BackTrack3 is NOT an operating system either!!!

So BT3 beta is out, i wanted to see what all the fuss was about...

here are some screenshots, looks and acts pretty much the same. I like their graphics, graphic guy needs a Xmas bonus.





that being said, with the release of any new version of "hacking distro" comes the "how do I get metasploit autopwn to work" garbage from the person that didn't read the man page, didn't read the blog post(s) on autopwn, didnt search the list archives for how autopwn works, and now we get to field questions on why fasttrack.py doesn't work right, did you read (any of) the code? no... sigh. did you go thru dependency hell getting all those badass tools working so maybe you know a couple of things? no...double sigh. did you watch the hack videos on LSO using metasploit?...no...triple sigh.

i said most of it in a previous post here.

Going through dependency hell at least gives you an opportunity to learn and figure stuff out, building your own distro with the tools YOU use is much more helpful from a learning what the F you are doing standpoint.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not belittling the people that made backtrack. its a badass tool and i don't have near the linux kung fu to make it myself, so kudos to them for making a badass tool, its just irritating that it allows people that shouldn't take shortcuts in learning to take them.

what's the solution? build your own attack distro, you'll thank yourself in the morning.

BackTrack2 is NOT an operating system!!!

ok over on EH.net there are a couple of running threads on installing backtrack to Hard Disk/Drive so people can use BackTrack2 as their Operation System.

here is one of them link; i dont feel like looking up the rest (really not the point) but this has been going on for some time now (really since BT1).

OK i am going to vent for just a sec but i do have a point...

BACKTRACK IS NOT AN OPERATING SYSTEM! it is a TOOL!!

yes obviously you can run it as an operating system (hence the whole point of the rant) but why do your NEED to do that?

frankly the best education comes from building your own attack platform on the linux distro you installed, configured, and hardened yourself. You install, configure and mess with the tools YOU need to do your pentesting (or scanning your local ISP subnet) and dont have a bunch of extra crap you dont need. You get to work through library issues and crap breaking and getting so pissed at your box that you want to dropkick it out the window but guess what, you LEARN doing all that.

one of the biggest things i see over at LSO and during the rootwars is people having weak linux skills and not being able to compile and use their own tools, so naturally we ask what distro the run and mos of the time i get backtrack for an answer :-(

Dont get me wrong, i like backtrack2 as a TOOL, i boot the ISO in VMware i do what i need to do then i go back to my linux distro to read email and everything else. I have a couple of personal reasons for that one of them being denialability with the non-persistent option :-) but mostly for the reasons above; if i am going to go thru the trouble of installing a distro I might as well get something out of the install (linux knowledge-wise) instead of letting someone else do all the work for me.

just my thoughts on it. spend that effort installing that great set of tools that backtrack comes with on your own, you'll learn more and really get an idea if you actually NEED all of those tools and you get satisfaction of having control over your linux install.

-CG