Tier 1: Minimum Viable Lab

Time Required: 2-3 hours Cost: $0 Requirements: 8GB RAM minimum, 50GB free disk space

What You're Building

  • 1 Kali Linux VM (attacker)

  • 1 Windows 10 VM (target)

  • Isolated network for safe testing

What You Can Practice: Days 1-14 (Reconnaissance through C2)

Step 1: Install Virtualization Software

Option A: VirtualBox (Recommended for Beginners)

  1. Download VirtualBox from: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

  2. Choose your host OS (Windows, macOS, or Linux)

  3. Download the Extension Pack as well

  4. Install VirtualBox:

    • Windows: Run the .exe installer, accept defaults

    • macOS: Open the .dmg and drag to Applications

    • Linux: sudo apt install virtualbox (Ubuntu/Debian)

  5. Install Extension Pack by double-clicking the downloaded file

Option B: VMware Workstation Player

  1. Download from: https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html

  2. Choose "Workstation Player for Windows" or Linux

  3. Run installer, accept license for personal use

  4. Restart computer when prompted

Step 2: Download Kali Linux VM

Pre-built VM (Easiest Method)

  1. Go to: https://www.kali.org/get-kali/#kali-virtual-machines

  2. Download the appropriate version:

    • For VirtualBox: Download "Kali Linux VirtualBox 64-bit (OVA)"

    • For VMware: Download "Kali Linux VMware 64-bit (7z)"

  3. File size: ~3.5GB (this will take time)

Import into VirtualBox

  1. Open VirtualBox

  2. Click File → Import Appliance

  3. Browse to downloaded .ova file

  4. Click Next, then Import

  5. Wait 5-10 minutes for import to complete

Import into VMware

  1. Extract the 7z file (use 7-Zip on Windows)

  2. Open VMware Workstation Player

  3. Click Open a Virtual Machine

  4. Browse to the extracted .vmx file

  5. Click Open

Default Credentials

  • Username: kali

  • Password: kali

Change this immediately after first login!

Step 3: Download Windows 10 VM

Get Windows 10 ISO

  1. Go to: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-10-enterprise

  2. Click Start your free trial

  3. Fill out form (use any business email)

  4. Choose ISO - Enterprise format

  5. Select language and download (64-bit)

  6. File size: ~5GB

Step 4: Create Windows 10 VM

In VirtualBox

  1. Click New in VirtualBox

  2. Name: Windows10-Target

  3. Type: Microsoft Windows

  4. Version: Windows 10 (64-bit)

  5. Click Next

  6. Memory: 4096 MB (4GB) minimum

  7. Create virtual hard disk: 40 GB (VDI, Dynamically allocated)

  8. Click Create

Configure VM Before Starting

  1. Select the VM, click Settings

  2. System → Processor: Assign 2 CPUs

  3. Display → Screen: Set Video Memory to 128 MB

  4. Storage: Click empty CD icon

    • Click disk icon → Choose disk file

    • Select downloaded Windows 10 ISO

  5. Network → Adapter 1: Attached to: NAT Network (we'll create this later)

  6. Click OK

In VMware

  1. Click Create a New Virtual Machine

  2. Select Installer disc image file (iso)

  3. Browse to Windows 10 ISO

  4. Windows product key: Leave blank (evaluation)

  5. Name: Windows10-Target

  6. Disk size: 40 GB, Store as single file

  7. Click Customize Hardware:

    • Memory: 4096 MB

    • Processors: 2

  8. Click Finish

Step 5: Install Windows 10

  1. Start the Windows 10 VM

  2. Windows Setup will load

  3. Language: English, Click Next

  4. Click Install Now

  5. Select Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation

  6. Accept license terms

  7. Choose Custom: Install Windows only

  8. Select the unallocated disk space, click Next

  9. Wait 15-20 minutes for installation

  10. VM will restart automatically

Windows Setup (OOBE)

  1. Region: Select your region

  2. Keyboard: Confirm layout

  3. Skip additional keyboard layouts

  4. Choose Set up for personal use

  5. Skip signing in with Microsoft account → Offline account

  6. Username: labuser

  7. Password: Password123! (use something memorable)

  8. Security questions: Answer them (you'll need these)

  9. Turn off all privacy settings

  10. Skip Cortana

  11. Wait for desktop to load

Initial Windows Configuration

  1. Right-click Start → System

  2. Click Rename this PC → Name it WIN10-TARGET

  3. Restart when prompted

  4. After restart, disable Windows Defender:

    • Open Windows Security

    • Virus & threat protection → Manage settings

    • Turn OFF Real-time protection

    • Turn OFF Cloud-delivered protection

    • Turn OFF Automatic sample submission

Note: Defender will re-enable periodically. For permanent disabling, use Group Policy (gpedit.msc) or registry edits.

Step 6: Create Isolated Network

VirtualBox - Create NAT Network

  1. Open VirtualBox → File → Preferences

  2. Click Network → NAT Networks tab

  3. Click green + icon to add network

  4. Name it RedTeamLab

  5. Network CIDR: 10.10.10.0/24

  6. Enable DHCP

  7. Click OK

Assign VMs to Network

  1. Select Kali VM → Settings → Network

  2. Adapter 1: Attached to NAT Network

  3. Name: RedTeamLab

  4. Click OK

  5. Repeat for Windows 10 VM

VMware - Create Virtual Network

  1. Open VMware → Edit → Virtual Network Editor

  2. Click Change Settings (requires admin)

  3. Click Add Network

  4. Select VMnet2 → OK

  5. Choose Host-only (for isolation) or NAT (for internet)

  6. Subnet IP: 10.10.10.0

  7. Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

  8. Click Apply

Assign VMs to Network

  1. Select Kali VM → Edit virtual machine settings

  2. Network Adapter → Custom: VMnet2

  3. Click OK

  4. Repeat for Windows 10 VM

Step 7: Verify Connectivity

Start Both VMs

  1. Start Kali Linux VM

  2. Start Windows 10 VM

  3. Log into both

Find IP Addresses

On Kali:

ip addr show
# Look for inet address (e.g., 10.10.10.5)

On Windows 10:

ipconfig
# Look for IPv4 Address (e.g., 10.10.10.6)

Test Connectivity

From Kali to Windows:

ping 10.10.10.6
# Should see replies

From Windows to Kali:

ping 10.10.10.5
# Should see replies

If pings fail:

  • Verify both VMs are on same network

  • On Windows: Turn OFF Windows Firewall temporarily

    • Control Panel → Windows Defender Firewall → Turn off

Step 8: Install Essential Tools

On Kali Linux

Kali comes pre-loaded with most tools. Update everything:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y metasploit-framework

On Windows 10 Target

Install some vulnerable software for practice:

  1. Disable Windows Updates:

    • Settings → Update & Security → Pause updates for 7 days

  2. Install Python:

  3. Install a browser (for credential harvesting practice):

    • Chrome or Firefox

  4. Create some test users:

# Open PowerShell as Administrator
net user testuser Password123! /add
net user admin Admin123! /add
net localgroup Administrators admin /add

Step 9: Take Snapshots

Critical: Before you start breaking things, take snapshots!

VirtualBox

  1. Select VM (powered off)

  2. Click Snapshots button (top right)

  3. Click camera icon Take

  4. Name: Clean Install

  5. Click OK

  6. Repeat for both VMs

VMware

  1. Select VM → VM → Snapshot → Take Snapshot

  2. Name: Clean Install

  3. Description: Fresh install before any testing

  4. Click Take Snapshot

  5. Repeat for both VMs

To restore: VM → Snapshot → Revert to saved snapshot

Step 10: Test Your Lab

Quick Validation Checklist

Run these tests to confirm everything works:

✅ Network Connectivity:

# From Kali
ping 10.10.10.6
nmap -sn 10.10.10.0/24

✅ Internet Access (if needed):

# From Kali
ping 8.8.8.8
curl https://www.google.com

✅ Port Scanning:

# From Kali
nmap -sV -p- 10.10.10.6
# Should see open ports (135, 139, 445, etc.)

✅ SMB Access:

# From Kali
smbclient -L //10.10.10.6 -U labuser
# Enter password when prompted

Tier 1 Complete! 🎉

You now have a working red team lab. You can practice:

  • Network reconnaissance (Days 1-2)

  • Payload creation (Day 3)

  • Exploitation techniques (Day 5)

  • Post-exploitation (Day 6)

  • Persistence mechanisms (Day 8)

  • C2 communications (Days 10-11)

Next Steps

  1. Start with Day 1 content

  2. Practice each technique in your lab

  3. Break things (that's what snapshots are for!)

  4. When ready for AD attacks, build Tier 2

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NextTier 2: Recommended Lab (Active Directory)

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