Install Paths
Know where MSF lives on Kali vs manual installs — open console for help, not attacks.
Visual · msf_install_paths
msfconsole path literacy. $LAB only when targeting. Original Cyberlium.
You cannot read the framework if you cannot find the console — install path is step zero.
Metasploit ships preinstalled on Kali and Parrot; other distros use the Omnibus installer or Docker with explicit paths. Literacy starts with `which msfconsole`, `msfdb` status, and knowing msfvenom/msfrpcd are siblings — not with aiming at $LAB yet. This lesson is install awareness only. Next: Console Basics.
1. Common install locations
Kali: `/usr/bin/msfconsole`, framework under `/usr/share/metasploit-framework`. Omnibus installs under `/opt/metasploit`. Docker images mount a workspace — know which user owns the database.
Record YOUR path in notes so scripts and mentors match your machine.
Command guide
Try these commands — Common install locations
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
Install paths — https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/install-instructions/ Kali tools — https://www.kali.org/tools/metasploit-framework/
═══ 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
which msfconsole msfdb nmap 2>/dev/null || command -v msfconsole msfconsole -q -x 'version; exit' 2>/dev/null || echo 'Install metasploit-framework in YOUR lab VM'
Primary tools to practice this lesson: msfconsole, which. Reference sites: Install paths (https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/install-instructions/); Kali tools (https://www.kali.org/tools/metasploit-framework/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Database and first launch
`msfdb init` creates the workspace database on first setup. If msfconsole warns about DB connection, fix local Postgres before searching modules — still no RHOSTS needed.
Updates (`apt`, `msfupdate`) change module counts; defenders track versions too.
3. Ethics at install time
Downloading MSF is legal; unauthorized use is not. Install on YOUR lab attacker VM, not a shared library PC without permission.
Ship: install path + msfdb status line in notes.
4. What you ship: install path and DB status
which msfconsole, framework root, msfdb status. No RHOSTS set. chmod 600 note.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Date. Paths. msfdb status. File t14-m02-l01-install-paths.txt chmod 600.
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: Install MSF on a friend's PC 'to help.' Open console and immediately set public RHOSTS.
- Right: Document paths. Launch for `-h` only. Next: Console Basics.
Mission: locate MSF on your machine
1) Run `which msfconsole` and note framework location. 2) Run `msfdb status` or init if needed. 3) Save paths under $HOME/cyberlium-lab chmod 600. Do not set RHOSTS yet.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor about msfdb errors — not about exploit targets.
APPLY: First literacy step after install:
APPLY: True or False: msfconsole requires a connected database to search modules efficiently.
APPLY: MSF belongs on: