nUbuntu Linux Security LiveCD
July 26th, 2006 by 
jay
nUbuntu is a collection of network and server security testing tools, piled on top of the existing Ubuntu system. While aimed to be mainly a security testing platform, nUbuntu also operates as a desktop environment for the advanced Linux user.
I found this little gem a few days ago and since their main site is down due to “Bandwidth Limit Exceeded” can only mean other people have discovered it as well but there is an alternate site here.
This LiveCD should come with a big warning sticker labeled, “Handle With Care”.
When you boot into nubuntu it goes directly to a command-line and you have to type startx to get a gui. The Window Manager is FluxBox which is even more stripped down than Xfce but who cares? This baby is for hacking not for taking pretty screen-shots of KDE!!
Yes, I said hacking and nothing more. nUbuntu come preinstalled with every open source hacker and cracker tool known to the Linux world. It’s got Brute Force password crackes for both online and offline use, it’s got the usual port-scanners as well as the Metasploit Framework “for developing, testing, and using exploit code”.
**Please note that it is illegal to port-scan computers you do not own. And It is also illegal to spit on the side-walk of most New England cities. 
I ran nmap against my wifes WinXP computer and guess what? That thing had a few unnecessary ports open!! Mostly remote-desktop and ftp/http but still I was suprised. I was pretty sure that I turned off remote desktop and as for the ftp/http ports I thought that I set it up to only start ftp/http if I (admin) log into the computer. All I can say is thank god I’ve got a hardware firewall at home.
In all seriousness nUbuntu is an awsome tool for network admins and home users who want to assess their own network for problems. And thankfully most of the tools are command-line based so that alone should discourage any newbie script-kiddies from hacking into your home pc any time soon.
But in the wrong hands this could be a tool of uber destruction.
As one nice reader pointed out there are other security minded Linux LiveCD’s:
Backtrack which is based on SLAX.
PHALK is a derivative of Morphix.
Knoppix-STD
