Metasploit Section 4 of 10

Common Payloads

Payloads determine what happens after a successful exploit. Choose the right one for your target OS and network conditions.

Windows
windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp

Meterpreter over TCP reverse shell. Feature-rich with built-in commands.

Windows
windows/meterpreter/reverse_https

Meterpreter over HTTPS reverse shell. Blends with normal HTTPS traffic.

Windows
windows/shell/reverse_tcp

Basic Windows command shell via TCP reverse connection.

Linux
linux/x86/shell/reverse_tcp

Linux x86 command shell via TCP reverse connection.

Linux
linux/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp

Linux x64 Meterpreter reverse TCP shell.

Web
php/meterpreter/reverse_tcp

PHP Meterpreter reverse TCP shell for web servers.

Java
java/jsp_shell_reverse_tcp

JSP reverse shell for Java web applications.

Android
android/meterpreter/reverse_tcp

Android Meterpreter reverse TCP payload.

Python
python/shell_reverse_tcp

Python-based reverse shell over TCP.

Meterpreter vs Shell Payloads

Meterpreter

  • • Runs entirely in memory (fileless)
  • • Supports process migration
  • • Built-in post-exploitation commands
  • • Better stealth capabilities
  • • Encrypted communication

Shell Payloads

  • • Basic command execution
  • • No meterpreter features
  • • Smaller footprint
  • • More likely to be detected
  • • Unencrypted traffic
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