As part of the security work I’ve previously done, I keep several tools on hand when out and about for reconnaissance and data gathering. The last BSIDESROC convention reminded me about some of the tools I haven’t used in a while so I figured I’d go over what’s in the bag!
I wanted a very discreet set up, something people wouldn’t remember or notice when doing audits; The so called “Grey man” approach, as it were. The idea of this is to blend in above all us so no one noticed you’re in the area or remembers details. This can come in handy for such tasks as Social Engineering or attempting restricted access to a site. With this idea in mind, I chose the 5.11 COVRT18 backpack here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TA1PG9A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This has no distinct features nor colors or badges and blends perfectly in. This also was the case at a recent college graduation event where no one even cast an eye towards me or the pack while doing work with a WiFi Pineapple. The Pineapple just so happens to fit perfectly in the top pouch with a battery pack.
Now, for the kit. Again, the goal was to be discreet and so the choice was made for a used Dell E6530 laptop versus a higher end unit with LEDs, light up keyboard, etc. The normal loadout is as follow:
- HAK5: Wifi pineapple nano w/upgraded directional antennas, (2) USB Rubber Ducky’s (one malicious, one prank), LAN Turtle and several cables for above
- Alfa AWUS036NH 2Watt Wifi adapter 2.4GHz. This is the bread and butter of the kit and provides the best long range packet injection for the cost point
- Alfa AC1900 Adapter with 4 antennas. This is the speed adapter and seems to have pretty high sensitivity when using but doesn’t have much sending power as the other adapter (so I carry both!). This adapter also tends to achieve higher consistent speeds so I sometimes use this in tandem to not lose internet access while doing work (plus it’s 5GHz versus the other’s 2.4 limited frequencies)
- Mini USB Wifi adapter (backup, small 600mbs wireless AC)
- Several 1-15′ ethernet cables
- Several device data cables (lightning, old iPhone, USB C, MicroUSB, etc)
- Zalman Virtual CD emulator (multiple ISOs onboard depending on situation):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019C23H06/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Dell E6530 laptop (i7, 8GB RAM, 240GB SSD) running latest copy of Parrot OS (will sometimes switch to Kali depending on needs). Fully encrypted and able to access home VPN to secure connection or TorGuard services
- Grid-It! organizer (lifesaver item):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HU27UW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Several NFC tags, flash drives, multitool, small knife, bottle/can opener, magnet, small screwdriver set and several odds and ends
- Audio recorder (simple USB one)
- Point and shoot camera
- Notebook, pen, pencil, folders, sharpie marker
- Flashlight with extra battery
- Binoculars
Couple notes: Both of the Alfa USB adapters worked out of the box with the latest revision of Parrot OS as of today’s date (20190423). Parrot had several install issues as well and took several hours to get working with an encrypted container, your mileage may vary. I still prefer Kali (I used Backtrack 3 and 4 previously) but Parrot definitely seems like a worthy replacement and definitely a nicer GUI. Obviously this isn’t important overall, but it’s a nice touch along with the similar software packages as Kali.
In conclusion, there’s some things that change pretty frequently (operating system, flash drives with live OS’s, what adapters I bring for Wifi, etc) but this is the normal loadout at this point. Hopefully you found this interesting or helpful and thanks for reading this far. Cheers!