It is always important to know what is going on in your network. And, from time to time, you should perform a simple audit of your network just to determine what is exactly happening.

This is something that I do on a regular basis using an inexpensive network auditor that I built.  (Actually, all I did was install a custom Linux distribution designed for security.)

What You Need

Here are all the tools that you need

• An old laptop (if you want it to be portable) or desktop
• BackTrack Linux Distribution

It’s pretty easy to find a computer that will work and BackTrack is available for free as an ISO.  This is something that probably everyone could do with what they have available.

Build The Analyzer

The steps involved to build the analyzer are pretty simple.

1. Download the ISO.
2. Burn the ISO to CD.
3. Boot the computer from the CD.
4. Log into the BackTrack system with username root and password toor.
5. Create partitions on the hard drive (Be aware that this will destroy the hard drive so make sure that the drive has no needed data.) using fdisk.
6. Write the file system using mke2fs.
7. Mount the devices using mount.
8. Run the GUI installer (K → System → Backtrack Installer).
9. Click Install.
10. Wait for the installation to complete (There is a long pause at about 80% so please be patient.).
11. Remove the CD and reboot to the new system.

If you are looking for a more complete step by step document, there is one available.

Explore

There is a lot to discover in BackTracks.  Dig through the system and see what you can find, both on the system and in your network.

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3 Responses to “Build an Inexpensive Network Security Auditor”

1. Zac Garrett Says:
   September 7th, 2007 at 1:10 pm

   Maybe its just the fact that I’ve been a Linux user for quite a long time, but I don’t understand the reason for using a distro such as backtrack. It is a very specialized version of Linux that it quite limiting if you ask me. That is if you plan on installing it to a hard drive. For a livecd, I fully understand the need for different distros with different packages.

   For installing on a disk I think it is best to use one of the standard distros such as debian, gentoo, fedora, or slackware. Then you can build your setup on top of that. The issue with this setup is that you have to know what you want to do. If you have no idea whats wanted then a packaged distro will probably suit you, but I am not of this crowd. When I want to build a new system I know what I want and know the packages needed to do so.

   I might be a little biased seeing that I’ve ran Linux servers for many years now. If you are newer to the Linux world I can understand wanting something like Ubuntu that does everything for you.

2. Kostian Says:
   September 7th, 2007 at 5:25 pm

   I wonder if i can use vmware to play around with it?
   yea it’s not the same network as all the devices maybe. I wish it was a live cd

3. It tastes like burning Says:
   September 7th, 2007 at 9:27 pm

   Build an Inexpensive Network Security Auditor | Daily Cup of Tech

4. Scruffynerf Says:
   September 9th, 2007 at 7:08 pm

   Kostian: The current version of backtrack is a LiveCD. There is no need to install it to the hard drive.

   I’d also agree with Zac. I’d install a standard distro, such as Ubuntu / Fedora / any other major one, and install the software through the repositories. Makes life easier.

   FWIW, I do use backtrack 2, however only on a liveCD.

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