Metasploit › Module 3 › Lesson 3
Post and Nop
Post modules assume access; nop sleds pad shellcode — capstone topics stay on $LAB snapshots.
Visual · msf_post_nop
post/ and nop/ types. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Post is after access — not a shortcut to persistence on real hosts.
Post modules (`post/.`) run inside an existing session: enumerate, pivot internally in lab, clean test artifacts. Nop modules generate nop sleds for exploit development — niche and still RoE-bound. Real persistence on daily drivers is explicitly out of Cyberlium scope. Next: Taxonomy Lab.
1. Post modules
Require active session on $LAB. Simulate attacker post-exploitation so defenders know what to log.
Privesc literacy appears later — always revert VM snapshot after.
Command guide
Try these commands — Post modules
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
Post module docs — https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/working-with-post-modules/ MITRE persistence — https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/
═══ 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:post platform:linux; search type:nop; exit' 2>/dev/null || echo 'Post = after lab access only'
Primary tools to practice this lesson: msfconsole. Reference sites: Post module docs (https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/working-with-post-modules/); MITRE persistence (https://attack.mitre.org/tactics/TA0003/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Nop generators
Pad shellcode alignment in exploit dev. Unlikely in beginner labs but part of full taxonomy.
Not an invitation to build wormable chains on real networks.
3. Complete taxonomy map
exploit, auxiliary, payload, encoder, post, nop — six buckets you can recite before Module 4 search drills.
4. What you ship: post and nop definitions
Post = after session. Nop = padding. Real persistence forbidden. chmod 600.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Date. post/nop lines. File t14-m03-l03-post-nop.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 persistence on your host OS 'to learn post.'
Right
Define post/nop. Next: Taxonomy Lab.
Mission: complete six-bucket map
1) Write post module job. 2) Write nop module job. 3) List all six MSF module types from M3. No sessions on real hosts.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Post modules are why snapshots exist.
Knowledge Check
APPLY: post/ modules require:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: Cyberlium allows persistence on your daily-driver OS for homework.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: nop modules mainly:
Multiple choice