You will get a list of all the relevant manual entries. Interestingly, AT&T Unix diverged a bit from BSD Unix. This has resulted in some command-line parameter variations, depending on which Unix derivation you may have begun with. For more detailed process listings, including all of the processes belonging to all users (since without specifying, you get only processes belonging to your user), you might use either ps -ea or ps aux. Either will provide the complete list, though there will be differences in the details provided. The thing about using ps is that it’s static: you run it once and get the list of processes. Another program can be used to watch the process list change in near-real time. While it’s possible to also get statistics like memory and processor usage from ps, with top, you don’t have to ask for it. Running top will give you the list of processes, refreshed at regular intervals. You can see sample output in Example 1-4. 22 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Example 1-4. Using top for process listings top - 20:14:23 up 3 days, 49 min, 2 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 Tasks: 139 total, 1 running, 138 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie %Cpu(s): 0.3 us, 0.2 sy, 0.0 ni, 99.5 id, 0.0 wa, 0.0 hi, 0.0 si, 0.0 st KiB Mem : 4050260 total, 2722564 free, 597428 used, 730268 buff/cache KiB Swap: 4192252 total, 4192252 free, 0 used. 3186224 avail Mem PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND 6995 root 20 0 105384 6928 5932 S 0.3 0.2 0:00.11 sshd 7050 root 20 0 47168 3776 3160 R 0.3 0.1 0:00.09 top 1 root 20 0 154048 8156 6096 S 0.0 0.2 0:02.45 systemd 2 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.06 kthreadd 4 root 0 -20 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/0:+ 5 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:01.20 kworker/u4+ 6 root 0 -20 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 mm_percpu_+ 7 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.20 ksoftirqd/0 8 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:38.25 rcu_sched 9 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 rcu_bh In addition to providing a list of processes, the amount of memory they are using, the percentage of CPU being used, as well as other specifics, top shows details about the running system, which you will see at the top. Each time the display refreshes, the process list will rearrange, indicating which processes are consuming the most resources at the top. As you will note, top itself consumes some amount of resources, and you will often see it near the top of the process list. One of the important fields that you will see not only in top but also in ps is the PID. In addition to providing a way of clearly identifying one process from another, particularly when the name of the process is the same, it also provides a way of sending messages to the process. You will find two commands invaluable when you are managing processes. They are closely related, performing the same function, though offering slightly different capa‐ bilities. The first command is kill, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, can kill a running process. More specifically, it sends a signal to the process. The operating system will interact with processes by sending signals to them. Signals are one means of interpro‐ cess communication (IPC). The default signal for kill is the TERM signal (SIG‐ TERM), which means terminate, but if you specify a different signal, kill will send that signal instead. To send a different signal, you issue kill -# pid, where # indicates the number that equates to the signal you intend to send, and pid is the process identifi‐ cation number that you can find from using either ps or top. Signals The signals for a system are provided in a C header file. The easiest way to get a list‐ ing of all the signals with their numeric value as well as the mnemonic identifier for the signal is to run kill -l, as you can see here: Using the Command Line | 23
root@rosebud:~# kill -l 1) SIGHUP 2) SIGINT 3) SIGQUIT 4) SIGILL 5) SIGTRAP 6) SIGABRT 7) SIGBUS 8) SIGFPE 9) SIGKILL 10) SIGUSR1 11) SIGSEGV 12) SIGUSR2 13) SIGPIPE 14) SIGALRM 15) SIGTERM 16) SIGSTKFLT 17) SIGCHLD 18) SIGCONT 19) SIGSTOP 20) SIGTSTP 21) SIGTTIN 22) SIGTTOU 23) SIGURG 24) SIGXCPU 25) SIGXFSZ 26) SIGVTALRM 27) SIGPROF 28) SIGWINCH 29) SIGIO 30) SIGPWR 31) SIGSYS 34) SIGRTMIN 35) SIGRTMIN+1 36) SIGRTMIN+2 37) SIGRTMIN+3 38) SIGRTMIN+4 39) SIGRTMIN+5 40) SIGRTMIN+6 41) SIGRTMIN+7 42) SIGRTMIN+8 43) SIGRTMIN+9 44) SIGRTMIN+10 45) SIGRTMIN+11 46) SIGRTMIN+12 47) SIGRTMIN+13 48) SIGRTMIN+14 49) SIGRTMIN+15 50) SIGRTMAX-14 51) SIGRTMAX-13 52) SIGRTMAX-12 53) SIGRTMAX-11 54) SIGRTMAX-10 55) SIGRTMAX-9 56) SIGRTMAX-8 57) SIGRTMAX-7 58) SIGRTMAX-6 59) SIGRTMAX-5 60) SIGRTMAX-4 61) SIGRTMAX-3 62) SIGRTMAX-2 63) SIGRTMAX-1 64) SIGRTMAX While a good number of signals are defined, you won’t be using more than a handful. Commonly, when it comes to managing processes, the SIGTERM signal is most use‐ ful. That’s the signal that kill and killall issue by default. When SIGTERM isn’t ade‐ quate to get the process to stop, you might need to issue a stronger signal. When SIGTERM is sent, it’s up to the process to handle the signal and exit. If the process is hung up, it may need additional help. SIGKILL (signal number 9) will forcefully ter‐ minate the process without relying on the process itself to deal with it. The second program that you should become acquainted with is killall. The differ‐ ence between kill and killall is that with killall you don’t necessarily need the PID. Instead, you use the name of the process. This can be useful, especially when a parent may have spawned several child processes. If you want to kill all of them at the same time, you can use killall, and it will do the work of looking up the PIDs from the pro‐ cess table and issuing the appropriate signal to the process. Just as in the case of kill, killall will take a signal number to send to the process. If you need to forcefully kill all instances of the process named firefox, for instance, you would use killall -9 firefox. Other Utilities Obviously, we aren’t going to go over the entire list of commands available on the Linux command line. However, some additional ones are useful to get your head around. Keep in mind that Unix was designed to have simple utilities that could be chained together. It does this by having three standard input/output streams: STDIN, STDOUT, and STDERR. Each process inherits these three streams when it starts. Input comes in using STDIN, output goes to STDOUT, and errors are sent to STDERR, though perhaps that all goes without saying. The advantage to this is if you don’t want to see errors, for example, you can send the STDERR stream somewhere so you don’t have your normal output cluttered. 24 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Each of these streams can be redirected. Normally, STDOUT and STDERR go to the same place (typically, the console). STDIN originates from the console. If you want your output to go somewhere else, you can use the > operator. If, for instance, I wanted to send the output of ps to a file, I might use ps auxw > ps.out. When you redirect the output, you don’t see it on the console anymore. In this example, if there were an error, you would see that, but not anything going to STDOUT. If you wanted to redirect input, you would go the other way. Rather than >, you would use <, indi‐ cating the direction you want the information to flow. Understanding the different I/O streams and redirection will help you down the path of understanding the | (pipe) operator. When you use |, you are saying, “Take the out‐ put from what’s on the left side and send it to the input for what’s on the right side.” You are effectively putting a coupler in place between two applications, STDOUT → STDIN, without having to go through any intermediary devices. One of the most useful uses of command chaining or piping is for searching or filter‐ ing. As an example, if you have a long list of processes from the ps command, you might use the pipe operator to send the output of ps to another program, grep, which can be used to search for strings. As an example, if you want to find all the instances of the program named httpd, you use ps auxw | grep httpd. grep is used to search an input stream for a search string. While it’s useful for filtering information, you can also search the contents of files with grep. As an example, if you want to search for the string wubble in all the files in a directory, you can use grep wubble *. If you want to make sure that the search follows all the directories, you tell grep to use a recursive search with grep -R wubble *. User Management When you start up Kali, you have the root user in place. Unlike other Linux distribu‐ tions, you won’t be asked to create another user. This is because much of what you may be doing in Kali will require superuser (root) permissions. As a result, there’s no reason to create another user, even though it’s not good practice to stay logged in as the root user. The expectation is that someone using Kali probably knows enough of what they are doing that they wouldn’t be as likely to shoot themselves in the foot with the root permissions. However, it is still possible to add and otherwise manage users in Kali, just as it is with other distributions. If you want to create a user, you can just use the useradd command. You might also use adduser. Both accomplish the same goal. When you are creating users, it’s useful to understand some of the characteristics of users. Each user should have a home directory, a shell, a username, and a group at a minimum. If I want to add my common username, for instance, I would use useradd -d /home/ kilroy -s /bin/bash -g users -m kilroy. The parameters given specify the home directory, the shell the user should execute when logging in interactively, and the default group. User Management | 25
The -m specified indicates that useradd should create the home directory. This will also populate the home directory with the skeleton files needed for interactive logins. In the case of the group ID specified, useradd requires that the group exist. If you want your user to have its own group, you can use groupadd to create a new group and then use useradd to create the user that belongs to the new group. If you want to add your user to multiple groups, you can edit the /etc/group file and add your user to the end of each group line you want your user to be a member of. To pick up any permissions associated with those groups’ access to files, for example, you need to log out and log back in again. That will pick up the changes to your user, including the new groups. Once you have created the user, you should set a password. That’s done using the passwd command. If you are root and want to change another user’s password, you use passwd kilroy in the case of the user created in the preceding example. If you just use passwd without a username, you are going to change your own password. Shells The common default shell used is the Bourne Again Shell (bash). However, other shells can be used. If you are feeling adventurous, you could look at other shells like zsh, fish, csh, or ksh. A shell like zsh offers the possibility of a lot of customization using features including plug-ins. If you want to permanently change your shell, you can either edit /etc/passwd or just use chsh and have your shell changed for you. Service Management For a long time, there were two styles of service management: the BSD way and the AT&T way. This is no longer true. There are now three ways of managing services. Before we get into service management, we should first define a service. A service in this context is a program that runs without any user intervention. The operating envi‐ ronment starts it up automatically and it runs in the background. Unless you got a list of processes, you may never know it was running. Most systems have a decent num‐ ber of these services running at any point. They are called services because they pro‐ vide a service either to the system, to the users, or sometimes to remote users. Since there is no direct user interaction, generally, in terms of the startup and termi‐ nation of these services, there needs to be another way to start and stop the services that can be called automatically during startup and shutdown of the system. With the facility to manage the services in place, users can also use the same facility to start, stop, restart, and get the status of these services. 26 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
Administrative Privileges for Services Services are system-level. Managing them requires administrative privileges. Either you need to be root or you need to use sudo to gain temporary root privileges in order to perform the service management functions. For a long time, many Linux distributions used the AT&T init startup process. This meant that services were run with a set of scripts that took standard parameters. The init startup system used runlevels to determine which services started. Single-user mode would start up a different set of services than multiuser mode. Even more serv‐ ices would be started up when a display manager is being used, to provide GUIs to users. The scripts were stored in /etc/init.d/ and could be managed by providing parameters such as start, stop, restart, and status. As an example, if you wanted to start the SSH service, you might use the command /etc/init.d/ssh start. The problem with the init system, though, was that it was generally serial in nature. This caused performance issues on system startup because every service would be started in sequence rather than multiple services starting at the same time. The other problem with the init system was that it didn’t support dependencies well. Often, one service may rely on other services that had to be started first. Along comes systemd, which was developed by software developers at RedHat. The goal of systemd was to improve the efficiency of the init system and overcome some of its shortcomings. Services can declare dependencies, and services can start in parallel. There is no longer a need to write bash scripts to start up the services. Instead, there are configuration files, and all service management is handled with the program sys‐ temctl. To manage a service using systemctl, you would use systemctl verb service, where verb is the command you are passing and service is the name of the service. As an example, if you wanted to enable the SSH service and then start it, you would issue the commands in Example 1-5. Example 1-5. Enabling and starting SSH service root@rosebud:~# systemctl enable ssh Synchronizing state of ssh.service with SysV service script with /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install. Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable ssh root@rosebud:~# systemctl start ssh The first thing we do is enable the service: you are telling your system that when you boot, you want this service to start. The different system startup modes that the ser‐ vice will start in are configured in the configuration file associated with the service. Every service has a configuration file. Instead of runlevels, as the old init system used, systemd uses targets. A target is essentially the same as a runlevel, in that it indicates a Service Management | 27
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her as he used to do. Syd felt desperately in his pockets, where he found only a penknife. Why would not his father let him carry firearms as the other boys? Suddenly turning to Godfrey he made a gesture, and turned his horse full on the hedge of privet. It leaped boldly—Godfrey's followed. But the hounds followed, relentless as fate, and dashed through the lower branches. They were closer than before. "The gate! the gate!" cried Syd. He had reached it and fumbled for the bolt. Godfrey, a dozen paces behind, fancied he felt the tramp of the powerful beasts shake the ground. He turned, saw them coming with open jaws, closer, closer. Would the gate never open? There was a creak and crash, and it rolled back on its rusty hinges. The horses darted through so violently as to throw Godfrey on the ground. When he looked up Syd was standing beside him, and from the other side of the iron bars came the baffled roar of the angry beasts. The boys rode home without a word. "What about reclaiming property by means of bloodhounds, Syd?" asked Godfrey. "It's brutal," cried Syd vehemently, and then he laughed. "I tell you, Godfrey, one must actually take another man's place before he can be quite just to him, eh?"
A THOUSAND A YEAR. "I am afraid Daniel must give up his studies," Mrs. Brooks said, sadly. "I've been thinking how we are to meet the expenses of another year, and it seems quite impossible to get money enough to do so." "Oh, it would be such a pity, and brother so nearly through," Susan said, looking up in a distressed way. "He mustn't leave college now, when he is so near graduating! There must be a way of helping him through." Mrs. Brooks stooped to kiss the pale, tender face upturned to hers. "You have a wise little head, Susan, but I am afraid there is a problem here you cannot solve," said the widow, mournfully. "How much will be needed?" "At least a hundred dollars besides what he will earn himself. You know there are always extra expenses for the graduating class." Susan's countenance fell. It was a great sum in her estimation, and it was already difficult for them to meet their weekly expenses. "Everything depends upon brother's success," Susan said, presently. "We must give up everything for him." "I cannot forget I have two children," the mother said, kissing the girl again more tenderly than before. "Two children; but only one that will be a blessing to you," Susan said, brushing away a tear.
"Don't say that, Susie. I am proud of Daniel, I do not deny that—but I love you, too, all the same." "But you never can be proud of me, weak and deformed as I am! Oh, mother, why are some flowers made so beautiful and fragrant, and some so dark and noisome? Why was my brother so fair, so talented, and I so repulsive?" "No, no, no, not repulsive; don't say that," the widow cried, putting her arms around the girl in a sheltering way. "Do you think Daniel will let me go to see him take his diploma, mother?" "You would not be able, dear." The girl laughed bitterly. "No; brother would say I was not able, too. But I should be glad, so very glad to see him graduate. I think I would be willing to die then." "Hush, my darling," the mother cried, with a sharp pain in her voice. "When you are gone I shall soon follow. Daniel will be satisfied with his laurels, but women—ah, my child—women must love something, and you are all that is left me to love." Susan nestled her head in her mother's bosom without speaking, and lay there so long that her mother thought she was sleeping. Suddenly she opened her eyes and said: "I have thought it all out, mother. Daniel can graduate, and we will go see him take his diploma. Mr. Green needs girls to braid straw hats. You know I am nimble with my fingers, and I could braid a thousand a year, and that would be how much?" "But it would be wicked for me to allow you to overtask yourself in that way, darling. I am not sure but it might ruin your health, feeble as you are. No, no, it is not to be thought of."
"How many might I undertake, mother?" "Not half that amount; not a third, even." "Would Daniel be willing for me to braid, do you think?" "I don't know. We will ask him." "Mother," Susan said, looking into her eyes, "I believe this is my mission, to educate Daniel. You know we have given him everything —my portion of the property and yours. I think I could hold out to do this last, and you will consent when you come to reflect upon what it will be to brother, and to you, when I am gone. But he must not know it. It would wound his pride, and he would get some false notion in his head that he could not use money I had earned in that way. Now, promise me, that let what will come, you will never tell him that I braided straw hats that he might complete his education." "I cannot promise never to tell him, darling, because I cannot foresee the future, but I should not like him to be humbled and wounded, more than yourself. I am too old to learn readily, but perhaps I, too, could earn something by braiding." The determination was now fully settled in the mind of each, that the young man must graduate, and that the bills must be met by them. The patronage of Mr. Green was solicited, and it was agreed the work should be taken home, and that a thousand hats should be braided for ten cents each, which he assured them was more than he would think of paying to any one else, and only to Susan in consideration of her infirmity. We ought, perhaps, to explain that Susan had been early afflicted with a curvature of the spine, which had sadly deformed her. She would never have been a beautiful girl, Daniel having inherited not only all the family talent, but its beauty as well. But her eyes were wondrously attractive, with their loving, yearning persuasiveness, and few could remember her deformity who had felt the warmth of her generous nature.
In due time, the anticipated letter of inquiry came from Daniel, asking what the prospects were for the coming year. It was full of dismal forebodings and egotistical complaints of the hard fortune that made him dependent upon his mother, but there was no regret that she suffered too; no longing to be a man that he might take this lonely couple in his strong arms and bear them tenderly over the rough places of life; only vague, ambitious dreamings of what he was to be to the world, and the world to him. The widow laid down the letter with a sigh. Susan read the pages over and over again. So grounded was she in her love for this earthly idol that the selfishness was less apparent to her than to her mother. Its sadness seemed like tenderness, and he could not speak too often or too much of the genius which she believed he possessed, and which would some time break upon the world like the meteor to which he rather tritely compared himself. "Ah, we shall be so proud of him!" Susan said, folding the letter and laying it away near her heart, where it rested many and many a day, while she wove the strands of straw in and out, thinking how ten times ten made one dollar, and how the dollars would some time count up to a hundred, and that sum, which her fingers had wrought out, would save her brother from discouragement, if not from despair. The first twenty-five dollars was earned, and the money was sent the brother. "He was very glad of it," he said. "He had begun to fear lest they would fail him." There was no inquiry how it had been obtained; no solicitude lest those who loved him had deprived themselves of luxuries, perhaps necessities, to meet his demands. The next twenty-five dollars was earned, with greater difficulty. The widow was awkward at braiding, and her work unsatisfactory, and so some of it was returned to Susan. She sat up later nights, that her
mother should not see how hard the work pressed upon her; but the twenty-five dollars came at last, and was sent to the student. Then there was another letter of thanks. "If you would but rest, darling," the mother would say, when some look more wan than another startled her into keener anxiety. "When it is done we will rest together," was all the reply the solicitude brought. It was too late to retract now, the mother thought; and Daniel so nearly through! So they pinched a little from their daily meals, a little from the store of candles, a little from the evening fire, and prayed that every penny might be multiplied like the widow's meal. One night Mrs. Brooks had gone to bed exhausted and hysterical with overlabor. Susan pressed the blankets tenderly around her mother's shoulders, and having given her the good-night kiss, and quieted her with many promises of soon following her, she went back to the kitchen fire and resumed the weary braiding. She had not completed her usual task that week, and the idea occurred to her that her mother having fallen asleep, she could braid another hat before retiring. So she set up new strands and the thin fingers wove them patiently in and out, until sharp pain clutched her with merciless teeth, and she leaned forward, her head falling upon the table, in a dead faint. It was long past midnight when Susan found herself in this position. Shivering with cold, she crept to her mother's side and lay the remainder of the night, racked by alternate fevers and chills. How could the poor child tell her mother of what she knew was creeping so steadily toward her? Would she make a final effort to save her own life and let Daniel struggle with his fortunes as he best could? Poor, brave little heart, with the chill of the grave stealing over it, but warmed back into life and renewed suffering by the wonderful
strength of its undying love! Another twenty five dollars was forwarded to Daniel, and a few lines came flying back by the return post, for Daniel was a man of business habits, and punctual in all things. Susan looked it all over carefully for some loving message to her; some sign answering to what she felt in her own heart toward him, but there was nothing there but "With love to Susan, I remain, etc., Daniel." A dry sob escaped the poor child as she laid it by, and took up the weary, rustling braids. The sound rasped upon her nerves now. The very odor of the strands nauseated her. Every kink in the braids fretted her; and when one hat was finished and laid aside, it seemed such a mountainous task to commence another. Sometimes hours would pass by without a round being accomplished, then again the nimble fingers would be inspired, and the work would grow as of old. "If I could only go and see Daniel take his diploma," she would say, "I think it would make me strong again. I would wear my white muslin frock, with the blue sash, and he would not be ashamed of me." But it was not to be. The one thousand hats were braided, and Susan's task was done. Nothing remained for her but to lie down in her modest casket and sleep with folded hands until the blessed Saviour shall bid her approach to receive His welcome—"Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Daniel returned with his collegiate honors only to listen to the sad story of her labors and death. His mother told it as they stood by the coffin. There were the worn letters she had cherished, blistered all over with tears. He was conscience stricken when he looked them over, and saw how cold and egotistical they were, and how thoughtless he had always
been of the treasure that death had taken. He took the thin hands in his—the hands that had braided and plaited while he slept, and wrought out the treasure-trove that molded the key to his success, and he made solemn resolutions for the future. Let us hope that, in her broken life, he learned how beautiful in the sight of God and angels is the self-sacrifice of the lowly in heart: and how much better it is to die in the struggle to bless others than it is to live to a selfish, unloving, unsanctified old age. THE END.
A. L. BURT'S PUBLICATIONS For Young People BY POPULAR WRITERS. 97-99-101 Reade Street, New York. Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. By G. A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The adventures of the son of a Scotch officer in French service. The boy, brought up by a Glasgow bailie, is arrested for aiding a Jacobite agent, escapes, is wrecked on the French coast, reaches Paris, and serves with the French army at Dettingen. He kills his father's foe in a duel, and escaping to the coast, shares the adventures of Prince Charlie, but finally settles happily in Scotland. "Ronald, the hero, is very like the hero of 'Quentin Durward.' The lad's journey across France, and his hairbreadth escapes, make up as good a narrative of the kind as we have ever read. For freshness of treatment and variety of incident Mr. Henty has surpassed himself."—Spectator. With Clive in India; or, the Beginnings of an Empire. By G. A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The period between the landing of Clive as a young writer in India and the close of his career was critical and eventful in the extreme. At its commencement the English were traders existing on sufferance of the native princes. At its close they were masters of Bengal and of the greater part of Southern India. The author has given a full and accurate account of the events of that stirring time,
and battles and sieges follow each other in rapid succession, while he combines with his narrative a tale of daring and adventure, which gives a lifelike interest to the volume. "He has taken a period of Indian history of the most vital importance, and he has embroidered on the historical facts a story which of itself is deeply interesting. Young people assuredly will be delighted with the volume."—Scotsman. The Lion of the North: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and the Wars of Religion. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by John Schönberg. 12 mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story Mr. Henty gives the history of the first part of the Thirty Years' War. The issue had its importance, which has extended to the present day, as it established religious freedom in Germany. The army of the chivalrous king of Sweden was largely composed of Scotchmen, and among these was the hero of the story. "The tale is a clever and instructive piece of history, and as boys may be trusted to read it conscientiously, they can hardly fail to be profited."—Times. The Dragon and the Raven; or, The Days of King Alfred. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by C. J. Staniland, R.I. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story the author gives an a count of the fierce struggle between Saxon and Dane for supremacy in England, and presents a vivid picture of the misery and ruin to which the country was reduced by the ravages of the sea-wolves. The hero, a young Saxon thane, takes part in all the battles fought by King Alfred. He is driven from his home, takes to the sea and resists the Danes on their own element, and being pursued by them up the Seine, is present at the long and desperate siege of Paris.
"Treated in a manner most attractive to the boyish reader."— Athenæum. The Young Carthaginian: A Story of the Times of Hannibal. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by C. J. Staniland, R.I. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Boys reading the history of the Punic Wars have seldom a keen appreciation of the merits of the contest. That it was at first a struggle for empire, and afterward for existence on the part of Carthage, that Hannibal was a great and skillful general, that he defeated the Romans at Trebia, Lake Trasimenus, and Cannæ, and all but took Rome, represents pretty nearly the sum total of their knowledge. To let them know more about this momentous struggle for the empire of the world Mr. Henty has written this story, which not only gives in graphic style a brilliant description of a most interesting period of history, but is a tale of exciting adventure sure to secure the interest of the reader. "Well constructed and vividly told. From first to last nothing stays the interest of the narrative. It bears us along as on a stream whose current varies in direction, but never loses its force."—Saturday Review. In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce. By G. A. Henty. With full page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story the author relates the stirring tale of the Scottish War of Independence. The extraordinary valor and personal prowess of Wallace and Bruce rival the deeds of the mythical heroes of chivalry, and indeed at one time Wallace was ranked with these legendary personages. The researches of modern historians have shown, however, that he was a living, breathing man—and a valiant champion. The hero of the tale fought under both Wallace and Bruce, and while the strictest historical accuracy has been
maintained with respect to public events, the work is full of "hairbreadth 'scapes" and wild adventure. "It is written in the author's best style. Full of the wildest and most remarkable achievements, it is a tale of great interest, which a boy, once he has begun it, will not willingly put on one side."—The Schoolmaster. With Lee in Virginia: A Story of the American Civil War. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The story of a young Virginian planter, who, after bravely proving his sympathy with the slaves of brutal masters, serves with no less courage and enthusiasm under Lee and Jackson through the most exciting events of the struggle. He has many hairbreadth escapes, is several times wounded and twice taken prisoner; but his courage and readiness and, in two cases, the devotion of a black servant and of a runaway slave whom he had assisted, bring him safely through all difficulties. "One of the best stories for lads which Mr. Henty has yet written. The picture is full of life and color, and the stirring and romantic incidents are skillfully blended with the personal interest and charm of the story."—Standard. By England's Aid; or, The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585- 1604). By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Alfred Pearse, and Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The story of two English lads who go to Holland as pages in the service of one of "the fighting Veres." After many adventures by sea and land, one of the lads finds himself on board a Spanish ship at the time of the defeat of the Armada, and escapes only to fall into the hands of the Corsairs. He is successful in getting back to Spain under the protection of a wealthy merchant, and regains his native country after the capture of Cadiz.
"It is an admirable book for youngsters. It overflows with stirring incident and exciting adventure, and the color of the era and of the scene are finely reproduced. The illustrations add to its attractiveness."—Boston Gazette. By Right of Conquest; or, With Cortez in Mexico. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by W. S. Stacey, and Two Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.50. The conquest of Mexico by a small band of resolute men under the magnificent leadership of Cortez is always rightly ranked among the most romantic and daring exploits in history. With, this as the ground work of his story Mr. Henty has interwoven the adventures of an English youth, Roger Hawkshaw, the sole survivor of the good ship Swan, which had sailed from a Devon port to challenge the mercantile supremacy of the Spaniards in the New World. He is beset by many perils among the natives, but is saved by his own judgment and strength, and by the devotion of an Aztec princess. At last by a ruse he obtains the protection of the Spaniards, and after the fall of Mexico he succeeds in regaining his native shore, with a fortune and a charming Aztec bride. "'By Right of Conquest' is the nearest approach to a perfectly successful historical tale that Mr. Henty has yet published."— Academy. In the Reign of Terror: The Adventures of a Westminster Boy. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by J. Schönberg. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Harry Sandwith, a Westminster boy, becomes a resident at the chateau of a French marquis, and after various adventures accompanies the family to Paris at the crisis of the Revolution. Imprisonment and death reduce their number, and the hero finds himself beset by perils with the three young daughters of the house in his charge. After hairbreadth escapes they reach Nantes. There
the girls are condemned to death in the coffin-ships, but are saved by the unfailing courage of their boy protector. "Harry Sandwith, the Westminster boy, may fairly be said to beat Mr. Henry's record. His adventures will delight boys by the audacity and peril they depict.... The story is one of Mr. Henty's best."—Saturday Review. With Wolfe in Canada; or, The Winning of a Continent. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In the present volume Mr. Henty gives an account of the struggle between Britain and France for supremacy in the North American continent. On the issue of this war depended not only the destinies of North America, but to a large extent those of the mother countries themselves. The fall of Quebec decided that the Anglo- Saxon race should predominate in the New World; that Britain, and not France, should take the lead among the nations of Europe; and that English and American commerce, the English language, and English literature, should spread right round the globe. "It is not only a lesson in history as instructively as it is graphically told, but also a deeply interesting and often thrilling tale of adventure and peril by flood and field."—Illustrated London News. True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of Independence. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story the author has gone to the accounts of officers who took part in the conflict, and lads will find that in no war in which American and British soldiers have been engaged did they behave with greater courage and good conduct. The historical portion of the book being accompanied with numerous thrilling adventures with the
redskins on the shores of Lake Huron, a story of exciting interest is interwoven with the general narrative and carried through the book. "Does justice to the pluck and determination of the British soldiers during the unfortunate struggle against American emancipation. The son of an American loyalist, who remains true to our flag, falls among the hostile redskins in that very Huron country which has been endeared to us by the exploits of Hawkeye and Chingachgook."—The Times. The Lion of St. Mark: A Tale of Venice in the Fourteenth Century. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A story of Venice at a period when her strength and splendor were put to the severest tests. The hero displays a fine sense and manliness which carry him safely through an atmosphere of intrigue, crime, and bloodshed. He contributes largely to the victories of the Venetians at Porto d'Anzo and Chioggia, and finally wins the hand of the daughter of one of the chief men of Venice. "Every boy should read 'The Lion of St. Mark.' Mr. Henty has never produced a story more delightful, more wholesome, or more vivacious."—Saturday Review. A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia, By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by W. B. Wollen. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00, The hero, a young English lad, after rather a stormy boyhood, emigrates to Australia, and gets employment as an officer in the mounted police. A few years of active work on the frontier, where he has many a brush with both natives and bushrangers, gain him promotion to a captaincy, and he eventually settles down to the peaceful life of a squatter.
"Mr. Henty has never published a more readable, a more carefully constructed, or a better written story than this."— Spectator. Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A story of the days when England and Spain struggled for the supremacy of the sea. The heroes sail as lads with Drake in the Pacific expedition, and in his great voyage of circumnavigation. The historical portion of the story is absolutely to be relied upon, but this will perhaps be less attractive than the great variety of exciting adventure through which the young heroes pass in the course of their voyages. "A book of adventure, where the hero meets with experience enough, one would think, to turn his hair gray."—Harper's Monthly Magazine. By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The author has woven, in a tale of thrilling interest, all the details of the Ashanti campaign, of which he was himself a witness. His hero, after many exciting adventures in the interior, is detained a prisoner by the king just before the outbreak of the war but escapes, and accompanies the English expedition on their march to Coomassie. "Mr. Henty keeps up his reputation as a writer of boys' stories. 'By Sheer Pluck' will be eagerly read."—Athenæum. By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Maynard Brown, and 4 Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
In this story Mr. Henty traces the adventures and brave deeds of an English boy in the household of the ablest man of his age—William the Silent. Edward Martin, the son of an English sea-captain, enters the service of the Prince as a volunteer, and is employed by him in many dangerous and responsible missions, in the discharge of which he passes through the great sieges of the time. He ultimately settles down as Sir Edward Martin. "Boys with a turn for historical research will be enchanted with the book, while the rest who only care for adventure will be students in spite of themselves."—St. James' Gazette. St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. No portion of English history is more crowded with great events than that of the reign of Edward III. Cressy and Poitiers; the destruction of the Spanish fleet; the plague of the Black Death; the Jacquerie rising; these are treated by the author in "St. George for England." The hero of the story, although of good family, begins life as a London apprentice, but after countless adventures and perils becomes by valor and good conduct the squire, and at last the trusted friend of the Black Prince. "Mr. Henty has developed for himself a type of historical novel for boys which bids fair to supplement, on their behalf, the historical labors of Sir Walter Scott in the land of fiction."—The Standard. Captain's Kidd's Gold: The True Story of an Adventurous Sailor Boy. By James Franklin Fitts. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. There is something fascinating to the average youth in the very idea of buried treasure. A vision arises before his eyes of swarthy Portuguese and Spanish rascals, with black beards and gleaming eyes—sinister-looking fellows who once on a time haunted the
Spanish Main, sneaking out from some hidden creek in their long, low schooner, of picaroonish rake and sheer, to attack an unsuspecting trading craft. There were many famous sea rovers in their day, but none more celebrated than Capt. Kidd. Perhaps the most fascinating tale of all is Mr. Fitts' true story of an adventurous American boy, who receives from his dying father an ancient bit of vellum, which the latter obtained in a curious way. The document bears obscure directions purporting to locate a certain island in the Bahama group, and a considerable treasure buried there by two of Kidd's crew. The hero of this book, Paul Jones Garry, is an ambitious, persevering lad, of salt-water New England ancestry, and his efforts to reach the island and secure the money form one of the most absorbing tales for our youth that has come from the press. Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by H. M. Paget. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A frank, manly lad and his cousin are rivals in the heirship of a considerable property. The former falls into a trap laid by the latter, and while under a false accusation of theft foolishly leaves England for America. He works his passage before the mast, joins a small band of hunters, crosses a tract of country infested with Indians to the Californian gold diggings, and is successful both as digger and trader. "Mr. Henty is careful to mingle instruction with entertainment; and the humorous touches, especially in the sketch of John Holl, the Westminster dustman, Dickens himself could hardly have excelled."—Christian Leader. For Name and Fame; or, Through Afghan Passes. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
An interesting story of the last war in Afghanistan. The hero, after being wrecked and going through many stirring adventures among the Malays, finds his way to Calcutta and enlists in a regiment proceeding to join the army at the Afghan passes. He accompanies the force under General Roberts to the Peiwar Kotal, is wounded, taken prisoner, carried to Cabul, whence he is transferred to Candahar, and takes part in the final defeat of the army of Ayoub Khan. "The best feature of the book—apart from the interest of its scenes of adventure—is its honest effort to do justice to the patriotism of the Afghan people."—Daily News. Captured by Apes: The Wonderful Adventures of a Young Animal Trainer. By Harry Prentice. 12mo, cloth, $1.00. The scene of this tale is laid on an island in the Malay Archipelago. Philip Garland, a young animal collector and trainer, of New York, sets sail for Eastern seas in quest of a new stock of living curiosities. The vessel is wrecked off the coast of Borneo and young Garland, the sole survivor of the disaster, is cast ashore on a small island and captured by the apes that overrun the place. The lad discovers that the ruling spirit of the monkey tribe is a gigantic and vicious baboon, whom he identifies as Goliah, an animal at one time in his possession and with whose instruction he had been especially diligent. The brute recognizes him, and with a kind of malignant satisfaction puts his former master through the same course of training he had himself experienced with a faithfulness of detail which shows how astonishing is monkey recollection. Very novel indeed is the way by which the young man escapes death. Mr. Prentice has certainly worked a new vein on juvenile fiction, and the ability with which he handles a difficult subject stamps him as a writer of undoubted skill. The Bravest of the Brave; or, With Peterborough in Spain. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by H. M. Paget. 12mo,
cloth, price $1.00. There are few great leaders whose lives and actions have so completely fallen into oblivion as those of the Earl of Peterborough. This is largely due to the fact that they were overshadowed by the glory and successes of Marlborough. His career as general extended over little more than a year, and yet, in that time, he showed a genius for warfare which has never been surpassed. "Mr. Henty never loses sight of the moral purpose of his work— to enforce the doctrine of courage and truth. Lads will read 'The Bravest of the Brave' with pleasure and profit; of that we are quite sure."—Daily Telegraph. The Cat of Bubastes: A Story of Ancient Egypt. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A story which will give young readers an unsurpassed insight into the customs of the Egyptian people. Amuba, a prince of the Rebu nation, is carried with his charioteer Jethro into slavery. They become inmates of the house of Ameres, the Egyptian high-priest, and are happy in his service until the priest's son accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes. In an outburst of popular fury Ameres is killed, and it rests with Jethro and Amuba to secure the escape of the high-priest's son and daughter. "The story, from the critical moment of the killing of the sacred cat to the perilous exodus into Asia with which it closes, is very skillfully constructed and full of exciting adventures. It is admirably illustrated."—Saturday Review. With Washington at Monmouth: A Story of Three Philadelphia Boys. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Three Philadelphia boys, Seth Graydon "whose mother conducted a boarding-house which was patronized by the British officers;" Enoch Ball, "son of that Mrs. Ball whose dancing school was situated on
Letitia Street," and little Jacob, son of "Chris, the Baker," serve as the principal characters. The story is laid during the winter when Lord Howe held possession of the city, and the lads aid the cause by assisting the American spies who make regular and frequent visits from Valley Forge. One reads here of home-life in the captive city when bread was scarce among the people of the lower classes, and a reckless prodigality shown by the British officers, who passed the winter in feasting and merry-making while the members of the patriot army but a few miles away were suffering from both cold and hunger. The story abounds with pictures of Colonial life skillfully drawn, and the glimpses of Washington's soldiers which are given show that the work has not been hastily done, or without considerable study. For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. By G. A. Henty, With full-page Illustrations by S. J. Solomon. 12mo, cloth, price $1,00. Mr. Henty here weaves into the record of Josephus an admirable and attractive story. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem, form the impressive and carefully studied historic setting to the figure of the lad who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home with the favor of Titus. "Mr. Henty's graphic prose pictures of the hopeless Jewish resistance to Roman sway add another leaf to his record of the famous wars of the world."—Graphic. Facing Death; or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of the Coal Mines. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
"Facing Death" is a story with a purpose. It is intended to show that a lad who makes up his mind firmly and resolutely that he will rise in life, and who is prepared to face toil and ridicule and hardship to carry out his determination, is sure to succeed. The hero of the story is a typical British boy, dogged, earnest, generous, and though "shamefaced" to a degree, is ready to face death in the discharge of duty. "The tale is well written and well illustrated, and there is much eanty in the characters. If any father, clergyman, or schoolmaster is on the lookout for a good book to give as a present to a boy who is worth his salt, this is the book we would recommend."—Standard. Tom Temple's Career. By Horatio Alger. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Tom Temple, a bright, self-reliant lad, by the death of his father becomes a boarder at the home of Nathan Middleton, a penurious insurance agent. Though well paid for keeping the boy, Nathan and his wife endeavor to bring Master Tom in line with their parsimonious habits. The lad ingeniously evades their efforts and revolutionizes the household. As Tom is heir to $40,000, he is regarded as a person of some importance until by an unfortunate combination of circumstances his fortune shrinks to a few hundreds. He leaves Plympton village to seek work in New York, whence he undertakes an important mission to California, around which center the most exciting incidents of his young career. Some of his adventures in the far west are so startling that the reader will scarcely close the book until the last page shall have been reached. The tale is written in Mr. Alger's most fascinating style, and is bound to please the very large class of boys who regard this popular author as a prime favorite. Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Alfred Pearse. 12mo, cloth,
price $1.00. The Renshaws emigrate to New Zealand during the period of the war with the natives. Wilfrid, a strong, self-reliant, courageous lad, is the mainstay of the household. He has for his friend Mr. Atherton, a botanist and naturalist of herculean strength and unfailing nerve and humor. In the adventures among the Maoris, there are many breathless moments in which the odds seem hopelessly against the party, but they succeed in establishing themselves happily in one of the pleasant New Zealand valleys. "Brimful of adventure, of humorous and interesting conversation, and vivid pictures of colonial life."—Schoolmaster. Julian Mortimer: A Brave Boy's Struggle for Home and Fortune. By Harry Castlemon. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Here is a story that will warm every boy's heart. There is mystery enough to keep any lad's imagination wound up to the highest pitch. The scene of the story lies west of the Mississippi river, in the days when emigrants made their perilous way across the great plains to the land of gold. One of the startling features of the book is the attack upon the wagon train by a large party of Indians. Our hero is a lad of uncommon nerve and pluck, a brave young American in every sense of the word. He enlists and holds the reader's sympathy from the outset. Surrounded by an unknown and constant peril, and assisted by the unswerving fidelity of a stalwart trapper, a real rough diamond, our hero achieves the most happy results. Harry Castlemon has written many entertaining stories for boys, and it would seem almost superfluous to say anything in his praise, for the youth of America regard him as a favorite author. "Carrots:" Just a Little Boy. By Mrs. Molesworth. With Illustrations by Walter Crane. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "One of the cleverest and most pleasing stories it has been our good fortune to meet with for some time. Carrots and his sister
are delightful little beings, whom to read about is at once to become very fond of."—Examiner. "A genuine children's book; we've seen 'em seize it, and read it greedily. Children are first-rate critics, and thoroughly appreciate Walter Crane's illustrations."—Punch. Mopsa the Fairy. By Jean Ingelow. With Eight page Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "Miss Ingelow is, to our mind, the most charming of all living writers for children, and 'Mopsa' alone ought to give her a kind of pre-emptive right to the love and gratitude of our young folks. It requires genius to conceive a purely imaginary work which must of necessity deal with the supernatural, without running into a mere riot of fantastic absurdity; but genius Miss Ingelow has and the story of 'Jack' is as careless and joyous, but as delicate, as a picture of childhood."—Eclectic. A Jaunt Through Java: The Story of a Journey to the Sacred Mountain. By Edward S. Ellis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The central interest of this story is found in the thrilling adventures of two cousins, Hermon and Eustace Hadley, on their trip across the island of Java, from Samarang to the Sacred Mountain. In a land where the Royal Bengal tiger runs at large; where the rhinoceros and other fierce beasts are to be met with at unexpected moments; it is but natural that the heroes of this book should have a lively experience. Hermon not only distinguishes himself by killing a full grown tiger at short range, but meets with the most startling adventure of the journey. There is much in this narrative to instruct as well as entertain the reader, and so deftly has Mr. Ellis used his material that there is not a dull page in the book. The two heroes are brave, manly young fellows, bubbling over with boyish independence. They cope with the many difficulties that arise during the trip in a fearless way that is bound to win the admiration of every lad who is so fortunate as to read their adventures.
Wrecked on Spider Island; or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A "down-east" plucky lad who ships as cabin boy, not from love of adventure, but because it is the only course remaining by which he can gain a livelihood. While in his bunk, seasick, Ned Rogers hears the captain and mate discussing their plans for the willful wreck of the brig in order to gain the insurance. Once it is known he is in possession of the secret the captain maroons him on Spider Island, explaining to the crew that the boy is afflicted with leprosy. While thus involuntarily playing the part of a Crusoe, Ned discovers a wreck submerged in the sand, and overhauling the timbers for the purpose of gathering material with which to build a hut finds a considerable amount of treasure. Raising the wreck; a voyage to Havana under sail; shipping there a crew and running for Savannah; the attempt of the crew to seize the little craft after learning of the treasure on board, and, as a matter of course, the successful ending of the journey, all serve to make as entertaining a story of sea-life as the most captious boy could desire. Geoff and Jim: A Story of School Life. By Ismay Thorn. Illustrated by A. G. Walker. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "This is a prettily told story of the life spent by two motherless bairns at a small preparatory school. Both Geoff and Jim are very lovable characters, only Jim is the more so; and the scrapes he gets into and the trials he endures will, no doubt, interest a large circle of young readers."—Church Times. "This is a capital children's story, the characters well portrayed, and the book tastefully bound and well illustrated."— Schoolmaster. "The story can be heartily recommended as a present for boys."—Standard.
The Castaways; or, On the Florida Reefs. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. This tale smacks of the salt sea. It is just the kind of story that the majority of boys yearn for. From the moment that the Sea Queen dispenses with the services of the tug in lower New York bay till the breeze leaves her becalmed off the coast of Florida, one can almost hear the whistle of the wind through her rigging, the creak of her straining cordage as she heels to the leeward, and feel her rise to the snow-capped waves which her sharp bow cuts into twin streaks of foam. Off Marquesas Keys she floats in a dead calm. Ben Clark, the hero of the story, and Jake, the cook, spy a turtle asleep upon the glassy surface of the water. They determine to capture him, and take a boat for that purpose, and just as they succeed in catching him a thick fog cuts them off from the vessel, and then their troubles begin. They take refuge on board a drifting hulk, a storm arises and they are cast ashore upon a low sandy key. Their adventures from this point cannot fail to charm the reader. As a writer for young people Mr. Otis is a prime favorite. His style is captivating, and never for a moment does he allow the interest to flag. In "The Castaways" he is at his best. Tom Thatcher's Fortune. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Like all of Mr. Alger's heroes, Tom Thatcher is a brave, ambitious, unselfish boy. He supports his mother and sister on meager wages earned as a shoe-pegger in John Simpson's factory. The story begins with Tom's discharge from the factory, because Mr. Simpson felt annoyed with the lad for interrogating him too closely about his missing father. A few days afterward Tom learns that which induces him to start overland for California with the view of probing the family mystery. He meets with many adventures. Ultimately he returns to his native village, bringing consternation to the soul of John Simpson, who only escapes the consequences of his villainy by making full restitution to the man whose friendship he had betrayed.
The story is told in that entertaining way which has made Mr. Alger's name a household word in so many homes. Birdie: A Tale of Child Life. By H. L. Childe-Pemberton. Illustrated by H. W. Rainey. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "The story is quaint and simple, but there is a freshness about it that makes one hear again the ringing laugh and the cheery shout of children at play which charmed his earlier years."—New York Express. Popular Fairy Tales. By the Brothers Grimm. Profusely Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. "From first to last, almost without exception, these stories are delightful."—Athenæum. With Lafayette at Yorktown: A Story of How Two Boys Joined the Continental Army. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The two boys are from Portsmouth, N. H., and are introduced in August, 1781, when on the point of leaving home to enlist in Col. Scammell's regiment, then stationed near New York City. Their method of traveling is on horseback, and the author has given an interesting account of what was expected from boys in the Colonial days. The lads, after no slight amount of adventure, are sent as messengers—not soldiers—into the south to find the troops under Lafayette. Once with that youthful general they are given employment as spies, and enter the British camp, bringing away valuable information. The pictures of camp-life are carefully drawn, and the portrayal of Lafayette's character is thoroughly well done. The story is wholesome in tone, as are all of Mr. Otis' works. There is no lack of exciting incident which the youthful reader craves, but it is healthful excitement brimming with facts which every boy should be familiar with, and while the reader is following the adventures of Ben Jaffreys and Ned Allen he is acquiring a fund of historical lore which
will remain in his memory long after that which he has memorized from text-books has been forgotten. Lost in the Canon: Sam Willett's Adventures on the Great Colorado. By Alfred R. Calhoun. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. This story hinges on a fortune left to Sam Willett, the hero, and the fact that it will pass to a disreputable relative if the lad dies before he shall have reached his majority. The Vigilance Committee of Hurley's Gulch arrest Sam's father and an associate for the crime of murder. Their lives depend on the production of the receipt given for money paid. This is in Sam's possession at the camp on the other side of the cañon. A messenger is dispatched to get it. He reaches the lad in the midst of a fearful storm which floods the cañon. His father's peril urges Sam to action. A raft is built on which the boy and his friends essay to cross the torrent. They fail to do so, and a desperate trip down the stream ensues. How the party finally escape from the horrors of their situation and Sam reaches Hurley's Gulch in the very nick of time, is described in a graphic style that stamps Mr. Calhoun as a master of his art. Jack: A Topsy Turvy Story. By C. M. Crawley-Boevey. With upward of Thirty Illustrations by H. J. A. Miles. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "The illustrations deserve particular mention, as they add largely to the interest of this amusing volume for children. Jack falls asleep with his mind full of the subject of the fishpond, and is very much surprised presently to find himself an inhabitant of Waterworld, where he goes though wonderful and edifying adventures. A handsome and pleasant book."—Literary World. Search for the Silver City: A Tale of Adventure in Yucatan. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Two American lads, Teddy Wright and Neal Emery, embark on the steam yacht Day Dream for a short summer cruise to the tropics.
Homeward bound the yacht is destroyed by fire. All hands take to the boats, but during the night the boat is cast upon the coast of Yucatan. They come across a young American named Cummings, who entertains them with the story of the wonderful Silver City, of the Chan Santa Cruz Indians. Cummings proposes with the aid of a faithful Indian ally to brave the perils of the swamp and carry off a number of the golden images from the temples. Pursued with relentless vigor for days their situation is desperate. At last their escape is effected in an astonishing manner. Mr. Otis has built his story on an historical foundation. It is so full of exciting incidents that the reader is quite carried away with the novelty and realism of the narrative. Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Thrown upon his own resources Frank Fowler, a poor boy, bravely determines to make a living for himself and his foster-sister Grace. Going to New York he obtains a situation as cash boy in a dry goods store. He renders a service to a wealthy old gentleman named Wharton, who takes a fancy to the lad. Frank, after losing his place as cash boy, is enticed by an enemy to a lonesome part of New Jersey and held a prisoner. This move recoils upon the plotter, for it leads to a clue that enables the lad to establish his real identity. Mr. Alger's stories are not only unusually interesting, but they convey a useful lesson of pluck and manly independence. Budd Boyd's Triumph; or, the Boy Firm of Fox Island. By William P. Chipman. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The scene of this story is laid on the upper part of Narragansett Bay, and the leading incidents have a strong salt water flavor. Owing to the conviction of his father for forgery and theft, Budd Boyd is compelled to leave his home and strike out for himself. Chance brings Budd in contact with Judd Floyd. The two boys, being ambitious and clear sighted, form a partnership to catch and sell
fish. The scheme is successfully launched, but the unexpected appearance on the scene of Thomas Bagsley, the man whom Budd believes guilty of the crimes attributed to his father, leads to several disagreeable complications that nearly caused the lad's ruin. His pluck and good sense, however, carry him through his troubles. In following the career of the boys firm of Boyd & Floyd, the youthful reader will find a useful lesson—that industry and perseverance are bound to lead to ultimate success. The Errand Boy; or, How Phil Brent Won Success. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12 mo, cloth, price $1.00. The career of "The Errand Boy" embraces the city adventures of a smart country lad who at an early age was abandoned by his father. Philip was brought up by a kind-hearted innkeeper named Brent. The death of Mrs. Brent paved the way for the hero's subsequent troubles. Accident introduces him to the notice of a retired merchant in New York, who not only secures him the situation of errand boy but thereafter stands as his friend. An unexpected turn of fortune's wheel, however, brings Philip and his father together. In "The Errand Boy" Philip Brent is possessed of the same sterling qualities so conspicuous in all of the previous creations of this delightful writer for our youth. The Slate Picker: The Story of a Boy's Life in the Coal Mines. By Harry Prentice. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. This is a story of a boy's life in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. There are many thrilling situations, notably that of Ben Burton's leap into the "lion's mouth"—the yawning shute in the breakers—to escape a beating at the hands of the savage Spilkins, the overseer. Gracie Gordon is a little angel in rags, Terence O'Dowd is a manly, sympathetic lad, and Enoch Evans, the miner-poet, is a big-hearted, honest fellow, a true friend to all whose burdens seem too heavy for them to bear. Ben Burton, the hero, had a hard road to travel, but by grit and energy he advanced step by step until he found himself
called upon to fill the position of chief engineer of the Kohinoor Coal Company. A Runaway Brig; or, An Accidental Cruise. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. "A Runaway Brig" is a sea tale, pure and simple, and that's where it strikes a boy's fancy. The reader can look out upon the wide shimmering sea as it flashes back the sunlight, and imagine himself afloat with Harry Vandyne, Walter Morse, Jim Libby and that old shell-back, Bob Brace, on the brig Bonita, which lands on one of the Bahama keys. Finally three strangers steal the craft, leaving the rightful owners to shift for themselves aboard a broken-down tug. The boys discover a mysterious document which enables them to find a buried treasure, then a storm comes on and the tug is stranded. At last a yacht comes in sight and the party with the treasure is taken off the lonely key. The most exacting youth is sure to be fascinated with this entertaining story. Fairy Tales and Stories. By Hans Christian Andersen. Profusely Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. "If I were asked to select a child's library I should name these three volumes 'English,' 'Celtic,' and 'Indian Fairy Tales,' with Grimm and Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales."—Independent. The Island Treasure; or, Harry Darrel's Fortune. By Frank H. Converse. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Harry Darrel, an orphan, having received a nautical training on a school-ship, is bent on going to sea with a boyish acquaintance named Dan Plunket. A runaway horse changes his prospects. Harry saves Dr. Gregg from drowning and the doctor presents his preserver with a bit of property known as Gregg's Island, and makes the lad sailing-master of his sloop yacht. A piratical hoard is supposed to be hidden somewhere on the island. After much search and many thwarted plans, at last Dan discovers the treasure and is the means
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    (Ebook) Beginning RustProgramming by Ric Messier ISBN 9781119712978, 1119712971 https://ebooknice.com/product/beginning-rust-programming-32716166 ebooknice.com (Ebook) Beginning Rust Programming by Ric Messier ISBN 9781119712978, 1119712971 https://ebooknice.com/product/beginning-rust-programming-32793658 ebooknice.com (Ebook) Operating System Forensics by Messier, Ric ISBN 9780128019498, 9780128019634, 0128019492, 0128019638 https://ebooknice.com/product/operating-system-forensics-5432576 ebooknice.com (Ebook) Beginning Rust Programming by Ric Messier ISBN 9781119712978, 9781119712985, 1119712971, 111971298X https://ebooknice.com/product/beginning-rust-programming-32716172 ebooknice.com (Ebook) CEH v10 Certified Ethical Hacker Study Guide by Ric Messier ISBN 9781119533191, 1119533198 https://ebooknice.com/product/ceh-v10-certified-ethical-hacker-study- guide-10433620 ebooknice.com
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    Ric Messier SECURITY TESTING,PENETRATION TESTING & ETHICAL HACKING Learning Kali Linux
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    Ric Messier GCIH, GSEC,CEH, CISSP Learning Kali Linux Security Testing, Penetration Testing, and Ethical Hacking Boston Farnham Sebastopol Tokyo Beijing Boston Farnham Sebastopol Tokyo Beijing
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    978-1-492-02869-7 [LSI] Learning Kali Linux byRic Messier Copyright © 2018 Ric Messier. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (http://oreilly.com). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: 800-998-9938 or corporate@oreilly.com. Acquisition Editor: Courtney Allen Editor: Virginia Wilson Production Editor: Colleen Cole Copyeditor: Sharon Wilkey Proofreader: Christina Edwards Indexer: Judy McConville Interior Designer: David Futato Cover Designer: Randy Comer Illustrator: Melanie Yarbrough Technical Reviewers: Megan Daudelin, Brandon Noble, and Kathleen Hyde August 2018: First Edition Revision History for the First Edition 2018-07-13: First Release See http://oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=9781492028697 for release details. The O’Reilly logo is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. Learning Kali Linux, the cover image, and related trade dress are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. While the publisher and the author have used good faith efforts to ensure that the information and instructions contained in this work are accurate, the publisher and the author disclaim all responsibility for errors or omissions, including without limitation responsibility for damages resulting from the use of or reliance on this work. Use of the information and instructions contained in this work is at your own risk. If any code samples or other technology this work contains or describes is subject to open source licenses or the intellectual property rights of others, it is your responsibility to ensure that your use thereof complies with such licenses and/or rights.
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    Table of Contents Preface.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix 1. Foundations of Kali Linux. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Heritage of Linux 1 About Linux 3 Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux 5 Desktops 8 GNOME Desktop 9 Logging In Through the Desktop Manager 12 Xfce Desktop 12 Cinnamon and MATE 13 Using the Command Line 15 File and Directory Management 17 Process Management 21 Other Utilities 24 User Management 25 Service Management 26 Package Management 28 Log Management 32 Summary 34 Useful Resources 35 2. Network Security Testing Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Security Testing 37 Network Security Testing 40 Monitoring 40 Layers 42 Stress Testing 45 iii
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    Denial-of-Service Tools 51 EncryptionTesting 55 Packet Captures 60 Using tcpdump 61 Berkeley Packet Filters 63 Wireshark 65 Poisoning Attacks 68 ARP Spoofing 69 DNS Spoofing 72 Summary 73 Useful Resources 74 3. Reconnaissance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 What Is Reconnaissance? 75 Open Source Intelligence 77 Google Hacking 79 Automating Information Grabbing 81 Recon-NG 85 Maltego 88 DNS Reconnaissance and whois 92 DNS Reconnaissance 92 Regional Internet Registries 96 Passive Reconnaissance 99 Port Scanning 101 TCP Scanning 102 UDP Scanning 102 Port Scanning with Nmap 103 High-Speed Scanning 106 Service Scanning 109 Manual Interaction 110 Summary 112 Useful Resources 113 4. Looking for Vulnerabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Understanding Vulnerabilities 116 Vulnerability Types 117 Buffer Overflow 117 Race Condition 119 Input Validation 120 Access Control 120 Local Vulnerabilities 121 Using lynis for Local Checks 122 iv | Table of Contents
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    OpenVAS Local Scanning124 Root Kits 126 Remote Vulnerabilities 128 Quick Start with OpenVAS 129 Creating a Scan 132 OpenVAS Reports 135 Network Device Vulnerabilities 139 Auditing Devices 139 Database Vulnerabilities 142 Identifying New Vulnerabilities 143 Summary 146 Useful Resources 147 5. Automated Exploits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 What Is an Exploit? 150 Cisco Attacks 151 Management Protocols 152 Other Devices 153 Exploit Database 155 Metasploit 157 Starting with Metasploit 158 Working with Metasploit Modules 159 Importing Data 161 Exploiting Systems 165 Armitage 168 Social Engineering 170 Summary 173 Useful Resources 173 6. Owning Metasploit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Scanning for Targets 176 Port Scanning 176 SMB Scanning 180 Vulnerability Scans 181 Exploiting Your Target 182 Using Meterpreter 185 Meterpreter Basics 185 User Information 186 Process Manipulation 189 Privilege Escalation 192 Pivoting to Other Networks 196 Maintaining Access 199 Table of Contents | v
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    Summary 202 Useful Resources203 7. Wireless Security Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 The Scope of Wireless 205 802.11 206 Bluetooth 207 Zigbee 208 WiFi Attacks and Testing Tools 208 802.11 Terminology and Functioning 209 Identifying Networks 210 WPS Attacks 213 Automating Multiple Tests 215 Injection Attacks 217 Password Cracking on WiFi 218 besside-ng 219 coWPAtty 220 Aircrack-ng 221 Fern 224 Going Rogue 225 Hosting an Access Point 226 Phishing Users 228 Wireless Honeypot 232 Bluetooth Testing 233 Scanning 233 Service Identification 235 Other Bluetooth Testing 238 Zigbee Testing 239 Summary 240 Useful Resources 240 8. Web Application Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Web Architecture 241 Firewall 243 Load Balancer 243 Web Server 244 Application Server 244 Database Server 245 Web-Based Attacks 246 SQL Injection 247 XML Entity Injection 248 Command Injection 249 vi | Table of Contents
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    Cross-Site Scripting 250 Cross-SiteRequest Forgery 251 Session Hijacking 253 Using Proxies 255 Burp Suite 255 Zed Attack Proxy 259 WebScarab 265 Paros Proxy 266 Proxystrike 268 Automated Web Attacks 269 Recon 269 Vega 272 nikto 274 dirbuster and gobuster 276 Java-Based Application Servers 278 SQL-Based Attacks 279 Assorted Tasks 283 Summary 285 Useful Resources 285 9. Cracking Passwords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Password Storage 287 Security Account Manager 289 PAM and Crypt 290 Acquiring Passwords 291 Local Cracking 294 John the Ripper 296 Rainbow Tables 298 HashCat 304 Remote Cracking 306 Hydra 306 Patator 308 Web-Based Cracking 309 Summary 313 Useful Resources 313 10. Advanced Techniques and Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Programming Basics 316 Compiled Languages 316 Interpreted Languages 320 Intermediate Languages 321 Compiling and Building 323 Table of Contents | vii
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    Programming Errors 324 BufferOverflows 325 Heap Overflows 327 Return to libc 329 Writing Nmap Modules 330 Extending Metasploit 333 Disassembling and Reverse Engineering 336 Debugging 337 Disassembling 341 Tracing Programs 343 Other File Types 345 Maintaining Access and Cleanup 346 Metasploit and Cleanup 346 Maintaining Access 347 Summary 349 Useful Resources 349 11. Reporting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Determining Threat Potential and Severity 352 Writing Reports 354 Audience 354 Executive Summary 355 Methodology 356 Findings 357 Taking Notes 358 Text Editors 358 GUI-Based Editors 360 Notes 361 Capturing Data 362 Organizing Your Data 364 Dradis Framework 365 CaseFile 368 Summary 370 Useful Resources 370 Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 viii | Table of Contents
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    Preface A novice wastrying to fix a broken Lisp machine by turning the power off and on. Knight, seeing what the student was doing, spoke sternly: “You cannot fix a machine by just power-cycling it with no understanding of what is going wrong.” Knight turned the machine off and on. The machine worked. —AI Koan One of the places over the last half century that had a deep hacker culture, in the sense of learning and creating, was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and, specifically, its Artificial Intelligence Lab. The hackers at MIT generated a lan‐ guage and culture that created words and a unique sense of humor. The preceding quote is an AI koan, modeled on the koans of Zen, which were intended to inspire enlightenment. Similarly, this koan is one of my favorites because of what it says: it’s important to know how things work. Knight, by the way, refers to Tom Knight, a highly respected programmer at the AI Lab at MIT. The intention for this book is to teach readers about the capabilities of Kali Linux through the lens of security testing. The idea is to help you better understand how and why things work. Kali Linux is a security-oriented Linux distribution, so it ends up being popular with people who do security testing or penetration testing for either sport or vocation. While it does have its uses as a general-purpose Linux distribution and for use with forensics and other related tasks, it really was designed with security testing in mind. As such, most of the book’s content focuses on using tools that Kali provides. Many of these tools are not necessarily easily available with other Linux dis‐ tributions. While the tools can be installed, sometimes built from source, installation is easier if the package is in the distribution’s repository. ix
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    What This BookCovers Given that the intention is to introduce Kali through the perspective of doing security testing, the following subjects are covered: Foundations of Kali Linux Linux has a rich history, going back to the 1960s with Unix. This chapter covers a bit of the background of Unix so you can better understand why the tools in Linux work the way they do and how best to make efficient use of them. We’ll also look at the command line since we’ll be spending a lot of time there through the rest of the book, as well as the desktops that are available so you can have a comfortable working environment. If you are new to Linux, this chapter will pre‐ pare you to be successful with the remainder of the book so you aren’t over‐ whelmed when we start digging deep into the tools available. Network Security Testing Basics The services you are most familiar with listen on the network. Also, systems that are connected to the network may be vulnerable. To be in a better position to perform testing over the network, we’ll cover some basics of the way network protocols work. When you really get deep into security testing, you will find an understanding of the protocols you are working with to be an invaluable asset. We will also take a look at tools that can be used for stress testing of network stacks and applications. Reconnaissance When you are doing security testing or penetration testing, a common practice is to perform reconnaissance against your target. A lot of open sources are available that you can use to gather information about your target. This will not only help you with later stages of your testing, but also provide a lot of details you can share with the organization you are performing testing for. This can help them correctly determine the footprint of systems available to the outside world. Infor‐ mation about an organization and the people in it can provide stepping stones for attackers, after all. Looking for Vulnerabilities Attacks against organizations arise from vulnerabilities. We’ll look at vulnerabil‐ ity scanners that can provide insight into the technical (as opposed to human) vulnerabilities that exist at your target organization. This will lead to hints on where to go from here, since the objective of security testing is to provide insights to the organization you are testing for about potential vulnerabilities and expo‐ sures. Identifying vulnerabilities will help you there. Automated Exploits While Metasploit may be the foundation of performing security testing or pene‐ tration testing, other tools are available as well. We’ll cover the basics of using x | Preface
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    Metasploit but alsocover some of the other tools available for exploiting the vul‐ nerabilities found by the tools discussed in other parts of the book. Owning Metasploit Metasploit is a dense piece of software. Getting used to using it effectively can take a long time. Nearly 2,000 exploits are available in Metasploit, as well as over 500 payloads. When you mix and match those, you get thousands of possibilities for interacting with remote systems. Beyond that, you can create your own mod‐ ules. We’ll cover Metasploit beyond just the basics of using it for rudimentary exploits. Wireless Security Testing Everyone has wireless networks these days. That’s how mobile devices like phones and tablets, not to mention a lot of laptops, connect to enterprise net‐ works. However, not all wireless networks have been configured in the best man‐ ner possible. Kali Linux has tools available for performing wireless testing. This includes scanning for wireless networks, injecting frames, and cracking pass‐ words. Web Application Testing A lot of commerce happens through web interfaces. Additionally, a lot of sensi‐ tive information is available through web interfaces. Businesses need to pay attention to how vulnerable their important web applications are. Kali is loaded with tools that will help you perform assessments on web applications. We’ll take a look at proxy-based testing as well as other tools that can be used for more automated testing. The goal is to help you provide a better understanding of the security posture of these applications to the organization you are doing testing for. Cracking Passwords This isn’t always a requirement, but you may be asked to test both remote sys‐ tems and local password databases for password complexity and difficulty in get‐ ting in remotely. Kali has programs that will help with password cracking—both cracking password hashes, as in a password file, and brute forcing logins on remote services like SSH, VNC, and other remote access protocols. Advanced Techniques and Concepts You can use all the tools in Kali’s arsenal to do extensive testing. At some point, though, you need to move beyond the canned techniques and develop your own. This may include creating your own exploits or writing your own tools. Getting a better understanding of how exploits work and how you can develop some of your own tools will provide insight on directions you can go. We’ll cover extend‐ ing some of the tools Kali has as well as the basics of popular scripting languages along the way. Preface | xi
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    Reporting The most importantthing you will do is generate a report when you are done testing. Kali has a lot of tools that can help you generate a report at the end of your testing. We’ll cover techniques for taking notes through the course of your testing as well as some strategies for generating the report. Who This Book Is For While I hope there is something in this book for readers with a wide variety of experi‐ ences, the primary audience for the book is people who may have a little Linux or Unix experience but want to see what Kali is all about. This book is also for people who want to get a better handle on security testing by using the tools that Kali Linux has to offer. If you are already experienced with Linux, you may skip Chapter 1, for instance. You may also be someone who has done web application testing by using some common tools but you want to expand your range to a broader set of skills. The Value and Importance of Ethics A word about ethics, though you will see this come up a lot because it’s so important that it’s worth repeating. A lot. Security testing requires that you have permission. What you are likely to be doing is illegal in most places. Probing remote systems without permission can get you into a lot of trouble. Mentioning the legality at the top tends to get people’s attention. Beyond the legality is the ethics. Security professionals who acquire certifications have to take oaths related to their ethical practices. One of the most important pre‐ cepts here is not misusing information resources. The CISSP certification has a code of ethics that goes along with it, requiring you to agree to not do anything illegal or unethical. Testing on any system you don’t have permission to test on is not only potentially ille‐ gal, but also certainly unethical by the standards of our industry. It isn’t sufficient to know someone at the organization you want to target and obtain their permission. You must have permission from a business owner or someone at an appropriate level of responsibility to give you that permission. It’s also best to have the permission in writing. This ensures that both parties are on the same page. It is also important to have the scope recognized up front. The organization you are testing for may have restrictions on what you can do, what systems and networks you can touch, and dur‐ ing what hours you can perform the testing. Get all of that in writing. Up front. This is your Get Out of Jail Free card. Write down the scope of testing and then live by it. Also, communicate, communicate, communicate. Do yourself a favor. Don’t just get the permission in writing and then disappear without letting your client know what xii | Preface
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    you are doing.Communication and collaboration will yield good results for you and the organization you are testing for. It’s also generally just the right thing to do. Within ethical boundaries, have fun! Conventions Used in This Book The following typographical conventions are used in this book: Italic Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions. Used within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords. Constant width Used for program listings and code examples. This element signifies a tip or suggestion. This element signifies a general note. This element indicates a warning or caution. Using Code Examples This book is here to help you get your job done. In general, if example code is offered with this book, you may use it in your programs and documentation. You do not need to contact us for permission unless you’re reproducing a significant portion of the code. For example, writing a program that uses several chunks of code from this book does not require permission. Selling or distributing a CD-ROM of examples from O’Reilly books does require permission. Answering a question by citing this book and quoting example code does not require permission. Incorporating a signifi‐ cant amount of example code from this book into your product’s documentation does require permission. Preface | xiii
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    We appreciate, butdo not require, attribution. An attribution usually includes the title, author, publisher, and ISBN. For example: “Learning Kali Linux by Ric Messier (O’Reilly). Copyright 2018 Ric Messier, 978-1-492-02869-7.” If you feel your use of code examples falls outside fair use or the permission given above, feel free to contact us at permissions@oreilly.com. O’Reilly Safari Safari (formerly Safari Books Online) is a membership-based training and reference platform for enterprise, government, educators, and individuals. Members have access to thousands of books, training videos, Learning Paths, interac‐ tive tutorials, and curated playlists from over 250 publishers, including O’Reilly Media, Harvard Business Review, Prentice Hall Professional, Addison-Wesley Profes‐ sional, Microsoft Press, Sams, Que, Peachpit Press, Adobe, Focal Press, Cisco Press, John Wiley & Sons, Syngress, Morgan Kaufmann, IBM Redbooks, Packt, Adobe Press, FT Press, Apress, Manning, New Riders, McGraw-Hill, Jones & Bartlett, and Course Technology, among others. For more information, please visit http://oreilly.com/safari. How to Contact Us Please address comments and questions concerning this book to the publisher: O’Reilly Media, Inc. 1005 Gravenstein Highway North Sebastopol, CA 95472 800-998-9938 (in the United States or Canada) 707-829-0515 (international or local) 707-829-0104 (fax) We have a web page for this book, where we list errata, examples, and any additional information. You can access this page at http://bit.ly/learning-kali-linux. To comment or ask technical questions about this book, send email to bookques‐ tions@oreilly.com. For more information about our books, courses, conferences, and news, see our web‐ site at http://www.oreilly.com. Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/oreilly xiv | Preface
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    Follow us onTwitter: http://twitter.com/oreillymedia Watch us on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/oreillymedia Acknowledgments Special thanks to Courtney Allen, who has been a great contact at O’Reilly. Thanks also to my editor, Virginia Wilson, and of course, my technical reviewers who helped make the book better—Brandon Noble, Kathleen Hyde, and especially Megan Daudelin! Preface | xv
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    CHAPTER 1 Foundations ofKali Linux Kali Linux is a specialized distribution of the Linux operating system. It is targeted at people who want to engage in security work. This may be security testing, it may be exploit development or reverse engineering, or it may be digital forensics. The thing about Linux distributions is that they aren’t the same. Linux is really just the kernel— the actual operating system and the core of the distribution. Each distribution layers additional software on top of that core, making it unique. In the case of Kali, what gets layered on are not only the essential utilities, but also hundreds of software pack‐ ages that are specific to security work. One of the really nice things about Linux, especially as compared to other operating systems, is that it is almost completely customizable. This includes the shell in which you type commands and the graphical desktop you use. Even beyond that, you can change the look of each of those things. Using Linux is all about making the system work for you, rather than having the system force the way you work because of how it works, looks, and feels. Linux actually has a long history, if you trace it back to its beginnings. Understanding this history will help provide some context for why Linux is the way it is—especially the seemingly arcane commands that are used to manage the system, manipulate files, and just get work done. Heritage of Linux Once upon a time, back in the days of the dinosaur, there existed an operating system called Multics. The goal of Multics was to support multiple users and offer compart‐ mentalization of processes and files on a per user basis. After all, this was an era when the computer hardware necessary to run operating systems like Multics ran into the millions of dollars. At a minimum, computer hardware was hundreds of thousands of 1
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    dollars. As apoint of comparison, a $7 million system today (at the time of this writ‐ ing, in late 2017) would have cost about $44 million then. Having a system that could support only a single user at a time was just not cost-effective—thus the development of Multics by MIT, Bell Labs, and GE was a way of making computers more cost- effective. Inevitably, the project slowly fell apart, though the operating system was eventually released. One of the programmers assigned to the project from Bell Labs returned to his regular job and eventually decided to write his own version of an operating sys‐ tem in order to play a game he had originally written for Multics but wanted to play on a PDP-7 that was available at Bell Labs. Ken Thompson needed a decent environ‐ ment to redevelop the game for the PDP-7. In those days, systems were largely incompatible. They had entirely different hardware instructions (operation codes), and they sometimes had different memory word sizes. As a result, programs written for one environment, particularly if very low-level languages were used, would not work in another environment. The resulting environment, developed by a program‐ mer to make his life easier as he was getting Space Travel working on the PDP-7, was named Unics. Eventually, other Bell Labs programmers joined the project, and it was eventually renamed Unix. Unix had a simple design. Because it was developed as a programming environment for a single user at a time, it ended up getting used, first within Bell Labs and then outside, by other programmers. One of the biggest advantages to Unix over other operating systems was that the kernel was rewritten in the C programming language in 1972. Using a higher-level language than assembly, which was more common then, made it portable across multiple hardware systems. Rather than being limited to the PDP-7, Unix could run on any system that had a C compiler in order to compile the source code needed to build Unix. This allowed for a standard operating system across numerous hardware platforms. In addition to having a simple design, Unix had the advantage of being distributed with the source code. This allowed researchers not only to read the source code in order to understand it better, but also to extend and improve the source. Unix has spawned many child operating systems that all behaved just as Unix did, with the same design. In some cases, these other operating system distributions started with the Unix source that was provided by AT&T. In other cases, Unix was essentially reverse engineered based on documented functionality and was the starting point for two popular Unix-like operating systems: BSD and Linux. 2 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
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    As you willsee later, one of the advantages of the Unix design— using small, simple programs that do one thing, but allow you to feed the output of one into the input of another—is the power that comes with chaining. One common use of this function is to get a process list by using one utility and feed the output into another utility that will then process that output, either searching specifi‐ cally for one entry or manipulating the output to strip away some of it to make it easier to understand. About Linux As Unix spread, the simplicity of its design and its focus on being a programming environment led to it being taught in computer science programs around the world. A number of books about operating system design were written in the 1980s based on the design of Unix. One of these implementations was written by Andrew Tannen‐ baum for his book Operating Systems: Design and Implementation (Prentice Hall, 1987). This implementation, called Minix, was the basis for Linus Torvalds’ develop‐ ment of Linux. What Torvalds developed was the Linux kernel, which some consider the operating system. Without the kernel, nothing works. What he needed was a set of userland programs to sit on top of his operating system as an operating environ‐ ment for users to do useful things. The GNU Project, started in the late 1970s by Richard Stallman, had a collection of programs that either were duplicates of the standard Unix utilities or were function‐ ally the same with different names. The GNU Project wrote programs primarily in C, which meant they could be ported easily. As a result, Torvalds, and later other devel‐ opers, bundled the GNU Project’s utilities with his kernel to create a complete distri‐ bution of software that anyone could develop and install to their computer system. Linux inherited the majority of Unix design ideals, primarily because it was begun as something functionally identical to the standard Unix that had been developed by AT&T and was reimplemented by a small group at the University of California at Berkeley as the Berkeley Systems Distribution (BSD). This meant that anyone famil‐ iar with how Unix or even BSD worked could start using Linux and be immediately productive. Over the decades since Torvalds first released Linux, many projects have started up to increase the functionality and user-friendliness of Linux. This includes several desktop environments, all of which sit on top of the X/Windows system, which was first developed by MIT (which, again, was involved in the development of Multics). The development of Linux itself, meaning the kernel, has changed the way developers work. As an example, Torvalds was dissatisfied with the capabilities of software repos‐ itory systems that allowed concurrent developers to work on the same files at the same time. As a result, Torvalds led the development of git, a version-control system About Linux | 3
  • 26.
    that has largelysupplanted other version-control systems for open source develop‐ ment. If you want to grab the current version of source code from most open source projects these days, you will likely be offered access via git. Additionally, there are now public repositories for projects to store their code that support the use of git, a source code manager, to access the code. Monolithic Versus Micro Linux is considered a monolithic kernel. This is different from Minix, which Linux started from, and other Unix-like implementations that use micro kernels. The differ‐ ence between a monolithic kernel and a micro kernel is that all functionality is built into a monolithic kernel. This includes any code necessary to support hardware devi‐ ces. With a micro kernel, only the essential code is included in the kernel. This is roughly the bare minimum necessary to keep the operating system functional. Any additional functionality that is required to run in kernel space is implemented as a module and loaded into the kernel space as it is needed. This is not to say that Linux doesn’t have modules, but the kernel that is typically built and included in Linux dis‐ tributions is not a micro kernel. Because Linux is not designed around the idea that only core services are implemented in the kernel proper, it is not considered a micro kernel but instead a monolithic kernel. Linux is available, generally free of charge, in distributions. A Linux distribution is a collection of software packages that have been selected by the distribution maintain‐ ers. Also, the software packages have been built in a particular way, with features determined by the package maintainer. These software packages are acquired as source code, and many packages can have multiple options—whether to include data‐ base support, which type of database, whether to enable encryption—that have to be enabled when the package is being configured and built. The package maintainer for one distribution may make different choices for options than the package maintainer for another distribution. Different distributions will also have different package formats. As an example, Red‐ Hat and its associated distributions, like RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and Fedora Core, use the RedHat Package Manager (RPM) format. In addition, RedHat uses both the RPM utility as well as the Yellowdog Updater Modified (yum) to man‐ age packages on the system. Other distributions may use the different package man‐ agement utilities used by Debian. Debian uses the Advanced Package Tool (APT) to manage packages in the Debian package format. Regardless of the distribution or the package format, the object of the packages is to collect all the files necessary for the software to function and make those files easy to put into place to make the software functional. 4 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 27.
    Over the years,another difference between distributions has come with the desktop environment that is provided by default by the distribution. In recent years, distribu‐ tions have created their own custom views on existing desktop environments. Whether it’s the GNU Object Model Environment (GNOME), the K Desktop Envi‐ ronment (KDE), or Xfce, they can all be customized with different themes and wall‐ papers and organization of menus and panels. Distributions will often provide their own spin on a different desktop environment. Some distributions, like Elementar‐ yOS, have even provided their own desktop environment. While in the end the software all works the same, sometimes the choice of package manager or even desktop environment can make a difference to users. Additionally, the depth of the package repository can make a difference to some users. They may want to ensure they have a lot of choices in software they can install through the repository rather than trying to build the software by hand and install it. Different distributions may have smaller repositories, even if they are based on the same pack‐ age management utilities and formats as other distributions. Because of dependencies of software that need to be installed before the software you are looking for will work, packages are not always mix-and-match between even related distributions. Sometimes, different distributions will focus on specific groups of users, rather than being general-purpose distributions for anyone who wants a desktop. Beyond that, distributions like Ubuntu will even have two separate installation distributions per release, one for a server installation and one for a desktop installation. A desktop installation generally includes a graphical user interface (GUI), whereas a server installation won’t, and as a result will install far fewer packages. The fewer packages, the less exposure to attack, and servers are often where sensitive information is stored in addition to being systems that may be more likely to be exposed to unauthorized users. Kali Linux is a distribution that is specifically tailored to a particular type of user— those who are interested in performing security testing or forensics work. Kali Linux, as a distribution focused on security testing, falls into the desktop category, and there is no intention to limit the number of packages that are installed to make Kali harder to attack. Someone focused on security testing will probably need a wide variety of software packages, and Kali loads their distribution out of the gate. This may seem mildly ironic, considering distributions that focus on keeping their systems safe from attack (sometimes called secure) tend to limit the packages. Kali, though, is focused on testing, rather than keeping the distribution safe from attack. Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux The easiest way to acquire Kali Linux is to visit its website. From there, you can gather additional information about the software, such as lists of packages that are installed. You will be downloading an ISO image that can be used as is if you are Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux | 5
  • 28.
    installing into avirtual machine (VM), or it can be burned to a DVD to install to a physical machine. Kali Linux is based on Debian. This was not always the case, at least as directly as it is now. There was a time when Kali was named BackTrack Linux. BackTrack was based on Knoppix Linux, which is primarily a live distribution, meaning that it was designed to boot from CD, DVD, or USB stick and run from the source media rather than being installed to a destination hard drive. Knoppix, in turn, inherits from Debian. BackTrack was, just as Kali Linux is, a distribution focused on penetration testing and digital forensics. The last version of BackTrack was released in 2012, before the Offensive Security team took the idea of BackTrack and rebuilt it to be based on Debian Linux. One of the features that Kali retains that was available in BackTrack is the ability to live boot. When you get boot media for Kali, you can choose to either install or boot live. In Figure 1-1, you can see the boot options. Figure 1-1. Boot screen for Kali Linux Whether you run from the DVD or install to a hard drive is entirely up to you. If you boot to DVD and don’t have a home directory stored on some writable media, you won’t be able to maintain anything from one boot to another. If you don’t have writa‐ ble media to store information to, you will be starting entirely from scratch every time you boot. There are advantages to this if you don’t want to leave any trace of 6 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 29.
    what you didwhile the operating system was running. If you customize or want to maintain SSH keys or other stored credentials, you’ll need to install to local media. Installation of Kali is straightforward. You don’t have the options that other distribu‐ tions have. You won’t select package categories. Kali has a defined set of packages that gets installed. You can add more later or even take some away, but you start with a fairly comprehensive set of tools for security testing or forensics. What you need to configure is selecting a disk to install to and getting it partitioned and formatted. You also need to configure the network, including hostname and whether you are using a static address rather than DHCP. Once you have configured that and set your time zone as well as some other foundational configuration settings, the packages will get updated and you will be ready to boot to Linux. Fortunately, Kali doesn’t require its own hardware. It runs nicely inside a VM. If you intend to play around with security testing, and most especially penetration testing, getting a virtual lab started isn’t a bad idea. I’ve found that Kali runs quite nicely in 4 GB of memory with about 20 GB of disk space. If you want to store a lot of artifacts from your testing, you may want additional disk space. You should be able to get by with 2 GB of memory, but obviously, the more memory you can spare, the better the performance will be. There are many hypervisors you can choose from, depending on your host operating system. VMware has hypervisors for both Mac and PC. Parallels will run on Macs. VirtualBox, on the other hand, will run on PCs, Macs, Linux systems, and even Solaris. VirtualBox has been around since 2007, but was acquired by Sun Microsys‐ tems in 2008. As Sun was acquired by Oracle, VirtualBox is currently maintained by Oracle. Regardless of who maintains it, VirtualBox is free to download and use. If you are just getting started in the world of VMs, this may be a place for you to start. Each works in a slightly different way in terms of how it interacts with users. Different keys to break out of the VM. Different levels of interaction with the operating system. Dif‐ ferent support for guest operating systems, since the hypervisor has to provide the drivers for the guest. In the end, it comes down to how much you want to spend and which of them you feel comfortable using. As a point of possible interest, or at least connection, one of the primary developers on BSD was Bill Joy, who was a graduate stu‐ dent at the University of California at Berkeley. Joy was responsible for the first implementation in Berkeley Unix of TCP/IP. He became a cofounder of Sun Microsystems in 1982 and while there wrote a paper about a better programming language than C++, which served as the inspiration for the creation of Java. Acquiring and Installing Kali Linux | 7
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    One consideration isthe tools provided by the hypervisor. The tools are drivers that get installed into the kernel to better integrate with the host operating system. This may include print drivers, drivers to share the filesystem from the host into the guest, and better video support. VMware can use the VMware tools that are open source and available within the Kali Linux repository. You can also get the VirtualBox tools from the Kali repository. Parallels, on the other hand, provides its own tools. At the time of this writing, you can install the Parallels tools in Kali, but they’re not fully supported. But in my experience, they work well even if they aren’t fully supported. If you’d prefer not to do an install from scratch but are interested in using a VM, you can download either a VMware or VirtualBox image. Kali provides support for not only virtual environments but also ARM-based devices like the Raspberry Pi and the BeagleBone. The advantage to using the VM images is that it gets you up and running faster. You don’t have to take the time to do the installation. Instead, you download the image, load it into your chosen hypervisor, and you’re up and running. If you choose to go the route of using a preconfigured VM, you can find the images at the page on Kali’s site for downloading one of these custom images. Another low-cost option for running Kali Linux is a Raspberry Pi. The Pi is a very low-cost and small-footprint computer. You can, though, download an image specific for the Pi. The Pi doesn’t use an Intel or AMD processor as you would see on most desktop systems. Instead, it uses an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) processor. These processors use a smaller instruction set and take less power than the processors you would usually see in desktop computers. The Pi comes as just a very small board that fits in the palm of your hand. You can get multiple cases to insert the board into and then outfit it with any peripherals you may want, such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. One of the advantages of the Pi is that it can be used in physical attacks, considering its small size. You can install Kali onto the Pi and leave it at a location you are testing but it does require power and some sort of network connection. The Pi has an Ether‐ net connection built in, but there are also USB ports for WiFi adapters. Once you have Kali in place, you can perform even local attacks remotely by accessing your Pi from inside the network. We’ll get into some of that later. With so many options to get yourself started, it should be easy to get an installation up quickly. Once you have the installation up and running, you’ll want to get familiar with the desktop environment so you can start to become productive. Desktops You’re going to be spending a lot of time interacting with the desktop environment, so you may as well get something that you’ll feel comfortable with. Unlike proprietary operating systems like Windows and macOS, Linux has multiple desktop environ‐ 8 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 31.
    ments. Kali supportsthe popular ones from their repository without needing to add any additional repositories. If the desktop environment that is installed by default doesn’t suit you, replacing it is easy. Because you’ll likely be spending a lot of time in the environment, you really want to be not only comfortable but also productive. This means finding the right environment and toolsets for you. GNOME Desktop The default environment provided in Kali Linux is based on the GNOME desktop. This desktop environment was part of the GNU (GNU’s Not Unix, which is referred to as a recursive acronym) Project. Currently, RedHat is the primary contributor and uses the GNOME desktop as its primary interface, as does Ubuntu and others. In Figure 1-2, you can see the desktop environment with the main menu expanded. Figure 1-2. GNOME desktop for Kali Linux Just as with Windows, if that’s what you are mostly familiar with, you get an applica‐ tion menu with shortcuts to the programs that have been installed. Rather than being broken into groups by software vendor or program name, Kali presents the programs in groups based on functionality. The categories presented, and ones covered over the course of this book, are as follows: Desktops | 9
  • 32.
    • Information Gathering •Vulnerability Analysis • Web Application Analysis • Database Assessment • Password Attacks • Wireless Attacks • Reverse Engineering • Exploitation Tools • Sniffing & Spoofing • Post Exploitation • Forensics • Reporting Tools • Social Engineering Tools Alongside the Applications menu is a Places menu, providing shortcuts to locations you may want to get to quickly. This includes your Home directory, Desktop direc‐ tory, Computer, and Network. Next to the Places menu is a menu associated with the application with a focus on the desktop. If no program is running, there is no menu there. Essentially, it’s similar to the taskbar in Windows, except that running applica‐ tions don’t line up in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The only one you will see there is the application in the foreground. As in other modern operating systems, you’ll have a little collection of icons in the far right of the menu bar, which GNOME calls a panel, including a pull-down that brings up a small dialog box providing quick access to customizations, logout, power func‐ tions, sound, and network settings. Figure 1-3 shows this dialog box and the features supported through it. Mostly, it provides quick access to system functions if you want to use menu actions to perform them. 10 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 33.
    Figure 1-3. GNOMEpanel menu Along with the menu in the top panel, there is a dock along the left side. The dock includes commonly used applications like the Terminal, Firefox, Metasploit, Armit‐ age, Burp Suite, Leafpad, and Files. The dock is similar to the dock in macOS. Click‐ ing one of the icons once launches the application. The options in the dock to start with also show up as favorites in the menu accessible from the panel. Any program that is not in the dock will be added to the dock while it is running. Again, this is the same behavior as in macOS. Whereas Windows has a taskbar that includes buttons for running applications, and also has a quick launch bar where you can pin applica‐ tion icons, the purpose of the dock in macOS and GNOME is to store the application shortcuts. Additionally, the Windows taskbar stretches the width of the screen. The dock in GNOME and macOS is only as wide as it needs to be to store the icons that have been set to persist there, plus the ones for running applications. The dock in macOS comes from the interface in the NeXTSTEP operating system, which was designed for the NeXT Computer. This is the computer Steve Jobs formed a company to design and build after he was forced out of Apple in the 1980s. Many of the elements of the NeXTSTEP user interface (UI) were incorporated into the macOS UI when Apple bought NeXT. Incidentally, NeXT‐ STEP was built over the top of a BSD operating system, which is why macOS has Unix under the hood if you open a terminal window. Desktops | 11
  • 34.
    Logging In Throughthe Desktop Manager Although GNOME is the default desktop environment, others are available without much effort. If you have multiple desktop environments installed, you will be able to select one in the display manager when you log in. First, you need to enter your user‐ name so the system can identify the default environment you have configured. This may be the last one you logged into. Figure 1-4 shows environments that I can select from on one of my Kali Linux systems. Figure 1-4. Desktop selection at login There have been numerous display managers over the years. Initially, the login screen was something the X window manager provided, but other display managers have been developed, expanding the capabilities. One of the advantages of LightDM is that it’s considered lightweight. This may be especially relevant if you are working on a system with fewer resources such as memory and processor. Xfce Desktop One desktop environment that has been somewhat popular as an alternative over the years is Xfce. One of the reasons it has been popular is that it was designed to be fairly lightweight for a full desktop environment and, as a result, more responsive. Many hardcore Linux users I have known over the years have gravitated to Xfce as their pre‐ ferred environment, if they needed a desktop environment. Again, the reason is that it has a simple design that is highly configurable. In Figure 1-5, you can see a basic setup of Xfce. The panel on the bottom of the desktop is entirely configurable. You can change where it’s located and how it behaves, and add or remove items as you see fit, based on how you prefer to work. This panel includes an applications menu that includes all the same folders/categories that are in the GNOME menu. 12 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 35.
    Figure 1-5. Xfcedesktop showing applications menu While Xfce is based on the GNOME Toolkit (GTK), it is not a fork of GNOME. It was developed on top of an older version of GTK. The intention was to create something that was simpler than the direction GNOME was going in. It was intended to be lighter weight and, as a result, have better performance. The feeling was that the desk‐ top shouldn’t get in the way of the real work users want to do. Cinnamon and MATE Two other desktops, Cinnamon and MATE, owe their origins to GNOME as well. The Linux distribution, Linux Mint, wasn’t sure about GNOME 3 and its GNOME shell, the desktop interface that came with it. As a result, it developed Cinnamon, which was initially just a shell sitting on top of GNOME. With the second version of Cinnamon, it became a desktop environment in its own right. One of the advantages to Cinnamon is that it bears a strong resemblance to Windows in terms of where things are located and how you get around. You can see that there is a Menu button at the bottom left, much like the Windows button, as well as a clock and other system widgets at the right of the menu bar or panel. You can see the panel as well as the menu in Figure 1-6. Again, the menu is just like the one you see in GNOME and Xfce. Desktops | 13
  • 36.
    Figure 1-6. Cinnamondesktop with menu As I’ve suggested above, there were concerns about GNOME 3 and the change in the look and behavior of the desktop. Some might say this was an understatement, and the reversion of some distributions to other looks might be considered proof of that. Regardless, Cinnamon was one response to GNOME 3 by creating a shell that sat on top of the underlying GNOME 3 architecture. MATE, on the other hand, is an out‐ right fork of GNOME 2. For anyone familiar with GNOME 2, MATE will seem famil‐ iar. It’s an implementation of the classic look of GNOME 2. You can see this running on Kali in Figure 1-7. Again, the menu is shown so you can see that you will get the same easy access to applications in all of the environments. The choice of desktop environment is entirely personal. One desktop that I have left off here but that is still very much an option is the K Desktop Environment (KDE). There are two reasons for this. The first is that I have always found KDE to be fairly heavyweight, although this has evened out some with GNOME 3 and the many pack‐ ages it brings along with it. KDE never felt as quick as GNOME and certainly Xfce. However, a lot of people like it. More particularly, one reason for omitting an image of it is that it looks an awful lot like Cinnamon. One of the objectives behind KDE always seemed to be to clone the look and feel of Windows so users coming from that platform would feel comfortable. 14 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 37.
    Figure 1-7. MATEdesktop with menu If you are serious about really getting started with Kali and working with it, you may want to spend some time playing with the different desktop environments. It’s impor‐ tant that you are comfortable and can get around the interface efficiently. If you have a desktop environment that gets in your way or is hard to navigate, you probably don’t have a good fit for you. You may try another one. It’s easy enough to install additional environments. When we get to package management a little later, you’ll learn how to install additional packages and, as a result, desktop environments. You may even discover some that aren’t included in this discussion. Using the Command Line You will find over the course of this book that I have a great fondness for the com‐ mand line. There are a lot of reasons for this. For one, I started in computing when terminals didn’t have what we call full screens. And we certainly didn’t have desktop environments. What we had was primarily command lines. As a result, I got used to typing. When I started on Unix systems, all I had was a command line so I needed to get used to the command set available there. The other reason for getting comfortable with the command line is that you can’t always get a UI. You may be working Using the Command Line | 15
  • 38.
    remotely and connectingover a network. This may get you only command-line pro‐ grams without additional work. So, making friends with the command line is useful. Another reason for getting used to the command line and the locations of program elements is that GUI programs may have failures or may leave out details that could be helpful. This may be especially true of some security or forensics tools. As one example, I much prefer to use The Sleuth Kit (TSK), a collection of command-line programs, over the web-based interface, Autopsy, which is more visual. Since Autopsy sits on top of TSK, it’s just a different way of looking at the information TSK is capable of generating. The difference is that with Autopsy, you don’t get all of the details, especially ones that are fairly low level. If you are just learning how to do things, understanding what is going on may be far more beneficial than learning a GUI. Your skills and knowledge will be far more transferable to other situations and tools. So, there’s that too. A UI is often called a shell. This is true whether you are referring to the program that manages the desktop or the program that takes commands that you type into a termi‐ nal window. The default shell in Linux is the Bourne Again Shell (bash). This is a play on the Bourne Shell, which was an early and long-standing shell. However, the Bourne Shell had limitations and missing features. As a result, in 1989, the Bourne Again Shell was released. It has since become the common shell in Linux distribu‐ tions. There are two types of commands you will run on the command line. One is called a built-in. This is a function of the shell itself and it doesn’t call out to any other program—the shell handles it. The other command you will run is a program that sits in a directory. The shell has a listing of directories where programs are kept that is provided (and configurable) through an environment variable. Keep in mind that Unix was developed by programmers for pro‐ grammers. The point was to create an environment that was both comfortable and useful for the programmers using it. As a result, the shell is, as much as anything else, a programming language and environment. Each shell has different syntax for the control state‐ ments that it uses, but you can create a program right on the com‐ mand line because, as a programming language, the shell will be able to execute all of the statements. In short, we’re going to spend some time with the command line because it’s where Unix started and it’s also powerful. To start with, you’ll want to get around the filesys‐ tem and get listings of files, including details like permissions. Other commands that are useful are ones that manage processes and general utilities. 16 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 39.
    File and DirectoryManagement To start, let’s talk about getting the shell to tell you the directory you are currently in. This is called the working directory. To get the working directory, the one we are cur‐ rently situated in from the perspective of the shell, we use the command pwd, which is shorthand for print working directory. In Example 1-1, you can see the prompt, which ends in #, indicating that the effective user who is currently logged in is a superuser. The # ends the prompt, which is followed by the command that is being entered and run. This is followed on the next line by the results, or output, of the command. Example 1-1. Printing your working directory root@rosebud:~# pwd /root When you get to the point where you have multiple machines, either physical or virtual, you may find it interesting to have a theme for the names of your different systems. I’ve known people who named their systems for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy characters, for instance. I’ve also seen coins, planets, and various other themes. For ages now, my systems have been named after Bloom County characters. The Kali system here is named for Rose‐ bud the Basselope. Once we know where in the filesystem we are, which always starts at the root direc‐ tory (/) and looks a bit like a tree, we can get a listing of the files and directories. You will find that with Unix/Linux commands, the minimum number of characters is often used. In the case of getting file listings, the command is ls. While ls is useful, it only lists the file and directory names. You may want additional details about the files, including times and dates as well as permissions. You can see those results by using the command ls -la. The l (ell) specifies long listing, including details. The a specifies that ls should show all the files, including files that are otherwise hidden. You can see the output in Example 1-2. Example 1-2. Getting a long listing root@rosebud:~# ls -la total 164 drwxr-xr-x 17 root root 4096 Nov 4 21:33 . drwxr-xr-x 23 root root 4096 Oct 30 17:49 .. -rw------- 1 root root 1932 Nov 4 21:31 .ICEauthority -rw------- 1 root root 52 Nov 4 21:31 .Xauthority -rw------- 1 root root 78 Nov 4 20:24 .bash_history -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 3391 Sep 16 19:02 .bashrc Using the Command Line | 17
  • 40.
    drwx------ 8 rootroot 4096 Nov 4 21:31 .cache drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Nov 4 21:31 .cinnamon drwxr-xr-x 15 root root 4096 Nov 4 20:46 .config -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 47 Nov 4 21:31 .dmrc drwx------ 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 .gconf drwx------ 3 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 .gnupg drwx------ 3 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 .local -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 148 Sep 4 09:51 .profile -rw------- 1 root root 1024 Sep 16 19:36 .rnd -rw------- 1 root root 1092 Nov 4 21:33 .viminfo -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 20762 Nov 4 20:37 .xfce4-session.verbose-log -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 16415 Nov 4 20:29 .xfce4-session.verbose-log.last -rw------- 1 root root 8530 Nov 4 21:31 .xsession-errors -rw------- 1 root root 7422 Nov 4 21:31 .xsession-errors.old drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 4 20:06 .zenmap drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Desktop drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Documents drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Downloads drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Music drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Pictures drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Public drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Templates drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Oct 29 21:10 Videos Starting in the left column, you can see the permissions. Unix has a simple set of per‐ missions. Each file or directory has a set of permissions that are associated with the user owner, then a set of permissions associated with the group that owns the file, and finally a set of permissions that belong to everyone else, referred to as the world. Directories are indicated with a d in the very first position. The other permissions available are read, write, and execute. On Unix-like operating systems, a program gets the execute bit set to determine whether it’s executable. This is different from Win‐ dows, where a file extension may make that determination. The executable bit deter‐ mines not only whether a file is executable, but also who can execute it, depending on which category the execute bit is set in (user, group, world). Linux Filesystem Structure The Linux filesystem, just as the Unix filesystem before it, has a common layout. No matter how many disks you have installed in your system, everything will fall under / (the root folder). The common directories you will see in a Linux system are as fol‐ lows: /bin Commands/binary files that have to be available when the system is booted in single-user mode. 18 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 41.
    /boot Boot files arestored here, including the configuration of the boot loader, the ker‐ nel, and any initial ramdisk files needed to boot the kernel. /dev A pseudofilesystem that contains entries for hardware devices for programs to access. /etc Configuration files related to the operating system and system services. /home The directory containing the user’s home directories. /lib Library files that contain shared code and functions that any program can use. /opt Optional, third-party software is loaded here. /proc A pseudofilesystem that has directories containing files related to running pro‐ cesses, including memory maps, the command line used to run the program, and other essential system information related to the program. /root The home directory of the root user. /sbin System binaries that also need to be available in single-user mode. /tmp Temporary files are stored here. /usr Read-only user data (includes bin, doc, lib, sbin, and share subdirectories). /var Variable data including state information about running processes, log files, run‐ time data, and other temporary files. All of these files are expected to change in size or existence during the running of the system. You can also see the owner (user) and group, both of which are root in these cases. This is followed by the file size, the last time the file or directory was modified, and then the name of the file or directory. You may notice at the top that there are files that start with a dot, or period. The dot files and directories store user-specific set‐ tings and logs. Because they are managed by the applications that create them, as a general rule, they are hidden from regular directory listings. Using the Command Line | 19
  • 42.
    The program touchcan be used to update the modified date and time to the moment that touch is run. If the file doesn’t exist, touch will create an empty file that has the modified and created timestamp set to the moment touch was executed. Other file- and directory-related commands that will be really useful are ones related to setting permissions and owners. Every file and directory gets a set of permissions, as indicated previously, as well as having an owner and a group. To set permissions on a file or directory, you use the chmod command, which can take a numerical value for each of the possible permissions. Three bits are used, each either on or off for whether the permission is set or not. Since they are bits, we are talking about powers of 2. It’s easiest to remember the powers of 2 as well as the order read, write, and exe‐ cute. If you read left to right as the people of most Western cultures do, you will think about the most significant value being to the left. Since we are talking about bits, we have the powers of 2 with exponents 0–2. Read has the value of 22 , or 4. Write has the value of 21 , or 2. Finally, execute has the value of 20 , or 1. As an example, if you want to set both read and write permissions on a file, you would use 4 + 2, or 6. The bit pattern would be 110, if it’s easier to see it that way. There are three sets of permissions: owner, group, and world (everyone). When you are setting permissions, you specify a numeric value for each, meaning you have a three-digit value. As an example, in order to set read, write, and execute for the owner but just read for the group and everyone, you use chmod 744 filename, where filename is the name of the file you are setting permissions for. You could also just specify the bit you want either set or unset, if that’s easier. For example, you could use chmod u+x filename to add the executable bit for the owner. The Linux filesystem is generally well-structured, so you can be sure of where to look for files. However, in some cases, you may need to search for files. On Windows or macOS, you may understand how to look for files, as the necessary tools are embed‐ ded in the file managers. If you are working from the command line, you need to know the means you can use to locate files. The first is locate, which relies on a system database. The program updatedb will update that database, and when you use locate, the system will query the database to find the location of the file. If you are looking for a program, you can use another utility. The program which will tell you where the program is located. This may be useful if you have various loca‐ tions where executables are kept. The thing to note here is that which uses the PATH variable in the user’s environment to search for the program. If the executable is found in the PATH, the full path to the executable is displayed. A more multipurpose program for location is find. While find has a lot of capabilities, a simple approach is to use something like find / -name foo -print. You don’t have to provide the -print parameter, since printing the results is the default behavior; it’s just how I learned how to run the command and it’s stayed with me. Using find, you spec‐ ify the path to search in. find performs a recursive search, meaning it starts at the 20 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 43.
    directory specified andsearches all directories under the specified directory. In the preceding example, we are looking for the file named foo. You can use regular expres‐ sions, including wildcards, in your search. If you want to find a file that begins with the letters foo, you use find / -name “foo*” -print. If you are using search patterns, you need to put the string and pattern inside double quotes. While find has a lot of capa‐ bilities, this will get you started. Process Management When you run a program, you initiate a process. You can think of a process as a dynamic, running instance of a program, which is static as it sits on a storage medium. Every running Linux system has dozens or hundreds of processes running at any given time. In most cases, you can expect the operating system to manage the processes in the best way. However, at times you may want to get yourself involved. As an example, you may want to check whether a process is running, since not all processes are running in the foreground. A foreground process is one that currently has the potential for the user to see and interact with, as compared with a background process, which a user wouldn’t be able to interact with unless it was brought to the foreground and designed for user interaction. For example, just checking the number of processes running on an otherwise idle Kali Linux system, I discovered 141 pro‐ cesses. Out of that 141, only one was in the foreground. All others were services of some sort. To get a list of processes, you can use the ps command. The command all by itself doesn’t get you much more than the list of processes that belong to the user running the program. Every process, just like files, has an owner and a group. The reason is that processes need to interact with the filesystem and other objects, and having an owner and a group is the way the operating system determines whether the process should be allowed access. In Example 1-3, you can see what just running ps looks like. Example 1-3. Getting a process list root@rosebud:~# ps PID TTY TIME CMD 4068 pts/1 00:00:00 bash 4091 pts/1 00:00:00 ps </pre> What you see in Example 1-3 is the identification number of the process, commonly known as the process ID, or PID, followed by the teletypewriter port the command was issued on, the amount of time spent in the processor, and finally the command. Most of the commands you will see have parameters you can append to the com‐ mand line, and these will change the behavior of the program. Using the Command Line | 21
  • 44.
    Manual Pages Historically, theUnix manual has been available online, meaning directly on the machine. To get the documentation for any command, you would run the program man followed by the command you wanted the documentation for. These man pages have been formatted in a typesetting language called troff. As a result, when you are reading the man page, it looks like it was formatted to be printed, which is essentially true. If you need help finding the relevant command-line parameters to get the behavior you are looking for, you can use the man page to get the details. The man pages will also provide you with associated commands and information. The Unix manual was divided into sections, as follows: • General Commands • System Calls • Library Functions • Special Files • File Formats • Games and Screensavers • Miscellanea • System Administration Commands and Daemons When the same keyword applies in several areas, such as open, you just specify which section you want. If you want the system call open, you use the command man 2 open. If you also need to know relevant commands, you can use the command apro‐ pos, as in apropos open. You will get a list of all the relevant manual entries. Interestingly, AT&T Unix diverged a bit from BSD Unix. This has resulted in some command-line parameter variations, depending on which Unix derivation you may have begun with. For more detailed process listings, including all of the processes belonging to all users (since without specifying, you get only processes belonging to your user), you might use either ps -ea or ps aux. Either will provide the complete list, though there will be differences in the details provided. The thing about using ps is that it’s static: you run it once and get the list of processes. Another program can be used to watch the process list change in near-real time. While it’s possible to also get statistics like memory and processor usage from ps, with top, you don’t have to ask for it. Running top will give you the list of processes, refreshed at regular intervals. You can see sample output in Example 1-4. 22 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 45.
    Example 1-4. Usingtop for process listings top - 20:14:23 up 3 days, 49 min, 2 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 Tasks: 139 total, 1 running, 138 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie %Cpu(s): 0.3 us, 0.2 sy, 0.0 ni, 99.5 id, 0.0 wa, 0.0 hi, 0.0 si, 0.0 st KiB Mem : 4050260 total, 2722564 free, 597428 used, 730268 buff/cache KiB Swap: 4192252 total, 4192252 free, 0 used. 3186224 avail Mem PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND 6995 root 20 0 105384 6928 5932 S 0.3 0.2 0:00.11 sshd 7050 root 20 0 47168 3776 3160 R 0.3 0.1 0:00.09 top 1 root 20 0 154048 8156 6096 S 0.0 0.2 0:02.45 systemd 2 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.06 kthreadd 4 root 0 -20 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 kworker/0:+ 5 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:01.20 kworker/u4+ 6 root 0 -20 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 mm_percpu_+ 7 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.20 ksoftirqd/0 8 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:38.25 rcu_sched 9 root 20 0 0 0 0 S 0.0 0.0 0:00.00 rcu_bh In addition to providing a list of processes, the amount of memory they are using, the percentage of CPU being used, as well as other specifics, top shows details about the running system, which you will see at the top. Each time the display refreshes, the process list will rearrange, indicating which processes are consuming the most resources at the top. As you will note, top itself consumes some amount of resources, and you will often see it near the top of the process list. One of the important fields that you will see not only in top but also in ps is the PID. In addition to providing a way of clearly identifying one process from another, particularly when the name of the process is the same, it also provides a way of sending messages to the process. You will find two commands invaluable when you are managing processes. They are closely related, performing the same function, though offering slightly different capa‐ bilities. The first command is kill, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, can kill a running process. More specifically, it sends a signal to the process. The operating system will interact with processes by sending signals to them. Signals are one means of interpro‐ cess communication (IPC). The default signal for kill is the TERM signal (SIG‐ TERM), which means terminate, but if you specify a different signal, kill will send that signal instead. To send a different signal, you issue kill -# pid, where # indicates the number that equates to the signal you intend to send, and pid is the process identifi‐ cation number that you can find from using either ps or top. Signals The signals for a system are provided in a C header file. The easiest way to get a list‐ ing of all the signals with their numeric value as well as the mnemonic identifier for the signal is to run kill -l, as you can see here: Using the Command Line | 23
  • 46.
    root@rosebud:~# kill -l 1)SIGHUP 2) SIGINT 3) SIGQUIT 4) SIGILL 5) SIGTRAP 6) SIGABRT 7) SIGBUS 8) SIGFPE 9) SIGKILL 10) SIGUSR1 11) SIGSEGV 12) SIGUSR2 13) SIGPIPE 14) SIGALRM 15) SIGTERM 16) SIGSTKFLT 17) SIGCHLD 18) SIGCONT 19) SIGSTOP 20) SIGTSTP 21) SIGTTIN 22) SIGTTOU 23) SIGURG 24) SIGXCPU 25) SIGXFSZ 26) SIGVTALRM 27) SIGPROF 28) SIGWINCH 29) SIGIO 30) SIGPWR 31) SIGSYS 34) SIGRTMIN 35) SIGRTMIN+1 36) SIGRTMIN+2 37) SIGRTMIN+3 38) SIGRTMIN+4 39) SIGRTMIN+5 40) SIGRTMIN+6 41) SIGRTMIN+7 42) SIGRTMIN+8 43) SIGRTMIN+9 44) SIGRTMIN+10 45) SIGRTMIN+11 46) SIGRTMIN+12 47) SIGRTMIN+13 48) SIGRTMIN+14 49) SIGRTMIN+15 50) SIGRTMAX-14 51) SIGRTMAX-13 52) SIGRTMAX-12 53) SIGRTMAX-11 54) SIGRTMAX-10 55) SIGRTMAX-9 56) SIGRTMAX-8 57) SIGRTMAX-7 58) SIGRTMAX-6 59) SIGRTMAX-5 60) SIGRTMAX-4 61) SIGRTMAX-3 62) SIGRTMAX-2 63) SIGRTMAX-1 64) SIGRTMAX While a good number of signals are defined, you won’t be using more than a handful. Commonly, when it comes to managing processes, the SIGTERM signal is most use‐ ful. That’s the signal that kill and killall issue by default. When SIGTERM isn’t ade‐ quate to get the process to stop, you might need to issue a stronger signal. When SIGTERM is sent, it’s up to the process to handle the signal and exit. If the process is hung up, it may need additional help. SIGKILL (signal number 9) will forcefully ter‐ minate the process without relying on the process itself to deal with it. The second program that you should become acquainted with is killall. The differ‐ ence between kill and killall is that with killall you don’t necessarily need the PID. Instead, you use the name of the process. This can be useful, especially when a parent may have spawned several child processes. If you want to kill all of them at the same time, you can use killall, and it will do the work of looking up the PIDs from the pro‐ cess table and issuing the appropriate signal to the process. Just as in the case of kill, killall will take a signal number to send to the process. If you need to forcefully kill all instances of the process named firefox, for instance, you would use killall -9 firefox. Other Utilities Obviously, we aren’t going to go over the entire list of commands available on the Linux command line. However, some additional ones are useful to get your head around. Keep in mind that Unix was designed to have simple utilities that could be chained together. It does this by having three standard input/output streams: STDIN, STDOUT, and STDERR. Each process inherits these three streams when it starts. Input comes in using STDIN, output goes to STDOUT, and errors are sent to STDERR, though perhaps that all goes without saying. The advantage to this is if you don’t want to see errors, for example, you can send the STDERR stream somewhere so you don’t have your normal output cluttered. 24 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 47.
    Each of thesestreams can be redirected. Normally, STDOUT and STDERR go to the same place (typically, the console). STDIN originates from the console. If you want your output to go somewhere else, you can use the > operator. If, for instance, I wanted to send the output of ps to a file, I might use ps auxw > ps.out. When you redirect the output, you don’t see it on the console anymore. In this example, if there were an error, you would see that, but not anything going to STDOUT. If you wanted to redirect input, you would go the other way. Rather than >, you would use <, indi‐ cating the direction you want the information to flow. Understanding the different I/O streams and redirection will help you down the path of understanding the | (pipe) operator. When you use |, you are saying, “Take the out‐ put from what’s on the left side and send it to the input for what’s on the right side.” You are effectively putting a coupler in place between two applications, STDOUT → STDIN, without having to go through any intermediary devices. One of the most useful uses of command chaining or piping is for searching or filter‐ ing. As an example, if you have a long list of processes from the ps command, you might use the pipe operator to send the output of ps to another program, grep, which can be used to search for strings. As an example, if you want to find all the instances of the program named httpd, you use ps auxw | grep httpd. grep is used to search an input stream for a search string. While it’s useful for filtering information, you can also search the contents of files with grep. As an example, if you want to search for the string wubble in all the files in a directory, you can use grep wubble *. If you want to make sure that the search follows all the directories, you tell grep to use a recursive search with grep -R wubble *. User Management When you start up Kali, you have the root user in place. Unlike other Linux distribu‐ tions, you won’t be asked to create another user. This is because much of what you may be doing in Kali will require superuser (root) permissions. As a result, there’s no reason to create another user, even though it’s not good practice to stay logged in as the root user. The expectation is that someone using Kali probably knows enough of what they are doing that they wouldn’t be as likely to shoot themselves in the foot with the root permissions. However, it is still possible to add and otherwise manage users in Kali, just as it is with other distributions. If you want to create a user, you can just use the useradd command. You might also use adduser. Both accomplish the same goal. When you are creating users, it’s useful to understand some of the characteristics of users. Each user should have a home directory, a shell, a username, and a group at a minimum. If I want to add my common username, for instance, I would use useradd -d /home/ kilroy -s /bin/bash -g users -m kilroy. The parameters given specify the home directory, the shell the user should execute when logging in interactively, and the default group. User Management | 25
  • 48.
    The -m specifiedindicates that useradd should create the home directory. This will also populate the home directory with the skeleton files needed for interactive logins. In the case of the group ID specified, useradd requires that the group exist. If you want your user to have its own group, you can use groupadd to create a new group and then use useradd to create the user that belongs to the new group. If you want to add your user to multiple groups, you can edit the /etc/group file and add your user to the end of each group line you want your user to be a member of. To pick up any permissions associated with those groups’ access to files, for example, you need to log out and log back in again. That will pick up the changes to your user, including the new groups. Once you have created the user, you should set a password. That’s done using the passwd command. If you are root and want to change another user’s password, you use passwd kilroy in the case of the user created in the preceding example. If you just use passwd without a username, you are going to change your own password. Shells The common default shell used is the Bourne Again Shell (bash). However, other shells can be used. If you are feeling adventurous, you could look at other shells like zsh, fish, csh, or ksh. A shell like zsh offers the possibility of a lot of customization using features including plug-ins. If you want to permanently change your shell, you can either edit /etc/passwd or just use chsh and have your shell changed for you. Service Management For a long time, there were two styles of service management: the BSD way and the AT&T way. This is no longer true. There are now three ways of managing services. Before we get into service management, we should first define a service. A service in this context is a program that runs without any user intervention. The operating envi‐ ronment starts it up automatically and it runs in the background. Unless you got a list of processes, you may never know it was running. Most systems have a decent num‐ ber of these services running at any point. They are called services because they pro‐ vide a service either to the system, to the users, or sometimes to remote users. Since there is no direct user interaction, generally, in terms of the startup and termi‐ nation of these services, there needs to be another way to start and stop the services that can be called automatically during startup and shutdown of the system. With the facility to manage the services in place, users can also use the same facility to start, stop, restart, and get the status of these services. 26 | Chapter 1: Foundations of Kali Linux
  • 49.
    Administrative Privileges forServices Services are system-level. Managing them requires administrative privileges. Either you need to be root or you need to use sudo to gain temporary root privileges in order to perform the service management functions. For a long time, many Linux distributions used the AT&T init startup process. This meant that services were run with a set of scripts that took standard parameters. The init startup system used runlevels to determine which services started. Single-user mode would start up a different set of services than multiuser mode. Even more serv‐ ices would be started up when a display manager is being used, to provide GUIs to users. The scripts were stored in /etc/init.d/ and could be managed by providing parameters such as start, stop, restart, and status. As an example, if you wanted to start the SSH service, you might use the command /etc/init.d/ssh start. The problem with the init system, though, was that it was generally serial in nature. This caused performance issues on system startup because every service would be started in sequence rather than multiple services starting at the same time. The other problem with the init system was that it didn’t support dependencies well. Often, one service may rely on other services that had to be started first. Along comes systemd, which was developed by software developers at RedHat. The goal of systemd was to improve the efficiency of the init system and overcome some of its shortcomings. Services can declare dependencies, and services can start in parallel. There is no longer a need to write bash scripts to start up the services. Instead, there are configuration files, and all service management is handled with the program sys‐ temctl. To manage a service using systemctl, you would use systemctl verb service, where verb is the command you are passing and service is the name of the service. As an example, if you wanted to enable the SSH service and then start it, you would issue the commands in Example 1-5. Example 1-5. Enabling and starting SSH service root@rosebud:~# systemctl enable ssh Synchronizing state of ssh.service with SysV service script with /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install. Executing: /lib/systemd/systemd-sysv-install enable ssh root@rosebud:~# systemctl start ssh The first thing we do is enable the service: you are telling your system that when you boot, you want this service to start. The different system startup modes that the ser‐ vice will start in are configured in the configuration file associated with the service. Every service has a configuration file. Instead of runlevels, as the old init system used, systemd uses targets. A target is essentially the same as a runlevel, in that it indicates a Service Management | 27
  • 50.
    Random documents withunrelated content Scribd suggests to you:
  • 51.
    her as heused to do. Syd felt desperately in his pockets, where he found only a penknife. Why would not his father let him carry firearms as the other boys? Suddenly turning to Godfrey he made a gesture, and turned his horse full on the hedge of privet. It leaped boldly—Godfrey's followed. But the hounds followed, relentless as fate, and dashed through the lower branches. They were closer than before. "The gate! the gate!" cried Syd. He had reached it and fumbled for the bolt. Godfrey, a dozen paces behind, fancied he felt the tramp of the powerful beasts shake the ground. He turned, saw them coming with open jaws, closer, closer. Would the gate never open? There was a creak and crash, and it rolled back on its rusty hinges. The horses darted through so violently as to throw Godfrey on the ground. When he looked up Syd was standing beside him, and from the other side of the iron bars came the baffled roar of the angry beasts. The boys rode home without a word. "What about reclaiming property by means of bloodhounds, Syd?" asked Godfrey. "It's brutal," cried Syd vehemently, and then he laughed. "I tell you, Godfrey, one must actually take another man's place before he can be quite just to him, eh?"
  • 52.
    A THOUSAND AYEAR. "I am afraid Daniel must give up his studies," Mrs. Brooks said, sadly. "I've been thinking how we are to meet the expenses of another year, and it seems quite impossible to get money enough to do so." "Oh, it would be such a pity, and brother so nearly through," Susan said, looking up in a distressed way. "He mustn't leave college now, when he is so near graduating! There must be a way of helping him through." Mrs. Brooks stooped to kiss the pale, tender face upturned to hers. "You have a wise little head, Susan, but I am afraid there is a problem here you cannot solve," said the widow, mournfully. "How much will be needed?" "At least a hundred dollars besides what he will earn himself. You know there are always extra expenses for the graduating class." Susan's countenance fell. It was a great sum in her estimation, and it was already difficult for them to meet their weekly expenses. "Everything depends upon brother's success," Susan said, presently. "We must give up everything for him." "I cannot forget I have two children," the mother said, kissing the girl again more tenderly than before. "Two children; but only one that will be a blessing to you," Susan said, brushing away a tear.
  • 53.
    "Don't say that,Susie. I am proud of Daniel, I do not deny that—but I love you, too, all the same." "But you never can be proud of me, weak and deformed as I am! Oh, mother, why are some flowers made so beautiful and fragrant, and some so dark and noisome? Why was my brother so fair, so talented, and I so repulsive?" "No, no, no, not repulsive; don't say that," the widow cried, putting her arms around the girl in a sheltering way. "Do you think Daniel will let me go to see him take his diploma, mother?" "You would not be able, dear." The girl laughed bitterly. "No; brother would say I was not able, too. But I should be glad, so very glad to see him graduate. I think I would be willing to die then." "Hush, my darling," the mother cried, with a sharp pain in her voice. "When you are gone I shall soon follow. Daniel will be satisfied with his laurels, but women—ah, my child—women must love something, and you are all that is left me to love." Susan nestled her head in her mother's bosom without speaking, and lay there so long that her mother thought she was sleeping. Suddenly she opened her eyes and said: "I have thought it all out, mother. Daniel can graduate, and we will go see him take his diploma. Mr. Green needs girls to braid straw hats. You know I am nimble with my fingers, and I could braid a thousand a year, and that would be how much?" "But it would be wicked for me to allow you to overtask yourself in that way, darling. I am not sure but it might ruin your health, feeble as you are. No, no, it is not to be thought of."
  • 54.
    "How many mightI undertake, mother?" "Not half that amount; not a third, even." "Would Daniel be willing for me to braid, do you think?" "I don't know. We will ask him." "Mother," Susan said, looking into her eyes, "I believe this is my mission, to educate Daniel. You know we have given him everything —my portion of the property and yours. I think I could hold out to do this last, and you will consent when you come to reflect upon what it will be to brother, and to you, when I am gone. But he must not know it. It would wound his pride, and he would get some false notion in his head that he could not use money I had earned in that way. Now, promise me, that let what will come, you will never tell him that I braided straw hats that he might complete his education." "I cannot promise never to tell him, darling, because I cannot foresee the future, but I should not like him to be humbled and wounded, more than yourself. I am too old to learn readily, but perhaps I, too, could earn something by braiding." The determination was now fully settled in the mind of each, that the young man must graduate, and that the bills must be met by them. The patronage of Mr. Green was solicited, and it was agreed the work should be taken home, and that a thousand hats should be braided for ten cents each, which he assured them was more than he would think of paying to any one else, and only to Susan in consideration of her infirmity. We ought, perhaps, to explain that Susan had been early afflicted with a curvature of the spine, which had sadly deformed her. She would never have been a beautiful girl, Daniel having inherited not only all the family talent, but its beauty as well. But her eyes were wondrously attractive, with their loving, yearning persuasiveness, and few could remember her deformity who had felt the warmth of her generous nature.
  • 55.
    In due time,the anticipated letter of inquiry came from Daniel, asking what the prospects were for the coming year. It was full of dismal forebodings and egotistical complaints of the hard fortune that made him dependent upon his mother, but there was no regret that she suffered too; no longing to be a man that he might take this lonely couple in his strong arms and bear them tenderly over the rough places of life; only vague, ambitious dreamings of what he was to be to the world, and the world to him. The widow laid down the letter with a sigh. Susan read the pages over and over again. So grounded was she in her love for this earthly idol that the selfishness was less apparent to her than to her mother. Its sadness seemed like tenderness, and he could not speak too often or too much of the genius which she believed he possessed, and which would some time break upon the world like the meteor to which he rather tritely compared himself. "Ah, we shall be so proud of him!" Susan said, folding the letter and laying it away near her heart, where it rested many and many a day, while she wove the strands of straw in and out, thinking how ten times ten made one dollar, and how the dollars would some time count up to a hundred, and that sum, which her fingers had wrought out, would save her brother from discouragement, if not from despair. The first twenty-five dollars was earned, and the money was sent the brother. "He was very glad of it," he said. "He had begun to fear lest they would fail him." There was no inquiry how it had been obtained; no solicitude lest those who loved him had deprived themselves of luxuries, perhaps necessities, to meet his demands. The next twenty-five dollars was earned, with greater difficulty. The widow was awkward at braiding, and her work unsatisfactory, and so some of it was returned to Susan. She sat up later nights, that her
  • 56.
    mother should notsee how hard the work pressed upon her; but the twenty-five dollars came at last, and was sent to the student. Then there was another letter of thanks. "If you would but rest, darling," the mother would say, when some look more wan than another startled her into keener anxiety. "When it is done we will rest together," was all the reply the solicitude brought. It was too late to retract now, the mother thought; and Daniel so nearly through! So they pinched a little from their daily meals, a little from the store of candles, a little from the evening fire, and prayed that every penny might be multiplied like the widow's meal. One night Mrs. Brooks had gone to bed exhausted and hysterical with overlabor. Susan pressed the blankets tenderly around her mother's shoulders, and having given her the good-night kiss, and quieted her with many promises of soon following her, she went back to the kitchen fire and resumed the weary braiding. She had not completed her usual task that week, and the idea occurred to her that her mother having fallen asleep, she could braid another hat before retiring. So she set up new strands and the thin fingers wove them patiently in and out, until sharp pain clutched her with merciless teeth, and she leaned forward, her head falling upon the table, in a dead faint. It was long past midnight when Susan found herself in this position. Shivering with cold, she crept to her mother's side and lay the remainder of the night, racked by alternate fevers and chills. How could the poor child tell her mother of what she knew was creeping so steadily toward her? Would she make a final effort to save her own life and let Daniel struggle with his fortunes as he best could? Poor, brave little heart, with the chill of the grave stealing over it, but warmed back into life and renewed suffering by the wonderful
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    strength of itsundying love! Another twenty five dollars was forwarded to Daniel, and a few lines came flying back by the return post, for Daniel was a man of business habits, and punctual in all things. Susan looked it all over carefully for some loving message to her; some sign answering to what she felt in her own heart toward him, but there was nothing there but "With love to Susan, I remain, etc., Daniel." A dry sob escaped the poor child as she laid it by, and took up the weary, rustling braids. The sound rasped upon her nerves now. The very odor of the strands nauseated her. Every kink in the braids fretted her; and when one hat was finished and laid aside, it seemed such a mountainous task to commence another. Sometimes hours would pass by without a round being accomplished, then again the nimble fingers would be inspired, and the work would grow as of old. "If I could only go and see Daniel take his diploma," she would say, "I think it would make me strong again. I would wear my white muslin frock, with the blue sash, and he would not be ashamed of me." But it was not to be. The one thousand hats were braided, and Susan's task was done. Nothing remained for her but to lie down in her modest casket and sleep with folded hands until the blessed Saviour shall bid her approach to receive His welcome—"Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Daniel returned with his collegiate honors only to listen to the sad story of her labors and death. His mother told it as they stood by the coffin. There were the worn letters she had cherished, blistered all over with tears. He was conscience stricken when he looked them over, and saw how cold and egotistical they were, and how thoughtless he had always
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    been of thetreasure that death had taken. He took the thin hands in his—the hands that had braided and plaited while he slept, and wrought out the treasure-trove that molded the key to his success, and he made solemn resolutions for the future. Let us hope that, in her broken life, he learned how beautiful in the sight of God and angels is the self-sacrifice of the lowly in heart: and how much better it is to die in the struggle to bless others than it is to live to a selfish, unloving, unsanctified old age. THE END.
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    A. L. BURT'SPUBLICATIONS For Young People BY POPULAR WRITERS. 97-99-101 Reade Street, New York. Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. By G. A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The adventures of the son of a Scotch officer in French service. The boy, brought up by a Glasgow bailie, is arrested for aiding a Jacobite agent, escapes, is wrecked on the French coast, reaches Paris, and serves with the French army at Dettingen. He kills his father's foe in a duel, and escaping to the coast, shares the adventures of Prince Charlie, but finally settles happily in Scotland. "Ronald, the hero, is very like the hero of 'Quentin Durward.' The lad's journey across France, and his hairbreadth escapes, make up as good a narrative of the kind as we have ever read. For freshness of treatment and variety of incident Mr. Henty has surpassed himself."—Spectator. With Clive in India; or, the Beginnings of an Empire. By G. A. Henty. With 12 full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The period between the landing of Clive as a young writer in India and the close of his career was critical and eventful in the extreme. At its commencement the English were traders existing on sufferance of the native princes. At its close they were masters of Bengal and of the greater part of Southern India. The author has given a full and accurate account of the events of that stirring time,
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    and battles andsieges follow each other in rapid succession, while he combines with his narrative a tale of daring and adventure, which gives a lifelike interest to the volume. "He has taken a period of Indian history of the most vital importance, and he has embroidered on the historical facts a story which of itself is deeply interesting. Young people assuredly will be delighted with the volume."—Scotsman. The Lion of the North: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and the Wars of Religion. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by John Schönberg. 12 mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story Mr. Henty gives the history of the first part of the Thirty Years' War. The issue had its importance, which has extended to the present day, as it established religious freedom in Germany. The army of the chivalrous king of Sweden was largely composed of Scotchmen, and among these was the hero of the story. "The tale is a clever and instructive piece of history, and as boys may be trusted to read it conscientiously, they can hardly fail to be profited."—Times. The Dragon and the Raven; or, The Days of King Alfred. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by C. J. Staniland, R.I. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story the author gives an a count of the fierce struggle between Saxon and Dane for supremacy in England, and presents a vivid picture of the misery and ruin to which the country was reduced by the ravages of the sea-wolves. The hero, a young Saxon thane, takes part in all the battles fought by King Alfred. He is driven from his home, takes to the sea and resists the Danes on their own element, and being pursued by them up the Seine, is present at the long and desperate siege of Paris.
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    "Treated in amanner most attractive to the boyish reader."— Athenæum. The Young Carthaginian: A Story of the Times of Hannibal. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by C. J. Staniland, R.I. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Boys reading the history of the Punic Wars have seldom a keen appreciation of the merits of the contest. That it was at first a struggle for empire, and afterward for existence on the part of Carthage, that Hannibal was a great and skillful general, that he defeated the Romans at Trebia, Lake Trasimenus, and Cannæ, and all but took Rome, represents pretty nearly the sum total of their knowledge. To let them know more about this momentous struggle for the empire of the world Mr. Henty has written this story, which not only gives in graphic style a brilliant description of a most interesting period of history, but is a tale of exciting adventure sure to secure the interest of the reader. "Well constructed and vividly told. From first to last nothing stays the interest of the narrative. It bears us along as on a stream whose current varies in direction, but never loses its force."—Saturday Review. In Freedom's Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce. By G. A. Henty. With full page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story the author relates the stirring tale of the Scottish War of Independence. The extraordinary valor and personal prowess of Wallace and Bruce rival the deeds of the mythical heroes of chivalry, and indeed at one time Wallace was ranked with these legendary personages. The researches of modern historians have shown, however, that he was a living, breathing man—and a valiant champion. The hero of the tale fought under both Wallace and Bruce, and while the strictest historical accuracy has been
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    maintained with respectto public events, the work is full of "hairbreadth 'scapes" and wild adventure. "It is written in the author's best style. Full of the wildest and most remarkable achievements, it is a tale of great interest, which a boy, once he has begun it, will not willingly put on one side."—The Schoolmaster. With Lee in Virginia: A Story of the American Civil War. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The story of a young Virginian planter, who, after bravely proving his sympathy with the slaves of brutal masters, serves with no less courage and enthusiasm under Lee and Jackson through the most exciting events of the struggle. He has many hairbreadth escapes, is several times wounded and twice taken prisoner; but his courage and readiness and, in two cases, the devotion of a black servant and of a runaway slave whom he had assisted, bring him safely through all difficulties. "One of the best stories for lads which Mr. Henty has yet written. The picture is full of life and color, and the stirring and romantic incidents are skillfully blended with the personal interest and charm of the story."—Standard. By England's Aid; or, The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585- 1604). By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Alfred Pearse, and Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The story of two English lads who go to Holland as pages in the service of one of "the fighting Veres." After many adventures by sea and land, one of the lads finds himself on board a Spanish ship at the time of the defeat of the Armada, and escapes only to fall into the hands of the Corsairs. He is successful in getting back to Spain under the protection of a wealthy merchant, and regains his native country after the capture of Cadiz.
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    "It is anadmirable book for youngsters. It overflows with stirring incident and exciting adventure, and the color of the era and of the scene are finely reproduced. The illustrations add to its attractiveness."—Boston Gazette. By Right of Conquest; or, With Cortez in Mexico. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by W. S. Stacey, and Two Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.50. The conquest of Mexico by a small band of resolute men under the magnificent leadership of Cortez is always rightly ranked among the most romantic and daring exploits in history. With, this as the ground work of his story Mr. Henty has interwoven the adventures of an English youth, Roger Hawkshaw, the sole survivor of the good ship Swan, which had sailed from a Devon port to challenge the mercantile supremacy of the Spaniards in the New World. He is beset by many perils among the natives, but is saved by his own judgment and strength, and by the devotion of an Aztec princess. At last by a ruse he obtains the protection of the Spaniards, and after the fall of Mexico he succeeds in regaining his native shore, with a fortune and a charming Aztec bride. "'By Right of Conquest' is the nearest approach to a perfectly successful historical tale that Mr. Henty has yet published."— Academy. In the Reign of Terror: The Adventures of a Westminster Boy. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by J. Schönberg. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Harry Sandwith, a Westminster boy, becomes a resident at the chateau of a French marquis, and after various adventures accompanies the family to Paris at the crisis of the Revolution. Imprisonment and death reduce their number, and the hero finds himself beset by perils with the three young daughters of the house in his charge. After hairbreadth escapes they reach Nantes. There
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    the girls arecondemned to death in the coffin-ships, but are saved by the unfailing courage of their boy protector. "Harry Sandwith, the Westminster boy, may fairly be said to beat Mr. Henry's record. His adventures will delight boys by the audacity and peril they depict.... The story is one of Mr. Henty's best."—Saturday Review. With Wolfe in Canada; or, The Winning of a Continent. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In the present volume Mr. Henty gives an account of the struggle between Britain and France for supremacy in the North American continent. On the issue of this war depended not only the destinies of North America, but to a large extent those of the mother countries themselves. The fall of Quebec decided that the Anglo- Saxon race should predominate in the New World; that Britain, and not France, should take the lead among the nations of Europe; and that English and American commerce, the English language, and English literature, should spread right round the globe. "It is not only a lesson in history as instructively as it is graphically told, but also a deeply interesting and often thrilling tale of adventure and peril by flood and field."—Illustrated London News. True to the Old Flag: A Tale of the American War of Independence. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. In this story the author has gone to the accounts of officers who took part in the conflict, and lads will find that in no war in which American and British soldiers have been engaged did they behave with greater courage and good conduct. The historical portion of the book being accompanied with numerous thrilling adventures with the
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    redskins on theshores of Lake Huron, a story of exciting interest is interwoven with the general narrative and carried through the book. "Does justice to the pluck and determination of the British soldiers during the unfortunate struggle against American emancipation. The son of an American loyalist, who remains true to our flag, falls among the hostile redskins in that very Huron country which has been endeared to us by the exploits of Hawkeye and Chingachgook."—The Times. The Lion of St. Mark: A Tale of Venice in the Fourteenth Century. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A story of Venice at a period when her strength and splendor were put to the severest tests. The hero displays a fine sense and manliness which carry him safely through an atmosphere of intrigue, crime, and bloodshed. He contributes largely to the victories of the Venetians at Porto d'Anzo and Chioggia, and finally wins the hand of the daughter of one of the chief men of Venice. "Every boy should read 'The Lion of St. Mark.' Mr. Henty has never produced a story more delightful, more wholesome, or more vivacious."—Saturday Review. A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia, By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by W. B. Wollen. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00, The hero, a young English lad, after rather a stormy boyhood, emigrates to Australia, and gets employment as an officer in the mounted police. A few years of active work on the frontier, where he has many a brush with both natives and bushrangers, gain him promotion to a captaincy, and he eventually settles down to the peaceful life of a squatter.
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    "Mr. Henty hasnever published a more readable, a more carefully constructed, or a better written story than this."— Spectator. Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A story of the days when England and Spain struggled for the supremacy of the sea. The heroes sail as lads with Drake in the Pacific expedition, and in his great voyage of circumnavigation. The historical portion of the story is absolutely to be relied upon, but this will perhaps be less attractive than the great variety of exciting adventure through which the young heroes pass in the course of their voyages. "A book of adventure, where the hero meets with experience enough, one would think, to turn his hair gray."—Harper's Monthly Magazine. By Sheer Pluck: A Tale of the Ashanti War. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The author has woven, in a tale of thrilling interest, all the details of the Ashanti campaign, of which he was himself a witness. His hero, after many exciting adventures in the interior, is detained a prisoner by the king just before the outbreak of the war but escapes, and accompanies the English expedition on their march to Coomassie. "Mr. Henty keeps up his reputation as a writer of boys' stories. 'By Sheer Pluck' will be eagerly read."—Athenæum. By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Maynard Brown, and 4 Maps. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
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    In this storyMr. Henty traces the adventures and brave deeds of an English boy in the household of the ablest man of his age—William the Silent. Edward Martin, the son of an English sea-captain, enters the service of the Prince as a volunteer, and is employed by him in many dangerous and responsible missions, in the discharge of which he passes through the great sieges of the time. He ultimately settles down as Sir Edward Martin. "Boys with a turn for historical research will be enchanted with the book, while the rest who only care for adventure will be students in spite of themselves."—St. James' Gazette. St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. No portion of English history is more crowded with great events than that of the reign of Edward III. Cressy and Poitiers; the destruction of the Spanish fleet; the plague of the Black Death; the Jacquerie rising; these are treated by the author in "St. George for England." The hero of the story, although of good family, begins life as a London apprentice, but after countless adventures and perils becomes by valor and good conduct the squire, and at last the trusted friend of the Black Prince. "Mr. Henty has developed for himself a type of historical novel for boys which bids fair to supplement, on their behalf, the historical labors of Sir Walter Scott in the land of fiction."—The Standard. Captain's Kidd's Gold: The True Story of an Adventurous Sailor Boy. By James Franklin Fitts. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. There is something fascinating to the average youth in the very idea of buried treasure. A vision arises before his eyes of swarthy Portuguese and Spanish rascals, with black beards and gleaming eyes—sinister-looking fellows who once on a time haunted the
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    Spanish Main, sneakingout from some hidden creek in their long, low schooner, of picaroonish rake and sheer, to attack an unsuspecting trading craft. There were many famous sea rovers in their day, but none more celebrated than Capt. Kidd. Perhaps the most fascinating tale of all is Mr. Fitts' true story of an adventurous American boy, who receives from his dying father an ancient bit of vellum, which the latter obtained in a curious way. The document bears obscure directions purporting to locate a certain island in the Bahama group, and a considerable treasure buried there by two of Kidd's crew. The hero of this book, Paul Jones Garry, is an ambitious, persevering lad, of salt-water New England ancestry, and his efforts to reach the island and secure the money form one of the most absorbing tales for our youth that has come from the press. Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Gold Fields of California By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by H. M. Paget. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A frank, manly lad and his cousin are rivals in the heirship of a considerable property. The former falls into a trap laid by the latter, and while under a false accusation of theft foolishly leaves England for America. He works his passage before the mast, joins a small band of hunters, crosses a tract of country infested with Indians to the Californian gold diggings, and is successful both as digger and trader. "Mr. Henty is careful to mingle instruction with entertainment; and the humorous touches, especially in the sketch of John Holl, the Westminster dustman, Dickens himself could hardly have excelled."—Christian Leader. For Name and Fame; or, Through Afghan Passes. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
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    An interesting storyof the last war in Afghanistan. The hero, after being wrecked and going through many stirring adventures among the Malays, finds his way to Calcutta and enlists in a regiment proceeding to join the army at the Afghan passes. He accompanies the force under General Roberts to the Peiwar Kotal, is wounded, taken prisoner, carried to Cabul, whence he is transferred to Candahar, and takes part in the final defeat of the army of Ayoub Khan. "The best feature of the book—apart from the interest of its scenes of adventure—is its honest effort to do justice to the patriotism of the Afghan people."—Daily News. Captured by Apes: The Wonderful Adventures of a Young Animal Trainer. By Harry Prentice. 12mo, cloth, $1.00. The scene of this tale is laid on an island in the Malay Archipelago. Philip Garland, a young animal collector and trainer, of New York, sets sail for Eastern seas in quest of a new stock of living curiosities. The vessel is wrecked off the coast of Borneo and young Garland, the sole survivor of the disaster, is cast ashore on a small island and captured by the apes that overrun the place. The lad discovers that the ruling spirit of the monkey tribe is a gigantic and vicious baboon, whom he identifies as Goliah, an animal at one time in his possession and with whose instruction he had been especially diligent. The brute recognizes him, and with a kind of malignant satisfaction puts his former master through the same course of training he had himself experienced with a faithfulness of detail which shows how astonishing is monkey recollection. Very novel indeed is the way by which the young man escapes death. Mr. Prentice has certainly worked a new vein on juvenile fiction, and the ability with which he handles a difficult subject stamps him as a writer of undoubted skill. The Bravest of the Brave; or, With Peterborough in Spain. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by H. M. Paget. 12mo,
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    cloth, price $1.00. Thereare few great leaders whose lives and actions have so completely fallen into oblivion as those of the Earl of Peterborough. This is largely due to the fact that they were overshadowed by the glory and successes of Marlborough. His career as general extended over little more than a year, and yet, in that time, he showed a genius for warfare which has never been surpassed. "Mr. Henty never loses sight of the moral purpose of his work— to enforce the doctrine of courage and truth. Lads will read 'The Bravest of the Brave' with pleasure and profit; of that we are quite sure."—Daily Telegraph. The Cat of Bubastes: A Story of Ancient Egypt. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A story which will give young readers an unsurpassed insight into the customs of the Egyptian people. Amuba, a prince of the Rebu nation, is carried with his charioteer Jethro into slavery. They become inmates of the house of Ameres, the Egyptian high-priest, and are happy in his service until the priest's son accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes. In an outburst of popular fury Ameres is killed, and it rests with Jethro and Amuba to secure the escape of the high-priest's son and daughter. "The story, from the critical moment of the killing of the sacred cat to the perilous exodus into Asia with which it closes, is very skillfully constructed and full of exciting adventures. It is admirably illustrated."—Saturday Review. With Washington at Monmouth: A Story of Three Philadelphia Boys. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Three Philadelphia boys, Seth Graydon "whose mother conducted a boarding-house which was patronized by the British officers;" Enoch Ball, "son of that Mrs. Ball whose dancing school was situated on
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    Letitia Street," andlittle Jacob, son of "Chris, the Baker," serve as the principal characters. The story is laid during the winter when Lord Howe held possession of the city, and the lads aid the cause by assisting the American spies who make regular and frequent visits from Valley Forge. One reads here of home-life in the captive city when bread was scarce among the people of the lower classes, and a reckless prodigality shown by the British officers, who passed the winter in feasting and merry-making while the members of the patriot army but a few miles away were suffering from both cold and hunger. The story abounds with pictures of Colonial life skillfully drawn, and the glimpses of Washington's soldiers which are given show that the work has not been hastily done, or without considerable study. For the Temple: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. By G. A. Henty, With full-page Illustrations by S. J. Solomon. 12mo, cloth, price $1,00. Mr. Henty here weaves into the record of Josephus an admirable and attractive story. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem, form the impressive and carefully studied historic setting to the figure of the lad who passes from the vineyard to the service of Josephus, becomes the leader of a guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home with the favor of Titus. "Mr. Henty's graphic prose pictures of the hopeless Jewish resistance to Roman sway add another leaf to his record of the famous wars of the world."—Graphic. Facing Death; or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of the Coal Mines. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Gordon Browne, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00.
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    "Facing Death" isa story with a purpose. It is intended to show that a lad who makes up his mind firmly and resolutely that he will rise in life, and who is prepared to face toil and ridicule and hardship to carry out his determination, is sure to succeed. The hero of the story is a typical British boy, dogged, earnest, generous, and though "shamefaced" to a degree, is ready to face death in the discharge of duty. "The tale is well written and well illustrated, and there is much eanty in the characters. If any father, clergyman, or schoolmaster is on the lookout for a good book to give as a present to a boy who is worth his salt, this is the book we would recommend."—Standard. Tom Temple's Career. By Horatio Alger. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Tom Temple, a bright, self-reliant lad, by the death of his father becomes a boarder at the home of Nathan Middleton, a penurious insurance agent. Though well paid for keeping the boy, Nathan and his wife endeavor to bring Master Tom in line with their parsimonious habits. The lad ingeniously evades their efforts and revolutionizes the household. As Tom is heir to $40,000, he is regarded as a person of some importance until by an unfortunate combination of circumstances his fortune shrinks to a few hundreds. He leaves Plympton village to seek work in New York, whence he undertakes an important mission to California, around which center the most exciting incidents of his young career. Some of his adventures in the far west are so startling that the reader will scarcely close the book until the last page shall have been reached. The tale is written in Mr. Alger's most fascinating style, and is bound to please the very large class of boys who regard this popular author as a prime favorite. Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. By G. A. Henty. With full-page Illustrations by Alfred Pearse. 12mo, cloth,
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    price $1.00. The Renshawsemigrate to New Zealand during the period of the war with the natives. Wilfrid, a strong, self-reliant, courageous lad, is the mainstay of the household. He has for his friend Mr. Atherton, a botanist and naturalist of herculean strength and unfailing nerve and humor. In the adventures among the Maoris, there are many breathless moments in which the odds seem hopelessly against the party, but they succeed in establishing themselves happily in one of the pleasant New Zealand valleys. "Brimful of adventure, of humorous and interesting conversation, and vivid pictures of colonial life."—Schoolmaster. Julian Mortimer: A Brave Boy's Struggle for Home and Fortune. By Harry Castlemon. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Here is a story that will warm every boy's heart. There is mystery enough to keep any lad's imagination wound up to the highest pitch. The scene of the story lies west of the Mississippi river, in the days when emigrants made their perilous way across the great plains to the land of gold. One of the startling features of the book is the attack upon the wagon train by a large party of Indians. Our hero is a lad of uncommon nerve and pluck, a brave young American in every sense of the word. He enlists and holds the reader's sympathy from the outset. Surrounded by an unknown and constant peril, and assisted by the unswerving fidelity of a stalwart trapper, a real rough diamond, our hero achieves the most happy results. Harry Castlemon has written many entertaining stories for boys, and it would seem almost superfluous to say anything in his praise, for the youth of America regard him as a favorite author. "Carrots:" Just a Little Boy. By Mrs. Molesworth. With Illustrations by Walter Crane. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "One of the cleverest and most pleasing stories it has been our good fortune to meet with for some time. Carrots and his sister
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    are delightful littlebeings, whom to read about is at once to become very fond of."—Examiner. "A genuine children's book; we've seen 'em seize it, and read it greedily. Children are first-rate critics, and thoroughly appreciate Walter Crane's illustrations."—Punch. Mopsa the Fairy. By Jean Ingelow. With Eight page Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "Miss Ingelow is, to our mind, the most charming of all living writers for children, and 'Mopsa' alone ought to give her a kind of pre-emptive right to the love and gratitude of our young folks. It requires genius to conceive a purely imaginary work which must of necessity deal with the supernatural, without running into a mere riot of fantastic absurdity; but genius Miss Ingelow has and the story of 'Jack' is as careless and joyous, but as delicate, as a picture of childhood."—Eclectic. A Jaunt Through Java: The Story of a Journey to the Sacred Mountain. By Edward S. Ellis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The central interest of this story is found in the thrilling adventures of two cousins, Hermon and Eustace Hadley, on their trip across the island of Java, from Samarang to the Sacred Mountain. In a land where the Royal Bengal tiger runs at large; where the rhinoceros and other fierce beasts are to be met with at unexpected moments; it is but natural that the heroes of this book should have a lively experience. Hermon not only distinguishes himself by killing a full grown tiger at short range, but meets with the most startling adventure of the journey. There is much in this narrative to instruct as well as entertain the reader, and so deftly has Mr. Ellis used his material that there is not a dull page in the book. The two heroes are brave, manly young fellows, bubbling over with boyish independence. They cope with the many difficulties that arise during the trip in a fearless way that is bound to win the admiration of every lad who is so fortunate as to read their adventures.
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    Wrecked on SpiderIsland; or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. A "down-east" plucky lad who ships as cabin boy, not from love of adventure, but because it is the only course remaining by which he can gain a livelihood. While in his bunk, seasick, Ned Rogers hears the captain and mate discussing their plans for the willful wreck of the brig in order to gain the insurance. Once it is known he is in possession of the secret the captain maroons him on Spider Island, explaining to the crew that the boy is afflicted with leprosy. While thus involuntarily playing the part of a Crusoe, Ned discovers a wreck submerged in the sand, and overhauling the timbers for the purpose of gathering material with which to build a hut finds a considerable amount of treasure. Raising the wreck; a voyage to Havana under sail; shipping there a crew and running for Savannah; the attempt of the crew to seize the little craft after learning of the treasure on board, and, as a matter of course, the successful ending of the journey, all serve to make as entertaining a story of sea-life as the most captious boy could desire. Geoff and Jim: A Story of School Life. By Ismay Thorn. Illustrated by A. G. Walker. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "This is a prettily told story of the life spent by two motherless bairns at a small preparatory school. Both Geoff and Jim are very lovable characters, only Jim is the more so; and the scrapes he gets into and the trials he endures will, no doubt, interest a large circle of young readers."—Church Times. "This is a capital children's story, the characters well portrayed, and the book tastefully bound and well illustrated."— Schoolmaster. "The story can be heartily recommended as a present for boys."—Standard.
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    The Castaways; or,On the Florida Reefs. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. This tale smacks of the salt sea. It is just the kind of story that the majority of boys yearn for. From the moment that the Sea Queen dispenses with the services of the tug in lower New York bay till the breeze leaves her becalmed off the coast of Florida, one can almost hear the whistle of the wind through her rigging, the creak of her straining cordage as she heels to the leeward, and feel her rise to the snow-capped waves which her sharp bow cuts into twin streaks of foam. Off Marquesas Keys she floats in a dead calm. Ben Clark, the hero of the story, and Jake, the cook, spy a turtle asleep upon the glassy surface of the water. They determine to capture him, and take a boat for that purpose, and just as they succeed in catching him a thick fog cuts them off from the vessel, and then their troubles begin. They take refuge on board a drifting hulk, a storm arises and they are cast ashore upon a low sandy key. Their adventures from this point cannot fail to charm the reader. As a writer for young people Mr. Otis is a prime favorite. His style is captivating, and never for a moment does he allow the interest to flag. In "The Castaways" he is at his best. Tom Thatcher's Fortune. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Like all of Mr. Alger's heroes, Tom Thatcher is a brave, ambitious, unselfish boy. He supports his mother and sister on meager wages earned as a shoe-pegger in John Simpson's factory. The story begins with Tom's discharge from the factory, because Mr. Simpson felt annoyed with the lad for interrogating him too closely about his missing father. A few days afterward Tom learns that which induces him to start overland for California with the view of probing the family mystery. He meets with many adventures. Ultimately he returns to his native village, bringing consternation to the soul of John Simpson, who only escapes the consequences of his villainy by making full restitution to the man whose friendship he had betrayed.
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    The story istold in that entertaining way which has made Mr. Alger's name a household word in so many homes. Birdie: A Tale of Child Life. By H. L. Childe-Pemberton. Illustrated by H. W. Rainey. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "The story is quaint and simple, but there is a freshness about it that makes one hear again the ringing laugh and the cheery shout of children at play which charmed his earlier years."—New York Express. Popular Fairy Tales. By the Brothers Grimm. Profusely Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. "From first to last, almost without exception, these stories are delightful."—Athenæum. With Lafayette at Yorktown: A Story of How Two Boys Joined the Continental Army. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The two boys are from Portsmouth, N. H., and are introduced in August, 1781, when on the point of leaving home to enlist in Col. Scammell's regiment, then stationed near New York City. Their method of traveling is on horseback, and the author has given an interesting account of what was expected from boys in the Colonial days. The lads, after no slight amount of adventure, are sent as messengers—not soldiers—into the south to find the troops under Lafayette. Once with that youthful general they are given employment as spies, and enter the British camp, bringing away valuable information. The pictures of camp-life are carefully drawn, and the portrayal of Lafayette's character is thoroughly well done. The story is wholesome in tone, as are all of Mr. Otis' works. There is no lack of exciting incident which the youthful reader craves, but it is healthful excitement brimming with facts which every boy should be familiar with, and while the reader is following the adventures of Ben Jaffreys and Ned Allen he is acquiring a fund of historical lore which
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    will remain inhis memory long after that which he has memorized from text-books has been forgotten. Lost in the Canon: Sam Willett's Adventures on the Great Colorado. By Alfred R. Calhoun. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. This story hinges on a fortune left to Sam Willett, the hero, and the fact that it will pass to a disreputable relative if the lad dies before he shall have reached his majority. The Vigilance Committee of Hurley's Gulch arrest Sam's father and an associate for the crime of murder. Their lives depend on the production of the receipt given for money paid. This is in Sam's possession at the camp on the other side of the cañon. A messenger is dispatched to get it. He reaches the lad in the midst of a fearful storm which floods the cañon. His father's peril urges Sam to action. A raft is built on which the boy and his friends essay to cross the torrent. They fail to do so, and a desperate trip down the stream ensues. How the party finally escape from the horrors of their situation and Sam reaches Hurley's Gulch in the very nick of time, is described in a graphic style that stamps Mr. Calhoun as a master of his art. Jack: A Topsy Turvy Story. By C. M. Crawley-Boevey. With upward of Thirty Illustrations by H. J. A. Miles. 12mo, cloth, price 75 cents. "The illustrations deserve particular mention, as they add largely to the interest of this amusing volume for children. Jack falls asleep with his mind full of the subject of the fishpond, and is very much surprised presently to find himself an inhabitant of Waterworld, where he goes though wonderful and edifying adventures. A handsome and pleasant book."—Literary World. Search for the Silver City: A Tale of Adventure in Yucatan. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Two American lads, Teddy Wright and Neal Emery, embark on the steam yacht Day Dream for a short summer cruise to the tropics.
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    Homeward bound theyacht is destroyed by fire. All hands take to the boats, but during the night the boat is cast upon the coast of Yucatan. They come across a young American named Cummings, who entertains them with the story of the wonderful Silver City, of the Chan Santa Cruz Indians. Cummings proposes with the aid of a faithful Indian ally to brave the perils of the swamp and carry off a number of the golden images from the temples. Pursued with relentless vigor for days their situation is desperate. At last their escape is effected in an astonishing manner. Mr. Otis has built his story on an historical foundation. It is so full of exciting incidents that the reader is quite carried away with the novelty and realism of the narrative. Frank Fowler, the Cash Boy. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Thrown upon his own resources Frank Fowler, a poor boy, bravely determines to make a living for himself and his foster-sister Grace. Going to New York he obtains a situation as cash boy in a dry goods store. He renders a service to a wealthy old gentleman named Wharton, who takes a fancy to the lad. Frank, after losing his place as cash boy, is enticed by an enemy to a lonesome part of New Jersey and held a prisoner. This move recoils upon the plotter, for it leads to a clue that enables the lad to establish his real identity. Mr. Alger's stories are not only unusually interesting, but they convey a useful lesson of pluck and manly independence. Budd Boyd's Triumph; or, the Boy Firm of Fox Island. By William P. Chipman. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. The scene of this story is laid on the upper part of Narragansett Bay, and the leading incidents have a strong salt water flavor. Owing to the conviction of his father for forgery and theft, Budd Boyd is compelled to leave his home and strike out for himself. Chance brings Budd in contact with Judd Floyd. The two boys, being ambitious and clear sighted, form a partnership to catch and sell
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    fish. The schemeis successfully launched, but the unexpected appearance on the scene of Thomas Bagsley, the man whom Budd believes guilty of the crimes attributed to his father, leads to several disagreeable complications that nearly caused the lad's ruin. His pluck and good sense, however, carry him through his troubles. In following the career of the boys firm of Boyd & Floyd, the youthful reader will find a useful lesson—that industry and perseverance are bound to lead to ultimate success. The Errand Boy; or, How Phil Brent Won Success. By Horatio Alger, Jr. 12 mo, cloth, price $1.00. The career of "The Errand Boy" embraces the city adventures of a smart country lad who at an early age was abandoned by his father. Philip was brought up by a kind-hearted innkeeper named Brent. The death of Mrs. Brent paved the way for the hero's subsequent troubles. Accident introduces him to the notice of a retired merchant in New York, who not only secures him the situation of errand boy but thereafter stands as his friend. An unexpected turn of fortune's wheel, however, brings Philip and his father together. In "The Errand Boy" Philip Brent is possessed of the same sterling qualities so conspicuous in all of the previous creations of this delightful writer for our youth. The Slate Picker: The Story of a Boy's Life in the Coal Mines. By Harry Prentice. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. This is a story of a boy's life in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. There are many thrilling situations, notably that of Ben Burton's leap into the "lion's mouth"—the yawning shute in the breakers—to escape a beating at the hands of the savage Spilkins, the overseer. Gracie Gordon is a little angel in rags, Terence O'Dowd is a manly, sympathetic lad, and Enoch Evans, the miner-poet, is a big-hearted, honest fellow, a true friend to all whose burdens seem too heavy for them to bear. Ben Burton, the hero, had a hard road to travel, but by grit and energy he advanced step by step until he found himself
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    called upon tofill the position of chief engineer of the Kohinoor Coal Company. A Runaway Brig; or, An Accidental Cruise. By James Otis. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. "A Runaway Brig" is a sea tale, pure and simple, and that's where it strikes a boy's fancy. The reader can look out upon the wide shimmering sea as it flashes back the sunlight, and imagine himself afloat with Harry Vandyne, Walter Morse, Jim Libby and that old shell-back, Bob Brace, on the brig Bonita, which lands on one of the Bahama keys. Finally three strangers steal the craft, leaving the rightful owners to shift for themselves aboard a broken-down tug. The boys discover a mysterious document which enables them to find a buried treasure, then a storm comes on and the tug is stranded. At last a yacht comes in sight and the party with the treasure is taken off the lonely key. The most exacting youth is sure to be fascinated with this entertaining story. Fairy Tales and Stories. By Hans Christian Andersen. Profusely Illustrated, 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. "If I were asked to select a child's library I should name these three volumes 'English,' 'Celtic,' and 'Indian Fairy Tales,' with Grimm and Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales."—Independent. The Island Treasure; or, Harry Darrel's Fortune. By Frank H. Converse. 12mo, cloth, price $1.00. Harry Darrel, an orphan, having received a nautical training on a school-ship, is bent on going to sea with a boyish acquaintance named Dan Plunket. A runaway horse changes his prospects. Harry saves Dr. Gregg from drowning and the doctor presents his preserver with a bit of property known as Gregg's Island, and makes the lad sailing-master of his sloop yacht. A piratical hoard is supposed to be hidden somewhere on the island. After much search and many thwarted plans, at last Dan discovers the treasure and is the means
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