Adding HackMyVM Boxes to Our VirtualBox Cyber Range

In this module, we will look at the process to import a VM from HackMyVM into our VirtualBox Cyber Range.
Adding HackMyVM Boxes to Our VirtualBox Cyber Range
In: VirtualBox, Home Lab, CTF
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This page is part of a larger series on building a cybersecurity lab using VirtualBox. Click here to be taken back to the project home page.



Previous Step

Adding Vulnhub VMs to Our VirtualBox Cyber Range
In this module, we will look at two different ways, based on file type, to import VMs from Vulnhub into our home lab.



Why this Post?

This post was added to guide much later after the original publication, because as of this writing, Vulnhub is more or less out of commission. Since OffSec acquired Vulnhub, they have been steering people over to their OffSec Proving Grounds platform, but you still have access to past-published Vulnhub VMs.



Using HackMyVM Responsibly

The VMs you find on HackMyVM are developed by the community, and we thank them for their efforts, but your network and the security of said network are paramount.

Always put untrusted hosts on a secure, segmented network behind your pfSense firewall, preferably your ISOLATED network.



VirtualBox and HackMyVM Boxes

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The process with HackMyVM boxes and Vulnhub VMs is nearly identical with respect to VirtualBox. So, I'll be condensing the information here and referring you back to the Vulnhub step for more clarification, so that I don't need to repeat myself.



Importing a HackMyVM Box

Two Ways to Use HackMyVM

  1. Anonymously — you can use the platform without creating an account, but you need to use the RSS feed to see the full list of VMs
  2. Registered — you can register for an account on the platform and have access to more features, either way the platform costs nothing



Example Import Process

Download Source: https://downloads.hackmyvm.eu/atom.zip

atom.zip downloaded on my Windows host, proceed to unzip the archive
Using 7-Zip to extract the contents of the archive
Unzipping the archive yields a single atom.ova file. You notice by the icon that VirtualBox is already set as the default handler for this file type. Double-click the file
Verify the import settings and click "Finish"
Note that VirtualBox will display the import progress here
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Do not start the VM as we need to make a few modifications
Select the newly imported VM and choose "Settings"
Verify these settings and click "OK", you can ignore the warning at the bottom about the video memory, as we don't need to access the guest desktop environment
Import successful! Take a snapshot of your VM in its current state before starting the pentest and roll back in case of issues. Power up your VM and then, go and do your nmap scans and have fun!
Demonstrating that the VM has received a DHCP lease from pfSense in the ISOLATED subnet



Next Step

Adding an Active Directory Forest to Our VirtualBox Lab
In this module, we will cover the steps to set up a small Active Directory forest in VirtualBox, including a domain controller and two client computers
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