In this chapter, we focused on the immediate actions that follow the exploitation of a target system. We reviewed the initial rapid assessment conducted to characterize the server and the local environment. We also learned how to use the post-exploitation tools to locate target files of interest, create user accounts, and perform horizontal escalation to harvest more information specific to other users. We focused on Metasploit's Meterpreter usage and Veil-Pillage to collect more information to perform lateral movement and privilege attacks.
In the next chapter, we will learn how to implement a persistent backdoor to retain access, and we will learn techniques to support covert communications with the compromised system.
