Professional Penetration Testing Documentation and Technical Lab Reports
This repository contains comprehensive technical documentation for penetration testing exercises conducted on the HackMyVM platform. The collection represents systematic security analysis across 51 virtual machines and 82 laboratory modules, emphasizing methodological rigor and professional reporting standards over simple flag acquisition.
Quality Over Quantity
This repository differs from traditional Capture The Flag writeups. Each document serves as a technical lab report that demonstrates:
- Systematic vulnerability analysis and exploitation methodology
- Complete attack chain documentation from reconnaissance to privilege escalation
- Reproducible technical evidence through synchronized terminal logs and visual proof
- Professional reporting standards suitable for security assessment documentation
The objective is to showcase not merely the ability to compromise systems, but the capacity to document security findings with the precision and clarity expected in professional penetration testing engagements.
Target Audience
These reports are designed for security engineers, penetration testers, red team operators, and technical hiring managers evaluating practical security analysis capabilities and technical documentation proficiency.
hackmyvm-writeups/
│
├── machines/ # 51 Virtual Machine Penetration Tests
│ ├── Alzheimer/
│ │ ├── alzheimer.md # Complete technical writeup
│ │ └── image*.png # Visual evidence and screenshots
│ ├── Aria/
│ ├── Thirteen/
│ ├── Observer/
│ └── [47 additional machines...]
│
├── labs/ # Progressive Laboratory Series
│ ├── hades/
│ │ └── 0x01.md - 0x32.md # 32 privilege escalation modules
│ └── venus/
│ └── 0x01.md - 0x50.md # 50 exploitation technique modules
│
└── challenges/ # CTF Challenges [Planned]
Repository Statistics:
- 51 completed machine writeups with full technical documentation
- 32 Hades laboratory modules focused on Linux privilege escalation
- 50 Venus laboratory modules covering web and system exploitation
- Comprehensive visual evidence integrated throughout all reports
Every writeup in this repository adheres to a consistent technical reporting structure designed to ensure clarity, reproducibility, and professional presentation.
# [Machine Name]
## Executive Summary
| Machine | Author | Category | Platform |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| [Name] | [Author] | [Difficulty] | HackMyVM |
**Summary:** [Comprehensive overview of vulnerabilities, attack vectors, and exploitation path]
---
## Reconnaissance
[Network discovery, port scanning, service enumeration, and initial information gathering]
## Initial Access
[Vulnerability identification, exploitation techniques, and initial foothold acquisition]
## Privilege Escalation
[Enumeration of privilege escalation vectors and root access methodology]
---
## Attack Chain Summary
1. **Reconnaissance**: [Specific enumeration findings]
2. **Vulnerability Discovery**: [Identified attack surface]
3. **Initial Exploitation**: [Exploitation method and user access]
4. **Internal Enumeration**: [Post-exploitation information gathering]
5. **Privilege Escalation**: [Root access technique]The repository employs a structured documentation pipeline that ensures consistency and technical accuracy:
Phase 1: Data Collection
- Terminal session logs captured in output.md
- Visual evidence collected through screenshots (image.png, image-1.png, etc.)
- All artifacts stored in machine-specific directories
Phase 2: Report Generation
- Raw terminal logs transformed into structured technical writeups
- Visual evidence embedded inline at relevant technical steps
- Commands and outputs preserved for reproducibility
- Attack chain synthesized from exploitation sequence
Phase 3: Quality Assurance
- Executive summary generated from technical findings
- Attack chain validated against actual exploitation path
- Visual proof verified for accuracy and completeness
- Final report formatted according to standardized template
This workflow ensures that each of the 51 machine reports maintains consistent quality and professional presentation standards.
The writeups in this repository demonstrate proficiency across the complete penetration testing lifecycle:
| Skill Area | Tools and Techniques |
|---|---|
| Network Scanning | Nmap, Masscan, ARP-scan, custom PowerShell scripts |
| Service Fingerprinting | Version detection, banner grabbing, vulnerability correlation |
| Web Enumeration | Gobuster, Ffuf, Dirbuster, WFuzz, directory brute-forcing |
| OSINT | Information gathering, username enumeration, credential discovery |
| Skill Area | Tools and Techniques |
|---|---|
| Web Application Testing | Burp Suite, manual source code analysis, parameter fuzzing |
| Local File Inclusion | Path traversal, filter bypass, encoding manipulation (ROT13, Base64) |
| File Upload Vulnerabilities | Content-type bypass, polyglot file creation, web shell injection |
| Configuration Analysis | Default credentials, misconfigured services, exposed APIs |
| Skill Area | Tools and Techniques |
|---|---|
| Remote Code Execution | Web shell deployment, reverse shell establishment, command injection |
| Service Exploitation | FTP server manipulation, RPC abuse, SMB exploitation |
| Authentication Bypass | Credential brute-forcing (Hydra), session manipulation, token extraction |
| Steganography | Zero-width character analysis, metadata extraction, hidden data recovery |
| Skill Area | Tools and Techniques |
|---|---|
| Linux Privilege Escalation | SUID/SGID binary abuse, sudo misconfiguration, kernel exploits |
| File System Analysis | Sensitive file discovery, credential harvesting, bash history analysis |
| Service Abuse | Cron job manipulation, writable service exploitation, capability abuse |
| Container Exploitation | Docker escape techniques, Nginx Unit API manipulation |
| Skill Area | Tools and Techniques |
|---|---|
| Evidence Collection | Screenshot capture, terminal logging, artifact preservation |
| Attack Path Mapping | Attack chain documentation, vulnerability correlation |
| Technical Writing | Executive summary generation, methodology documentation, reproducible reporting |
| Automation | Custom documentation pipelines, workflow optimization |
View Complete Machine List
| Machine | Difficulty | Primary Attack Vectors |
|---|---|---|
| Alzheimer | Beginner | Password forensics, privilege escalation |
| Aria | Beginner | Custom shell interaction, file upload bypass, RPC exploitation, steganography |
| Art | Beginner | File upload vulnerabilities, web exploitation |
| Bah | Beginner | Local File Inclusion, SSH key extraction |
| Baseme | Beginner | Base64 encoding manipulation, command injection |
| Coolpg | Beginner | PostgreSQL exploitation, SQL injection |
| Crack | Beginner | Hash cracking, password analysis |
| Devoops | Intermediate | Git repository exploitation, DevOps misconfigurations |
| Doc | Beginner | Document processing vulnerabilities |
| Doll | Intermediate | Binary exploitation, buffer overflow |
| DriftingBlues3 | Series | Web application exploitation chain |
| DriftingBlues5 | Series | Advanced enumeration techniques |
| DriftingBlues6 | Series | Database attack vectors |
| DriftingBlues7 | Series | Multi-stage privilege escalation |
| Fuzzz | Intermediate | Web fuzzing, input validation bypass |
| Gameshell | Beginner | Interactive shell exploitation |
| Gameshell2 | Beginner | Advanced shell manipulation |
| Gift | Beginner | File transfer protocols, steganography |
| Hannah | Beginner | User enumeration, lateral movement |
| Helium | Intermediate | Container escape, Docker exploitation |
| Hommie | Beginner | SUID binary abuse |
| Hotel | Beginner | Web service exploitation |
| Hundred | Beginner | Multi-user enumeration |
| Hunter | Beginner | OSINT techniques, reconnaissance |
| Icecream | Beginner | SMB share exploitation, Nginx Unit API abuse, sudo privilege escalation |
| Jan | Beginner | Cron job exploitation |
| Ll104567 | Intermediate | Binary reverse engineering |
| Locker | Beginner | Encryption bypass techniques |
| Luz | Beginner | Steganography, cryptographic analysis |
| Meltdown | Advanced | Kernel vulnerability exploitation (CVE-2017-5754) |
| Noob | Beginner | Fundamental penetration testing methodology |
| Observer | Beginner | LFI via custom Golang application, SSH key extraction, bash history privilege escalation |
| Oliva | Beginner | Web framework vulnerabilities |
| Beginner | PDF metadata exploitation | |
| React | Intermediate | React.js application security testing |
| Skid | Beginner | Script analysis, enumeration techniques |
| Sysadmin | Beginner | System administration misconfiguration exploitation |
| T800 | Advanced | Complex privilege escalation scenarios |
| Talk | Beginner | Inter-process communication vulnerabilities |
| Thirteen | Beginner | ROT13 encoding LFI, FTP default credentials, Python FTP server RCE |
| Todd | Beginner | Credential harvesting techniques |
| Tpn | Intermediate | VPN configuration exploitation |
| Translator | Beginner | Translation service vulnerabilities |
| Twisted | Intermediate | Python application framework exploitation |
| University | Beginner | Educational platform attack vectors |
| Victorique | Beginner | Custom binary analysis |
| Visions | Beginner | Visual cryptography challenges |
| Vulny | Beginner | Intentionally vulnerable service exploitation |
| Warez | Beginner | File sharing service exploitation |
| Warrior | Intermediate | Advanced attack scenario simulation |
| Webmaster | Beginner | Web server misconfiguration exploitation |
Notable Series:
- DriftingBlues Series (3, 5, 6, 7): Progressive difficulty challenges focusing on web application security
- Gameshell Series (1, 2): Interactive shell-based exploitation scenarios
A progressive training environment focusing on systematic privilege escalation techniques. Each module (0x01 through 0x20 and beyond) represents a user-to-user escalation challenge within a single virtual machine environment.
Coverage Areas:
- SUID and SGID binary exploitation
- File permission abuse and misconfiguration
- Credential discovery in file systems
- Binary analysis and reverse engineering
- Sudo misconfiguration exploitation
- Custom binary manipulation
Comprehensive exploitation training covering 50 progressive modules (0x01 through 0x50) with emphasis on web application security and system-level attack techniques.
Coverage Areas:
- Web application vulnerability exploitation
- Authentication and session management bypass
- Server-side request forgery and injection attacks
- File upload and inclusion vulnerabilities
- System service exploitation
- Advanced enumeration and pivoting techniques
This portfolio demonstrates systematic competency development across core penetration testing domains:
- Attack Surface Analysis: Comprehensive enumeration of network services, web applications, and system configurations
- Vulnerability Assessment: Identification and prioritization of exploitable weaknesses
- Exploit Chain Development: Construction of multi-stage attack paths from initial access to privilege escalation
- Post-Exploitation Operations: Evidence collection, credential harvesting, and attack path documentation
- OWASP Top 10: Practical exploitation of injection vulnerabilities, broken authentication, sensitive data exposure, XML external entities, broken access control, security misconfigurations, cross-site scripting, insecure deserialization, and insufficient logging
- Linux Security: Comprehensive understanding of permission models, kernel exploitation, service abuse, and container escape techniques
- Web Application Security: Directory traversal, local and remote file inclusion, SQL injection, cross-site scripting, cross-site request forgery, and authentication bypass
- Documentation Excellence: Clear, reproducible, and professionally formatted technical reports
- Methodological Rigor: Systematic approach to vulnerability discovery and exploitation
- Attack Chain Analysis: Complete traceability from reconnaissance through privilege escalation
- Evidence Preservation: Synchronized terminal logs and visual documentation
To evaluate technical proficiency:
- Review the Technical Skills Matrix for capability overview
- Examine writeups from the machines directory for methodology assessment
- Analyze the Hades Lab series for privilege escalation expertise
- Review the Venus Lab series for web application security knowledge
To assess candidate suitability:
- Examine the Portfolio Philosophy section for professional approach
- Review 2-3 sample machine writeups for documentation quality
- Evaluate the Technical Skills Matrix against position requirements
- Assess the scale and consistency of the portfolio (51 machines, 82 lab modules)
To learn penetration testing techniques:
- Start with beginner-level machines such as Noob or Hundred
- Progress through the DriftingBlues series for structured learning
- Study the Hades Lab series for privilege escalation fundamentals
- Analyze Attack Chain Summaries to understand exploitation sequences
All writeups in this repository adhere to the following standards:
- Structured Format: Consistent use of Executive Summary, Reconnaissance, Initial Access, Privilege Escalation, and Attack Chain Summary sections
- Command Reproducibility: Complete command syntax with full output preservation
- Visual Evidence: Annotated screenshots embedded at relevant technical steps
- Technical Accuracy: Validated exploitation paths with reproducible results
- Professional Presentation: Clean Markdown formatting suitable for technical documentation
All activities documented in this repository were conducted in authorized laboratory environments.
This repository is intended exclusively for:
- Educational purposes and professional skill development
- Portfolio demonstration for employment opportunities
- Security research within controlled environments (HackMyVM platform)
Legal Notice:
Unauthorized access to computer systems is illegal under applicable laws including but not limited to:
- Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) - United States
- Computer Misuse Act - United Kingdom
- Cybercrime laws in various jurisdictions
The techniques documented in this repository must only be applied:
- On systems you own
- On systems where you possess explicit written authorization
- In legitimate Capture The Flag or laboratory environments
Liability Disclaimer:
The author assumes no liability for misuse of the information contained in this repository. Users are solely responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Any application of these techniques without proper authorization may result in criminal prosecution.
While this repository serves primarily as a personal portfolio, technical feedback is welcomed:
- Technical Corrections: Report errors or inaccuracies through issue tracking
- Methodology Discussions: Share alternative approaches or optimization techniques
- Documentation Improvements: Suggest enhancements to reporting clarity or structure
For professional inquiries or collaboration proposals, contact information can be provided upon request.
- 51 machine writeups completed with full documentation
- 32 Hades laboratory modules documented
- 50 Venus laboratory modules documented
- Standardized executive summary format implemented across all reports
- Multimodal documentation workflow operational
- Addition of CTF-style challenges to the challenges directory
- Development of custom enumeration and exploitation automation scripts
- Cross-machine vulnerability trend analysis and pattern documentation
- Extension of laboratory series as new modules are released
- HackMyVM Platform: For providing a comprehensive and challenging learning environment
- Security Community: For continuous knowledge sharing and collaborative research
- Challenge Authors: For creating realistic and educational security scenarios
Professional Penetration Testing Documentation