How to Run VulnHub Machines on Apple Silicon

Many Mac users with Apple Silicon struggle to run VulnHub machines for their local labs. I ran into the exact same issue at first and honestly regretted getting a Mac for a second XD. But thankfully, I finally found a solution. FYI, I'm currently using an M5 Pro.

For the virtual machine software, we'll be using UTM. You can download it at https://mac.getutm.app/.

While UTM supports multiple architectures, VulnHub files usually come in .ova, .vdi, or .vmdk formats.

Here are the steps:

First, download the machine you want to run. For this tutorial, I'll be using DC-3 as an example.

Once downloaded, extract the file:

If it's a .zip file, just unzip it normally.
If it's an .ova file, run this command in your terminal:

tar -xvf file.ova

tar -xvf file.ova

After extracting, you'll usually find a .vdi or .vmdk file. In the case of DC-3, it contains a .vmdk file.

Before moving forward, you need to install QEMU. If you already have Homebrew installed, run:

brew install qemu

brew install qemu

Wait for the installation to complete.

Next, convert the file to qcow2 format using the following command:

For .vmdk:

qemu-img convert -O qcow2 DC-3-disk001.vmdk dc3.qcow2

qemu-img convert -O qcow2 DC-3-disk001.vmdk dc3.qcow2

For .vdi:

qemu-img convert -O qcow2 file.vdi result.qcow2

qemu-img convert -O qcow2 file.vdi result.qcow2

That's it! Your file has been successfully converted to qcow2 .

Setting Up the Machine in UTM

Open UTM, click the + icon, and select Emulate.

For the Operating System, select Other.

Set up the hardware settings according to your preference, then click Next.

For the Boot Device, select None and uncheck UEFI Boot.

For the storage size, set whatever size you want for now — we're going to delete this drive anyway.

Choose a shared directory location (optional), click Next, give your machine a name, and hit Save.

Do not start the virtual machine yet!

Select your newly created machine, click the settings icon in the top right corner of UTM, go to the Drives menu, and delete the existing drive.

Click New Drive, choose Import, and select the .qcow2 file we converted earlier.

Click Save.

Now, hit Run.

Voila! Your VulnHub machine is up and running.

Contents

Setting Up the Machine in UTM