Virtual Pentesting Lab

Overview

This project documents the setup of my personal penetration testing lab using VirtualBox.

The lab provides a safe and controlled environment where attacks and defensive techniques can be tested without impacting real systems.

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Lab Goals

The goal of this environment is to simulate a small enterprise-style network for practicing penetration testing techniques in a safe and isolated setup.

The lab includes:

• an attacker machine (Kali Linux)
• vulnerable Linux targets
• containerized web applications
• a Windows Server for future Active Directory testing

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Lab Architecture

The lab runs on a Windows host system using VirtualBox and consists of multiple virtual machines connected through an isolated internal network.

LAB_NET 192.168.56.0/24

Kali Linux (Attacker)
│ 192.168.56.10
│
├── Ubuntu Server (Docker Lab Host)
│ 192.168.56.20
│
├── Metasploitable2 (Vulnerable Linux Target)
│ 192.168.56.30
│
├── Windows Server 2019 (Domain Controller - future)
│ 192.168.56.40
│
└── Windows 11 (Client)
 192.168.56.50

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Technologies Used

The following technologies are used to build the lab environment:

• VirtualBox
• Kali Linux
• Ubuntu Server
• Metasploitable2
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows 11

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Network Configuration

All machines are connected to an isolated VirtualBox internal network called LAB_NET.

Machine	IP Address	Role
Kali Linux	192.168.56.10	Attacker
Ubuntu Server	192.168.56.20	Docker Lab Host
Metasploitable2	192.168.56.30	Vulnerable Linux Target
Windows Server	192.168.56.40	Domain Controller (future)
[NEW] Windows 11	192.168.56.50	Client

Network configuration for Kali Linux.

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Lab Services (Docker Host)

The Ubuntu Server VM acts as a container host for intentionally vulnerable web applications used during pentesting practice.

Because Ubuntu Server runs without a graphical interface, applications are hosted as web services and accessed remotely from the attacker machine.

Kali Linux (attacker)
│
│ HTTP requests
│
Ubuntu Server (Docker Host)
│
├─ OWASP Juice Shop
├─ DVWA
├─ WebGoat
└─ other vulnerable apps

Example for running the OWASP Juice Shop: Running in Ubuntu Server:

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 bkimminich/juice-shop

Then access from a browser in Kali Linux:

http://192.168.56.20:3000

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Example Test

After setting up the environment, network connectivity and services can be tested from the Kali attacker machine.

Example scan from Kali Linux:

The scan reveals intentionally vulnerable services running on the Metasploitable machine.

This allows safe exploitation practice and vulnerability analysis.

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Future Improvements

Planned expansions for the lab include:

• Active Directory domain setup
• Windows client machine
• Vulnerable Docker applications

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Troubleshooting & Lessons Learned

Windows Server not responding to ping

Problem: The Windows Server VM could not be reached from Kali or Ubuntu.

Cause: The Windows network profile was set to Public, which blocks ICMP requests in Windows Defender Firewall.

Solution: Changed the network profile to Private and allowed ICMP:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow ICMPv4-In" -Protocol ICMPv4

What I learned: Windows firewall behavior depends on the network profile. Public networks block most inbound traffic by default.