Setting Up a Penetration Testing Lab

Why Build Your Own Pentesting Lab?

Setting up a home lab is the best way to learn ethical hacking safely. Here’s why it matters:

• Get real, hands-on practice with the same tools used by professionals

• Build confidence for interviews, certifications, and real-world scenarios

• Break things, experiment, and learn—without risking your main system

• Take control of your learning and progress at your own pace

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My Lab Setup

Welcome! I’m running Fedora Linux as my daily OS, so I use QEMU/KVM for virtualization. It’s fast, stable, and works great on Linux.

If you’re on Windows or Mac, you’re covered too:

• VMware Workstation Player (free for personal use)

• VirtualBox (free and beginner-friendly)

For this guide, you’ll set up two virtual machines:

1. Kali Linux (the attacker)

2. Metasploitable 2 (the vulnerable target)

With this setup, you can safely practice penetration testing in your own isolated environment.

Step 1: Install Virtualization Software

Linux (Fedora) - QEMU/KVM

Since I’m using Fedora, I’ll show you how to get QEMU/KVM up and running with just a few commands. If you’re on a different Linux distro (like Ubuntu), check out the official QEMU docs for the right steps.

First, open your terminal and install the virtualization group:

sudo dnf install @virtualization

Once that’s done, let’s make sure the virtualization service is running and set to start automatically every time you boot:

sudo systemctl start --now libvirtd
sudo systemctl enable --now libvirtd
sudo systemctl status libvirtd

If everything went smoothly, you should see output showing that libvirtd is active. If it says “inactive (dead),” don’t worry—sometimes it only runs when needed.

Now, you’re ready to launch the Virtual Machine Manager (also called virt-manager). This is a handy graphical tool to create and manage your virtual machines.

The first time you open Virtual Machine Manager, it might ask for your password. If you want to avoid entering your password every time, just add your user to the right groups:

sudo usermod -aG libvirt $USER
sudo usermod -aG libvirt-qemu $USER
sudo usermod -aG kvm $USER
sudo usermod -aG input $USER
sudo usermod -aG disk $USER

After running these commands, log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

Start Virtual Machine Manager GUI

Just search for “Virtual Machine Manager” in your applications menu and launch it. You’ll see a window like this:

Now you’re all set to start creating your virtual machines!

Windows - VMware/VirtualBox

If you’re using Windows, you’ll need to install virtualization software before setting up your lab. There are two popular (and free) options:

• VirtualBox

• VMware Workstation Player (free for personal use)

Not sure how to install them? Just search YouTube for “How to install VirtualBox on Windows” or “How to install VMware Workstation Player on Windows.” You’ll find plenty of step-by-step video guides that walk you through the process.

Tip: Make sure virtualization is enabled in your BIOS/UEFI (look for VT-x or AMD-V settings) before installing.

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Step 2: Download VM Images

Kali Linux (Attacker)

• Visit the official Kali Linux downloads page: kali.org/get-kali

• Download the Virtual Machine (OVA) file for quick setup, or the ISO if you prefer a custom installation.

Metasploitable 2 (Target)

• Download Metasploitable 2 from SourceForge: Metasploitable 2 Download

• The download provides a VMware VMDK disk image, which you’ll use for your target machine.

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Step 3: Convert Metasploitable 2 for QEMU/KVM

Metasploitable 2 is provided as a VMDK file (for VMware), but QEMU/KVM works best with the QCOW2 format. To convert the VMDK to QCOW2, use the following command:

qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 Metasploitable.vmdk metasploitable2.qcow2

This will create a metasploitable2.qcow2 file that you can use when setting up the VM in Virt-Manager.

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Step 4: Create Virtual Machines

On Linux (QEMU/KVM with Virt-Manager)

Kali Linux (Attacker Machine)

1. Open Virtual Machine Manager You can launch it from your application menu or type:

virt-manager

2. Click “Create a new virtual machine” This will open a setup wizard.

2. Choose “Local install media (ISO)” This means we’re installing from a Kali Linux ISO file.

   

• Click Browse and select your downloaded Kali ISO.

  

4. Set the hardware:

• 🧠 RAM: Give it at least 2 GB (2048 MB)

• 💾 Disk space: Allocate 20 GB (create a new disk image if prompted)

5. Networking:

• Set to NAT (default) or Isolated Network (safer).

• Tip: NAT lets the VM access the internet (good for updates).

6. Click Finish and start the VM. Now install Kali Linux like you would on a normal PC. Use default settings unless you know what you’re doing.

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Metasploitable 2 (Vulnerable Target)

Metasploitable is already a ready-to-use virtual disk, so no installation needed.

1. Open Virt-Manager → Click “Create a new virtual machine”

2. Choose “Import existing disk image” This lets us use the converted metasploitable2.qcow2 file.

3. Browse and select metasploitable2.qcow2

4. Set the hardware:

• 🧠 RAM: 512 MB is enough (it’s very light)

• 💾 Disk: Use the existing QCOW2 file

5. Networking:

• Use the same network setting as Kali (NAT or Isolated).

• ✅ Tip: Both VMs must be on the same network to “see” each other.

6. Click Finish and start the VM. It will boot directly into a login screen.

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🪟 On Windows (VirtualBox or VMware)

Kali Linux

• Download the Kali OVA file from kali.org

• Open VirtualBox → File → Import Appliance → Select OVA

• Follow the wizard and finish.

Metasploitable 2

• Create a new VM in VirtualBox

• When it asks for a hard disk, select “Use existing virtual hard disk file” and choose the downloaded VMDK.

Networking for Both

• Set networking mode to “Host-Only” or “Internal Network”

• Tip: This keeps your VMs safe and isolated from the real internet.

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Step 5: Login Credentials

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🛠️ Step 6: Test Your Lab

Now let’s check if everything works!

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Find Metasploitable’s IP Address

Login to Metasploitable 2:

msfadmin
msfadmin

Type:

ifconfig

(or ip a if ifconfig is not available)

Look for something like 192.168.x.x

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✅ Ping Metasploitable from Kali

In Kali Linux terminal:

ping 192.168.122.209

You should see replies, which means both VMs are connected!

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