Payload Types
Name payload families — bind, reverse, shell — literacy on YOUR lab VM only.
Visual · msf_payload_types
Payloads deliver behavior after access. Original Cyberlium.
A payload is what runs after the door opens — not permission to knock on strangers.
Metasploit payloads describe what executes on a target: reverse shells connect back to you, bind shells listen on the target, meterpreter-style payloads add session features. Learn the vocabulary on YOUR intentional vulnerable lab VM ($LAB) — never generate payloads aimed at café LANs or real workstations.
1. Reverse vs bind (concept)
Reverse: target connects to LHOST/LPORT you control on the lab net. Bind: target listens; you connect in. Both need authorization on $LAB only.
Defenders watch outbound connections and unexpected listeners — that is why literacy includes defender view.
Command guide
Try these commands — Reverse vs bind (concept)
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
Payload types — https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/working-with-payloads/ Meterpreter basics — https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/meterpreter-overview/
═══ 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 'show payloads; search type:payload platform:linux; exit' 2>/dev/null || echo 'Name types: single, stager, stage'
Primary tools to practice this lesson: msfconsole. Reference sites: Payload types (https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/working-with-payloads/); Meterpreter basics (https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/meterpreter-overview/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Shell vs staged delivery
Shell payloads give command execution. Staged payloads split delivery (covered next lesson).
search payload windows/linux on console — read names, do not fire at random IPs.
3. Scope wall
Payload generation for hosts you do not own is out of scope. $LAB means YOUR VM on host-only or isolated VLAN.
No ransomware, no phishing droppers, no binaries aimed at classmate laptops.
4. What you ship: payload type vocabulary
Reverse vs bind named. Shell vs staged preview. $LAB scope sentence.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Three payload families + $LAB-only rule.
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: Generate a reverse shell for a café /24 scan target.
- Right: Name payload types. Next: staged vs stageless.
Mission: payload vocabulary sheet
1) Write reverse vs bind in one line each. 2) search payload on msfconsole (read only). 3) Write $LAB-only scope sentence.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor: “Reverse vs bind in one sentence?”
APPLY: Reverse shell connects:
APPLY: True or False: Payload practice includes stranger /24 hosts.
APPLY: search payload is for: