BackTrack
 | |
 BackTrack 4 (final) | |
| Developer | Mati Aharoni, Emanuele Gentili, and others.[1] |
|---|---|
| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Active |
| Source model | Open source |
| Latest release | 5 / May 10, 2011 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Default user interface | Bash, KDE Plasma Desktop, Fluxbox[2], GNOME |
| License | Various |
| Official website | www.backtrack-linux.org |
BackTrack is a GNU/Linux distribution distributed as a Live DVD aimed at digital forensics use and penetration testing.[4]
History
The BackTrack distribution originated from the merger of two formerly competing distributions which focused on penetration testing:
- WHAX: a Slax based Linux distribution developed by Mati Aharoni, a Moroccan security consultant. Earlier versions of WHAX were called Whoppix and were based on Knoppix.
- Auditor Security Collection: a Live CD based on Knoppix developed by Max Moser which included over 300 tools organized in a user-friendly hierarchy.
The overlap with Auditor and WHAX in purpose and tools collection partly led to the merger.
Tools
BackTrack provides users with easy access to a comprehensive and large collection of security-related tools ranging from port scanners to password crackers. Support for Live CD and Live USB functionality allows users to boot BackTrack directly from portable media without requiring installation, though permanent installation to hard disk is also an option.
BackTrack includes many well known security tools including:
- Metasploit integration
- RFMON Injection capable wireless drivers
- Kismet
- Nmap
- Ophcrack
- Ettercap
- Wireshark (formerly known as Ethereal)
- BeEF (Browser Exploitation Framework)
- Hydra
- Cisco OCS Mass Scanner A very reliable and fast scanner for Cisco routers with telnet/enable default password.
- Quypt (Terminal Emulator) (which is private software by Crimson Hacking group, which has leaked to the Mainstream) Blackhat
- A large collection of exploits as well as more commonplace software such as browsers.
BackTrack arranges tools into 12 categories:
- Information Gathering
- Vulnerability Assessment
- Exploitation Tools
- Privilege Escalation
- Maintaining Access
- Reverse Engineering
- RFID Tools
- Stress testing
- Forensics
- Reporting Tools
- Services
- Miscellaneous
Releases
| Date | Release |
|---|---|
| February 5, 2006 | BackTrack v.1.0 Beta |
| May 26, 2006 | The BackTrack project released its first non-beta version (1.0). |
| March 6, 2007 | BackTrack 2 final released. |
| June 19, 2008 | BackTrack 3 final released. |
| January 9, 2010 | BackTrack 4 final release. (Now based on Debian) |
| May 8, 2010 | BackTrack 4 R1 release |
| November 22, 2010 | BackTrack 4 R2 release |
| May 10, 2011 | BackTrack 5 release (Based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Linux kernel 2.6.38) |
As soon as newer versions of BackTrack are released, older versions lose their support and service from the BackTrack development team.
References
- ^ "Developers".
- ^ "HowTo:Install KDE 4.1". Offensive-security.com. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
- ^ http://www.offensive-security.com/backtrack/penetration-testing-information-security-distribution/
- ^ Remote-Exploit Homepage http://www.remote-exploit.org/backtrack.html
