Setting up Windows for pwnable

15th Jan 2025
2 min read
Tags:
tools,
pwnable,
setting,
wsl,
vscode

0x00. Introduction

After purchasing a new desktop and frequently reconfiguring the environment due to driver issues, I thought it would be nice to document the setup process for reference. The installation environment is Windows 11 + Ubuntu(WSL).

I’ll add more useful settings or tools as I discover them.

0x01. Windows

WSL

In Turn Windows Features On or Off, check the following items.

wsl

After restarting, execute these commands in the terminal.

# Install WSL
wsl --install

# Check available packages and versions
wsl --list --online

# Specific version
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-[xx.xx]
# Latest version
wsl --install -d Ubuntu

Visual Studio Code

Theme Settings

After installing the desired theme, press ctrl + shift + p -> Preferences: Color Theme -> Browse Additional Color Themes... to select it.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press ctrl + shift + p -> Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts(JSON) and paste the following. This is good when switching between editor and terminal.

[
    {
        "key":     "ctrl+`",
        "command": "workbench.action.terminal.focus"
    },
    {
        "key":     "ctrl+`",
        "command": "workbench.action.focusActiveEditorGroup",
        "when":    "terminalFocus"
    }    
]

This is more convenient when switching between multiple windows.

[
    {
        "key": "ctrl+`",
        "command": "workbench.action.focusNextGroup"
    }
]

VMware

You need to register on the Broadcom official website. I had trouble because the verification email didn’t arrive when I thoughtlessly used my university email, so just use gmail.com to be safe.

After logging in, select Software -> VMware Cloud Foundation -> My Downloads
Find VMware Workstation Pro and select the desired release
Note that you must check I agree to the Terms and Conditions to enable the download button

Fill in the address field that appears and click the download button again to complete the installation.

IDA Free

While it only supports x86/x86-64 architectures, IDA is now available for free. On the hex-rays official website, select Products -> IDA Free and receive a license through email verification.

It seems fine now, but I once had an experience where it was too slow, and using a VPN to Belgium (where their headquarters is) made it much faster.

shell:sendto

Typing shell:sendto in the win + r run window lets you register programs that appear in the send to menu when right-clicking files.

shell_sendto

For example, create an IDA shortcut and place it in that folder. Then right-click a binary and select IDA from send to to analyze it directly. It’s a bit inconvenient in Windows 11 since you need to press Show more options to see it, but it’s quite useful.

You can apparently edit the registry to revert to the Windows 10 menu, but I skipped it to keep the new computer feeling.

0x02. Linux

Packages

# initialize
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

# oh my zsh
sudo apt install zsh git -y
sh -c "$(wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh -O -)"

# zsh plugins
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting
sed -i 's/^plugins=(git)$/plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting)/' ~/.zshrc
source .zshrc

# python packages
sudo apt install python3-pwntools -y

# one gadget
sudo apt install ruby -y
sudo gem install one_gadget

# gef
bash -c "$(wget https://gef.blah.cat/sh -O -)"

jekyll

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install ruby-full build-essential zlib1g-dev -y

# Change the file according to your shell
echo '# Install Ruby Gems to ~/.gems' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export GEM_HOME="$HOME/.gems"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.gems/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Install jekyll
gem install jekyll bundler

# Execute in jekyll directory such as github.io repository
cd fitbl4nk.github.io
bundle install

zola

# Download the latest version of zola (https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases)
wget https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/download/v0.20.0/zola-v0.20.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
rm zola-v0.20.0-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
sudo mv zola /usr/local/bin

# Execute in zola directory such as github.io repository
cd bl4nk.kr
zola serve