Lab $6$ : Simulating a DoS Attack with Kali Linux

Objective:

To understand how a Denial of Service $($DoS$)$ attack works by simulating a simple SYN flood attack in a controlled environment.

Tools Required:

$$ Kali Linux

$$ Wireshark

$$ Two virtual machines $($VMs$)$ or physical machines

Steps:

$1.$ Setup the Environment:

Set up two VMs on the same network. One will act as the attacker $($Kali Linux$)$ and the other as the victim.

$2.$ Install Necessary Tools:

On the Kali Linux VM$,$ ensure that you have the necessary tools installed. You can use $`$hping$3`$ for this exercise, which is typically pre$-$installed on Kali Linux.

$3.$ Monitor Network Traffic:

On the victim machine, start Wireshark and begin capturing packets.

$4.$ Launch the Attack:

On the Kali Linux machine, launch a SYN flood attack against the victim machine using the following command:

hping$3-$i u$1-$S $-$p $80[$victim IP$]$

This command sends a steady stream of SYN packets to the victim machine.

$5.$ Observe the Attack:

On the victim machine, observe the incoming packets in Wireshark. You should see a large number of SYN packets coming from the Kali Linux machine.

$6.$ Analyze the Attack:

Discuss the effect of the attack on the victim machine. How does the machine respond? How might a real server mitigate such an attack?

Important Note:

Remember to stop the DoS attack and the Wireshark capture once the exercise is complete. Continuous DoS attacks can cause network congestion and other issues. h