Setting Up Your Practice Lab

A proper lab environment is essential for OSCP preparation. This lesson guides you through setting up your attack machine and practice targets.

Hardware Requirements

Minimum Specifications

Component	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	8 GB	16+ GB
CPU	4 cores	8+ cores
Storage	100 GB free	250+ GB SSD
Network	Stable internet	Wired connection preferred

Note: You'll be running virtual machines, so more RAM and CPU cores directly improve your experience.

Attack Machine: Kali Linux

Kali Linux is the standard for OSCP. OffSec provides it and the exam expects familiarity with it.

Installation Options

Option 1: Virtual Machine (Recommended for beginners)
├── Download: kali.org/get-kali (VM image)
├── VMware Workstation/Player or VirtualBox
├── Allocate: 4 GB RAM, 2 CPUs, 80 GB disk
└── Network: NAT or Bridged

Option 2: Bare Metal (For dedicated machines)
├── Download: kali.org/get-kali (installer)
├── Boot from USB
└── Full disk installation

Option 3: WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
├── Windows 10/11 with WSL2 enabled
├── Install from Microsoft Store
└── Limited for some network tools

Post-Installation Setup

After installing Kali, run these commands:

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install additional tools
sudo apt install -y \
    seclists \
    gobuster \
    feroxbuster \
    bloodhound \
    neo4j \
    crackmapexec \
    evil-winrm \
    chisel \
    ligolo-ng

# Clone useful repositories
mkdir ~/tools && cd ~/tools
git clone https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng.git
git clone https://github.com/samratashok/nishang.git
git clone https://github.com/PowerShellMafia/PowerSploit.git

Virtualization Platform

VMware vs VirtualBox

Feature	VMware	VirtualBox
Performance	Better	Good
Snapshots	Excellent	Good
Networking	More options	Basic
Cost	Player is free	Free
OSCP Labs	Recommended	Supported

VMware Workstation Player is free for personal use and handles the PEN-200 VPN connection better.

Network Configuration

For lab practice, understand these network modes:

NAT (Network Address Translation):
├── VM shares host's IP
├── VM can access internet
├── Host cannot reach VM directly
└── Good for: Internet access, basic labs

Bridged:
├── VM gets own IP on network
├── VM appears as separate device
├── Other devices can reach VM
└── Good for: Network scanning practice

Host-Only:
├── VM can only talk to host
├── No internet access
├── Isolated environment
└── Good for: Offline labs (VulnHub)

Practice Target Platforms

PEN-200 Labs (Required)

When you purchase PEN-200, you get access to OffSec's lab network:

Lab Network Structure:
├── Student Network (starting point)
├── IT Department
├── Dev Department
├── Admin Department
└── Active Directory Environment

Access via:
└── OpenVPN connection (provided by OffSec)

Proving Grounds (Recommended)

OffSec's Proving Grounds offers OSCP-like machines:

Tier	Cost	Machines	Difficulty
Play	Free	~20	Easy-Medium
Practice	$19/month	60+	Medium-Hard

HackTheBox

Tier	Cost	Access
Free	$0	Active machines only
VIP	$14/month	All retired machines
VIP+	$20/month	VIP + priority access

For OSCP prep, VIP is recommended to access the TJ Null list machines.

Building Offline Labs

For practicing without internet, use VulnHub machines:

Local Lab Setup

1. Download VulnHub OVA files
   └── vulnhub.com

2. Import into VMware/VirtualBox

3. Configure Network:
   └── Set both Kali and target to Host-Only

4. Verify connectivity:
   └── ping [target-ip] from Kali

Recommended Starter Machines

Machine	Skills Practiced
Kioptrix 1-5	Linux enumeration, exploitation
Mr. Robot	Web attacks, privilege escalation
DC 1-9	Active Directory basics
Stapler	Comprehensive pentesting
SickOS 1-2	Web apps, post-exploitation

Tool Organization

Keep your tools organized for quick access during the exam:

~/tools/
├── enumeration/
│   ├── PEASS-ng/         # LinPEAS, WinPEAS
│   └── enum4linux-ng/
├── exploitation/
│   ├── windows/
│   │   └── PowerSploit/
│   └── linux/
│       └── linux-exploit-suggester/
├── shells/
│   ├── nishang/          # PowerShell shells
│   └── webshells/
├── wordlists/
│   └── -> /usr/share/seclists  # Symlink
└── scripts/
    └── custom/           # Your personal scripts

VPN Configuration

For PEN-200 labs and the exam, you'll connect via VPN:

# Connect to OffSec VPN
sudo openvpn your-lab.ovpn

# Verify connection
ip addr show tun0

# Test connectivity to lab
ping [lab-gateway-ip]

Exam Tip: Test your VPN connection and Kali setup multiple times before exam day. Technical issues during the exam consume precious time.

Snapshot Strategy

Take VM snapshots at key points:

Snapshot Timeline:
1. Fresh Install      - After initial Kali setup
2. Tools Installed    - After installing all tools
3. Configured         - After customizing environment
4. Pre-Exam           - Clean state before exam

This allows quick recovery if something breaks.

With your lab environment ready, let's move to information gathering techniques in the next module. :::