TryHackMe - Basic Pentesting Walkthrough

TryHackMe - Basic Pentesting Walkthrough

by HackerSploit · View the channel on PSI

Applied Sciences & Engineering Computing & Cybersecurity UComputing and Information TechnologyURComputer security
🎙 HackerSploit 👥 1.0M 📅 September 20, 2020 ⏱ 30 min 👁 221K 📄 tutorial 🧭 2026-10-10
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

nmaphydrajohnsmbssh

Summary

The video is a walkthrough of the TryHackMe ‘Basic Pentesting’ room. The presenter starts by explaining the objective: learn web app hacking and privilege escalation. He deploys the machine and performs an nmap scan, discovering services: SSH (port 22), Apache (port 80), and SMB (ports 139/445), plus an unusual port 8009. Viewing the web server reveals a hidden ‘development’ directory with two text files that leak usernames (jan and k) and hints about weak credentials. Using enum4linux to enumerate SMB shares, he finds an ‘anonymous’ share containing staff.txt, further confirming the users. He then brute-forces SSH passwords with Hydra, successfully logging in as ‘jan’ with password ‘armando’. After exploring the system, he finds an SSH private key for user ‘k’ in the home directory. The key is protected by a passphrase, which he extracts using ssh2john and cracks with John the Ripper to get ‘beeswax’. Finally, he uses the key to log in as ‘k’ and retrieves the final password from a ‘pass.bak’ file, completing the room. The video effectively demonstrates enumeration, brute forcing, hash cracking, and privilege escalation, making it a valuable tutorial for beginner pentesters.

187 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The video delivers practical value by demonstrating a complete penetration testing workflow in a controlled environment. The argumentation is sound, as each step is explained with reasoning (e.g., why Nmap scans are useful, how SMB enumeration works, how to crack an SSH passphrase). The presenter justifies tool choices and walks through the logic behind each action, making the methodology clear and reproducible. The approach is hands-on and didactic, though it does not introduce novel concepts or validate claims with external references.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The video is scientifically rigorous in its methodical use of standard penetration testing tools and techniques. It correctly identifies vulnerabilities and demonstrates their exploitation. However, it does not cite external sources or provide references to official documentation; the reliability relies entirely on the presenter’s expertise. The title matches the content precisely, and the video stays focused on the task, avoiding off-topic digressions. Overall, the walkthrough is accurate and well-structured, though it would benefit from citing official tool documentation or TryHackMe resources for further verification.

180 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately describes the content: a guided walkthrough of the TryHackMe 'Basic Pentesting' room.

Quality & Reliability

7/10

The video provides a clear and methodical walkthrough of a practical penetration testing exercise, using standard tools and following a logical sequence. It is reliable for its purpose, though it relies on the presenter's experience rather than external academic sources.

Key Moments

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

Cited Sources

Contribution & Novelties

The video offers a practical, step-by-step walkthrough of a specific TryHackMe room, which is valuable for beginners learning penetration testing. It demonstrates how to combine enumeration, brute forcing, and hash cracking to achieve privilege escalation. The novelty lies not in original research but in the clear, reproducible methodology and the effective use of common tools.

Pour aller plus loin :

99 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows moderate scores across all dimensions, indicating a balanced but not exceptionally deep or comprehensive tutorial. The 'quantite' and 'qualite' scores (7 each) confirm it provides a solid amount of relevant information, while 'niveau technique' (7) reflects an intermediate difficulty suitable for beginners with some background. The global fiabilite of 7 suggests the content is trustworthy within its scope, though it lacks academic depth.

Reliability 7/10

💬 Très positif. Sur les 30 commentaires analysés, le climat est extrêmement positif : les spectateurs expriment une forte appréciation pour la clarté, la pédagogie et la qualité du walkthrough, remercient l'auteur et demandent davantage de contenus similaires.