Metasploit › Module 8 › Lesson 1
Aux Role
Auxiliary modules scan/fuzz/brute — use against $LAB with written RoE only.
Visual · msf_aux_role
Aux = non-exploit modules (scanners, fuzzers). Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Auxiliaries are loud — aim them only at VMs you own.
use auxiliary/scanner/. modules probe services: SMB, HTTP, login checks. search auxiliary name: finds them. show options reveals RHOSTS — set to $LAB only. Aux role is recon and validation inside lab, not café /24 hunting.
1. Aux vs exploit
Exploits deliver payloads. Aux modules often scan, enumerate, or test creds on services.
Many aux modules are noisy — defenders see port spikes and auth failures.
Command guide
Try these commands — Aux vs exploit
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
Auxiliary modules — https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/running-module-auxiliary-scans/ Scanner modules — https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/using-metasploit/
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): Kali: preinstalled, or: sudo apt install metasploit-framework
macOS: Prefer Kali/Linux VM — brew install metasploit (heavy)
Windows: Use Kali VM or WSL with metasploit-framework — not raw Windows host
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
msfconsole -q -x 'search type:auxiliary name:scanner; exit' 2>/dev/null || echo 'Aux = recon on LAB IP only'
Primary tools to practice this lesson: msfconsole. Reference sites: Auxiliary modules (https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/running-module-auxiliary-scans/); Scanner modules (https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/using-metasploit/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. search and use literacy
search auxiliary name:http — read info before run.
set RHOSTS $LAB — never RHOSTS 192.168.0.0/24 on shared Wi-Fi.
3. Defender pairing
Run aux on $LAB while watching lab SIEM/logs if available — connect action to signal.
Aux success is often “found open port” not “owned the internet.”
4. What you ship: aux role definition
Aux vs exploit + search/show options + $LAB RHOSTS rule.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Definition + one search example.
6. Wrong vs right: stranger hosts vs YOUR lab VM
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
aux scanner against dorm subnet “because it's idle.”
Right
Define aux role. Next: lab-only scans.
Mission: aux definition
1) Write aux vs exploit. 2) search one auxiliary scanner. 3) show options — explain RHOSTS for $LAB.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor: “Example aux scanner family?”
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Aux modules often:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: RHOSTS may be any pingable /24.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Before run:
Multiple choice