Setting up the victim machine

So, we have already seen how to install Kali Linux in a virtual machine.

Kali Linux is the machine we are going to use as our attack machine.

Now, we need another machine that we are going to use as our victim machine.

For this, I am going to use a machine running Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Ultimate.

You can also use Windows 10.

There are specific versions of Windows 10 that you can use, which contain known vulnerabilities.

I will leave all the links in the description.

So, if you want to do like me, I'll put the link for Windows 7.

If you prefer to try with Windows 10, you will also find the link.

We will use VirtualBox to install this machine, in the same way we did with Kali Linux.

Here, we will create a new machine that we will call "Windows 7 victime".

For the type, we choose "Microsoft Windows" and for the version "Windows 7 (64-bit)".

For the RAM, 2 GB is more than enough.

We click on "Create a virtual hard disk now".

We can allocate 50 GB to it.

Once the machine is created, we will look for the location of our Windows 7 ISO image to configure it.

In the virtual machine settings, under the "Storage" tab, at the empty location ("Empty"), we click to select the Windows ISO image.

Then, for the network, make sure that your Kali Linux and your Windows machine are on the same subnet.

It is very important that they are on the same type of network, whether in "Bridge Adapter" or "NAT" mode.

The main thing is that they can communicate with each other.

Next, we will enable the shared clipboard ("Shared Clipboard") and drag-and-drop ("Drag'n'Drop") in bidirectional mode.

You can also add processor cores if you want, then click on "OK".

We then start the machine.

It is a classic and very simple installation of the Windows operating system.

The machine starts on the ISO.

The installation of Windows 7 is often faster than that of Windows 10, but it depends on the power of your computer.

We choose the installation language (English), the keyboard (French) and click on "Next" then "Install now".

I choose the "Windows 7 Professional" version.

We click on "Next", accept the license, select "Custom (advanced)" and click on "Next".

The installation process starts.

This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

The system will then restart and you will arrive at the desktop of your Windows 7 machine, which we will use as the victim machine throughout this course on penetration testing.