Penetration Testing with Kali Linux OffSec

ls *.txt
oldfilename.txt 
kali@kali:~$ 
mv oldfilename.txt newfilename.txt
kali@kali:~$ 
ls *.txt
newfilename.txt 
Listing 11 - Renaming a file and checking our results. 
After the code listing, we would explain our results. In this case, we listed the .txt files and only 
had one, named oldfilename.txt. We then ran our renaming command and received no output, as 
expected. Finally, we checked our results by running ls *.txt again. This time, the output shows the 
only .txt file in the directory is newfilename.txt. We could take further steps to ensure this file 
contains the same contents as earlier, and that only the filename has changed. 
While it may seem unnecessary to include these extra items, this sort of demonstration and 
description begins to expose the thought process that a student will need to learn. We verified our 
work in this case and checked that our command worked. Although that’s not necessarily part of 
renaming a file, getting in the habit of checking our work is an excellent habit to adopt. 
Sometimes the material will take what feels like a longer route in order to show both the new skill 
and a useful context. It may also actively expose and discuss the instructor’s “mistakes” and 
redirections. Demonstrating a thought process in this manner is called 
modeling
,
146
and was 
developed as a way to teach 
critical thinking skills
.
147
4.3.2
Learning by Doing 
Doing something helps us learn it. There is an absolute wealth of research to support learning by 
doing as a method that increases memory retention and improves the overall educational 
experience of a learner.
148,149,150,151
We know this method works well for learners, and OffSec has applied it in several ways. 
1.
The Training Materials 
2.
The Module Exercises 
146
(Intel, 2012), https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/program/education/us/en/documents/project-
design/strategies/instructionalstrategies-modeling.pdf 
147
(Daniel, Lafortune, Pallascio, et al., 2005), https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marie-
france_Daniel/publication/262849880_Modeling_the_Development_Process_of_Dialogical_Critical_Thinking_in_Pupils_Aged_10_to_12_
Years/links/54ee0f110cf25238f93984dd.pdf 
148
(Koedinger, McLaughlin, Kim, et al., 2015), 
http://pact.cs.cmu.edu/pubs/koedinger,%20Kim,%20Jia,%20McLaughlin,%20Bier%202015.pdf 
149
(Bates, 2015): https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/4-4-models-for-teaching-by-doing/ 
150
(Boser, 2020): https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/the-learning-curve/learning-by-doing/ 
151
(Djavad Mowafaghain Centre for Brain Health, 2018): https://www.centreforbrainhealth.ca/news/learning-doing-better-retention-
learning-watching/ 

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Penetration Testing with Kali Linux
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67 
3.
The Challenge Labs 
4.
Proving Grounds 
The training materials themselves will always trend toward focusing on scenarios that we can 
follow along with. There are times when we need to discuss a bit of theory so that we have 
enough background to go deeper, but in general, if the material can demonstrate working through 
a problem, then the expectation is that the student should be able to follow along. Often a 
virtual 
machine
(VM) is specifically built in order to accommodate this. 
The 
Module Exercises
themselves will often involve working with a VM as well. This is the 
approach as often as is reasonably possible, but with some Modules (this one, for example) that 
are more theoretical, exercises are presented in a more standard question-and-answer format. 
The OffSec Library also contains 
Challenge Labs
, which take the exercises one step further. A 
Challenge Lab is, essentially, an environment of additional practice exercises specifically created 
to help learners prepare for an exam (which, perhaps as expected, is also hands-on). We highly 
recommend that students take advantage of this additional opportunity. 
Finally, we leverage assessments and exams. These are exercises and networked lab 
environments specifically for proving the skills we’ve learned. Since a real world environment will 
not give us a clear indication for which vulnerabilities might be present on a system, we don’t 
create a 1:1 link between a course module and an assessment (for example, we don’t advertise 
whether or not a machine is vulnerable to privilege escalation). 
With this in mind, the skills and methods students will learn in the courses are directly applicable 
in the assessment and exam environments. 
4.3.3
Facing Difficulty 
There is a common expression that “practice makes perfect”. That may be true, but it begs the 
question, what makes for ideal practice? 
Let’s consider the following experiment that was performed in 1978.
152
A group of 8-year-old 
children were divided into two groups to practice a simple task: toss a small bean bag into a 
target hole. After being introduced to the task with the target at a distance of three feet (about 90 
cm), the groups spent the next three months practicing. One group kept practicing with the target 
at the same distance. The other aimed at a pair of targets - practicing with distances of both two 
feet (60 cm) and four feet (120 cm). 
In the final test, the task was to toss the bean bags to a target three feet away. The group who 
had spent all of their practicing at that exact distance was in fact bested by the group who had 
practiced at two and four feet. 
This and other studies demonstrate that struggle is not only important to the learning experience, 
but it’s actually more important than mere repetition for creating the neural pathways that help us 
learn new skills. 
152
(Kerr and Booth, 1978), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/662537/ 

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Penetration Testing with Kali Linux
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68 
This necessity for struggle means that we won’t do much exact repetition in the OffSec learning 
materials. Since learning is self-directed, students seeking more repetition can return to specific