So – objective: need to setup a virtual lab for pen-testing using Backtrack LiveCD as repository of penetration tools, and De-ICE LiveCDs as targets.

Problem: VMWare workstation uses a different network for the NAT option (vmnet8) than what De-ICE LiveCDs require with their pre-configured IPs (and NO, you cannot change the IP on the De-ICE LiveCDs at this stage!)

Solution: under the host terminal:

$ ifconfig
…
vmnet8: … inet 192.168.109.1 …
…

$ cd /Library/Applications\ Support/VMWare\ Fusion

$ grep -R 192.168.109

locations:…
…
vmnet8/dhcpd.conf:…
…
vmnet8/nat.conf:…
…

Replace all 192.168.109… entries in those files (locations, dhcpd.conf and nat.conf) with the networks | IPs required by De-ICE LiveCDs (192.168.1.0/24), setup the Backtrack and any De-ICE LiveCD VM as NAT and … good luck with the real work of pen-testing!

- Cost-effective solutions for SMBs, or high-end architectures for enterprise data centers and global networks and security

- Applications performance audit and optimization, as correlated to the underlying systems on which they run: network (local, global or Internet-based), servers, storage, etc.

# vmware-config-tools.pl

… — eventually the following comes up

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/usr/src/linux/include]

The directory of kernel headers (version 2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom) does not match
your running kernel (version 2.6.24.7-desktop-1mnb).  Even if the module were
to compile successfully, it would not load into the running kernel.

PROBLEM: different names used by mandriva in different places. Here is what we have, in the scenario above:

# ls -l /usr/src/linux

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 19 2008-08-19 08:55 /usr/src/linux -> linux-2.6.24.7-1mnb

NOTE the -1mnb

Now let’s do this:

# grep -r 1mnb /usr/src/linux

/usr/src/linux/fs/proc/proc_misc.c:     printk(KERN_INFO “Hook version: 2.6.24.7-1.uc1mnb1 2008/07/11\n”);
/usr/src/linux/include/config/kernel.release:2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom
/usr/src/linux/include/config/auto.conf:# Linux kernel version: 2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom
/usr/src/linux/include/config/auto.conf:CONFIG_KERNELVERSION=”2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom”
/usr/src/linux/include/linux/utsrelease.h:#define UTS_RELEASE “2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom”
/usr/src/linux/include/linux/autoconf.h: * Linux kernel version: 2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom
/usr/src/linux/include/linux/autoconf.h:#define CONFIG_KERNELVERSION “2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom”
/usr/src/linux/Makefile:EXTRAVERSION = .7-1mnbcustom
/usr/src/linux/.config:# Linux kernel version: 2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom

It looks like we’ll have to change ALL occurences of the string “2.6.24.7-1mnbcustom” in the files above, with what the info about the running kernel is, i.e. “2.6.24.7-desktop-1mnb”. So:

# grep -rl 1mnbcustom . |xargs sed -i -e ‘s/1mnbcustom/desktop-1mnb/g’

and

# vmware-config-tools.pl

runs to completion!

guest$ id
uid=500(username) gid=500(groupname) groups=500

then adjust the /etc/fstab file accordingly, in the block added by VMWare software:
old: .host:/ /mnt/hgfs vmhgfs defaults,ttl=5 0 0
new: .host:/ /mnt/hgfs vmhgfs defaults,ttl=5,uid=500,gid=500 0 0

lastly umount and remount hgfs:

guest$ sudo umount /mnt/hgfs
guest$ sudo mount /mnt/hgfs

1. created a directory for what I deem to be critical files (emails and configuration) on my system:

~$ md /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup

2. created a script able to update the backup directory, from the major ~/.kde place, tar and encrypt (using openssl and a password file to be passed to the encryption process) the tar file, then moved the encrypted file to the mounted USB volume (generically named “NO NAME” in the example). The script file is:

#!/bin/sh

cd ~/.kde/share/apps/
rsync -avz ./kmail –delete /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup/
rsync -avz ./kabc –delete /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup/
cd ../config/
rsync -avz ./kmailrc* –delete /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup/
rsync -avz ./emailidenti* –delete /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup/
cd /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup
tar -cf mail-backup.tar /<path-to-mail-backup-dir>/mail-backup/
openssl des3 -salt -in mail-backup.tar -out mail-backup.tar.des3 -pass file:/<path-to-password-file>/password.txt
mv -f mail-backup.tar.des3 /Volumes/NO\ NAME/
rm -f mail-backup.tar*

X11 –> terminal –> kcontrol –> KDE components –> Component chooser –> Web browser –> enable “in the following browser” and add this line:

open /Applications/Firefox.app

The problem is that the only answer having come up close to the above was indicating the line to be:

/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox

recommendation from an old posting on the subject, but which option leads to a “complaint”, if firefox is already running: “A copy of firefox is already open …”

The only method I have found reliable to migrate directories and files has been by using rsync w/ssh & tar, combined. Assuming that in our case the <source> email directory is /home/user/.Mail, and that the <target> directory we choose is /home/user/.kde/share/apps/kmail the followings are necessary steps to produce a functional kmail <target> system:

<target>/home/user/.kde/share$ rsync -avze ssh user@<source>:/home/user/.Mail/ ./apps/kmail

NOTE: it is important to have the <source> directory ending with a trailing “/”, to be able to copy just the content of it on the <target> one. For the <target> directory having a trailing “/”, or not, makes no difference!

<target>/home/user/.kde/share$ rsync -avze ssh user@<source>:/home/user/.kde/share/apps/kmail/ ./apps/kmail

NOTE: the above needs to be done, because the <…>kmail directory always contains info, even if the mail was not residing there (such as account:@host:port for various pop accounts, autosave info, etc.)

<target>/home/user/.kde/share$ rsync -avze ssh user@<source>:/home/user/.kde/share/config/kmailrc* ./config/

NOTE: the above copies all versions of configuration files, but the really important one is kmailrc, so the command above may be used w/out the wildcard (*)

<target>/home/user/.kde/share$ rsync -avze ssh user@<source>:/home/user/.kde/share/apps/kabc/ ./apps/kabc

NOTE: the above copies the address-book(s) (std.vcf + associated files)

<target>/home/user/.kde/share$ rsync -avze ssh user@<source>:/home/user/.kde/share/config/emailidentities ./config/

NOTE: the above copies all email identities you (may) have configured to use with kmail (usually associated with multiple accounts, of course)

<target>/home/user/.kde/share$ vi ./config/kmailrc ==> make sure you have the line:

folders = $HOME/.kde/share/apps/kmail

That’s it!

P.S. If deciding to use the above method to continuously backup kmail, instead of just migrating it from one system to another, then add a –delete option to the rsync command

The most successful outcome of movie encoding for this platform (video and audio) I was able to obtain was by using the following configuration:

* Quick preset (pull down list): 3gp (this one doesn’t really matter that much, as I had to modify both the Video and Audio codecs, as described below, but found it to be delivering the closest defaults … or at least I think so )

* Video Codec (video tab): MPEG4[.MP4] (ffmpeg) with Video Bitrate = 720 & Video Size = 320×240 (or 320 + autosize 4:3) & Framerate = 12.5

* Audio Codec (audio tab): AAC (MOV/MP4/3GP) with Audio Bitrate = 160 & Sampling = 44100 & Channels: Stereo