Cybersecurity Attack Simulation & SOC Monitoring

Cybersecurity is a field where practical learning is very important. Recently, I completed a hands-on cybersecurity lab project to improve my understanding of network security, web application security, and SOC monitoring.

Lab Environment

I created an isolated lab using Oracle VirtualBox with two virtual machines:

- Kali Linux — Attacker/Testing machine

- Metasploitable 2 — Target machine

Both machines were connected through an internal network for safe and controlled testing.

Tools and Practical Work

1. Network Scanning with Nmap

I used Nmap to scan the target machine and identify open ports and running services. The scan helped me understand the network exposure of the system.

Figure 1: Nmap service version scan results.

2. Web Technology Identification with WhatWeb

I used WhatWeb to identify the technologies running on the target web server, including Apache, PHP, and WebDAV.

Figure 2: Web technology identification using WhatWeb.

3. Web Application Security Analysis with DVWA

I explored DVWA to understand SQL Injection concepts. I compared Low and High security levels and tested normal user IDs. No exploit payloads or data extraction were performed.

Figure 3: DVWA SQL Injection Normal ID Test

4. SOC Monitoring and Log Analysis

I used Wireshark to examine HTTP traffic and studied Apache access and error logs. I also observed HTTP 404 responses and an Nmap-related entry in the server logs.

Figure 4:_ Apache log analysis._

What I Learned

This project helped me gain practical knowledge of:

• Network reconnaissance

• Web application security

• Network traffic analysis

• Server log monitoring

• Basic SOC investigation

Conclusion

This project improved my understanding of cybersecurity tools and practical security monitoring. I look forward to learning more and working on new cybersecurity projects.

#CyberSecurity #KaliLinux #Nmap #Wireshark #SOC #LearningJourney