There are 2 ways to run the VM for the class. The preferred method is to follow the cloud VM instructions below to get access to a virtual machine running in the cloud. No virtualization hypervisors are necessary to have on your system to run it with that option. Everything runs in the browser but there is a limit on lab time. Additional credits can be purchased though.

The other option is to run the VM locally. See the “Local VM” instructions below to install the virtual machine on your system.

Cloud VM

<aside> 🚨

You will receive a code granting 18 hours of lab time close to the start of training. The lab setup cannot be fully completed until the cloud labs redemption code is provided. Until then, just get ready by performing the first step of this page in which you will be creating your MetaCTF account. The rest can be completed after receiving the lab access code.

</aside>

  1. Please go to https://app.metactf.com and create a MetaCTF account or log in with your existing account.
  2. Once logged in, please go to the “Cloud Labs” tab.

image.png

  1. Enter the provided cloud labs redemption code in the “Class code” field and click “Submit”.

image.png

  1. The page will refresh and you will see a new lab for your course. Click “View & Manage Lab”.

image.png

  1. Press “Start Lab” to launch the course virtual machine.

image.png

  1. After a few minutes, the machine will enter into “Started” state and one or more connection profiles will become available. Click “Connect via browser (RDP)” to access the virtual machine in your browser.

image.png

<aside> 💡

If you click “Connect via browser” and find that a black screen is presented please wait for a minute for the connection to load. If it doesn’t load after several minutes please restart the VM.

</aside>

<aside> 💡

Please note that the virtual machines will automatically shut down after 10 hours to save credits. If you would like to extend the timeout, click the link at the top of the page. If you run into any issues with the platform, please contact [email protected].

</aside>

Here is a PDF of this lab guide:

Breaching the Cloud Lab Setup Instructions.pdf