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Mac OS X from an IT Security Practitioners' Perspective?

I'm new to the OSX world (formerly Windows background) and am interested in understanding what is or isn't possible with OSX natively or with a virtual host.

  • Is OSX or Mac hardware common in the security world?
  • Would it be easier for me to run pen tests from a dedicated VM running a different OS?

I purchased the Wifi Pineapple and notice that there are no instructions for OSX and am curious if this is a relevant hardware or software platform to initiate pen tests from.

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makerofthings7
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1 Answers1

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The penetration testers over at Pauldotcom are perhaps the most famous security practitioners that openly talk about using Macs for their penetration test. From my personal experience, I've seen a number of digital forensic security practitioners who prefer using Macs.

As far as running your penetration tests, its likely easier to run your penetration test from a VM running a Linux distribution such as Backtrack 5 and utilizing Metasploit/Penetration tool inside the distribution. Whether you do this from a Mac/PC or Linux platform should make no difference inside the VM.

Here are some additional links that I found that may contain useful information on using Macs for Penetration Test:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130306081803/http://www.techrepublic.com/downloads/investigate-mac-os-x-as-a-platform-for-penetration-testing/293669

http://www.pen-tests.com/penetration-testing-linux-vs-windows.html

Goodluck!

pacoverflow
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CyberKnight21
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