What Are the Post Exploitation Modules in Metasploit? Full List of Top 100 Options with Examples

This blog offers a comprehensive guide to Metasploit's post exploitation modules, providing a detailed table of the top 100 modules used by ethical hackers and penetration testers. It explains how each module is categorized—system information, credential dumping, persistence, browser data, file access, and more—along with practical examples for real-world usage. This post is perfect for cybersecurity students, red teamers, and OSCP aspirants looking to strengthen their post exploitation techniques and understand the full potential of Metasploit after gaining access to a system.

May 26, 2025 - 11:28
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What Are the Post Exploitation Modules in Metasploit? Full List of Top 100 Options with Examples

Table of Contents

Metasploit Framework is one of the most powerful tools used by ethical hackers and penetration testers. After exploiting a system, the next phase—post exploitation—is where the real impact begins. It allows attackers to explore the compromised system, maintain access, harvest sensitive information, and expand their reach within a network. In this blog, we’ll explore the top 100 Metasploit post exploitation modules, categorized with descriptions and presented in an organized table format.

Whether you're preparing for a certification like OSCP or learning cybersecurity from scratch, this guide will help you understand what’s possible after access is gained.

What is Post Exploitation in Metasploit?

Post exploitation refers to the set of activities performed after gaining access to a target system. These actions help hackers or penetration testers:

  • Maintain persistence

  • Extract sensitive data like passwords or tokens

  • Escalate privileges

  • Search for further vulnerabilities

  • Pivot into internal networks

Using Metasploit’s post exploitation modules, security professionals can simulate these steps legally during security assessments.

Importance of Post Exploitation Modules in Ethical Hacking

Here are a few reasons why Metasploit post modules are essential:

  • Deep System Intelligence: Collect user credentials, application history, browser data, and configurations.

  • Privilege Escalation: Identify weak permission settings and escalate privileges.

  • Network Pivoting: Expand access beyond the compromised machine.

  • Persistence Techniques: Establish long-term backdoors.

  • Credential Harvesting: Extract Windows hashes, tokens, and SSH keys.

These modules simulate real-world post-intrusion scenarios and are commonly used during red team assessments and penetration testing.

 List of Top 100 Metasploit Post Exploitation Modules (with Categories)

The table below contains categorized 100 popular post exploitation modules based on platform and functionality:

Category Platform Module Name
System Information Windows post/windows/gather/enum_applications
Windows post/windows/gather/enum_chrome
Windows post/windows/gather/enum_creds
Windows post/windows/gather/enum_users
Linux post/linux/gather/enum_configs
Linux post/linux/gather/enum_network
Linux post/linux/gather/hashdump
Multi post/multi/gather/network_info
Multi post/multi/gather/fingerprints
Multi post/multi/gather/timezone
Credential Dumping Windows post/windows/gather/hashdump
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/mimikatz
Windows post/windows/gather/smart_hashdump
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/lsass
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/vnc
Linux post/linux/gather/ssh_creds
Linux post/linux/gather/wlan_creds
Multi post/multi/gather/ssh_creds
Multi post/multi/gather/wlan_geolocate
Multi post/multi/gather/checkvm
Network Discovery Windows post/windows/gather/arp_scanner
Windows post/windows/gather/portscan/tcp
Windows post/windows/gather/enum_snmp
Linux post/linux/gather/enum_cron
Multi post/multi/gather/ticket_traceroute
Multi post/multi/gather/env
Multi post/multi/gather/last_command
Multi post/multi/manage/autoroute
Multi post/multi/manage/socks4a
Windows post/windows/manage/autoroute
Persistence Modules Windows post/windows/manage/persistence
Windows post/windows/manage/rcp_service_persistence
Windows post/windows/manage/scheduler_persistence
Windows post/windows/manage/hidden_remote_desktop
Windows post/windows/manage/enable_rdp
Windows post/windows/manage/add_user
Windows post/windows/manage/service_persistence
Windows post/windows/manage/remote_desktop
Windows post/windows/manage/vss_create
Windows post/windows/manage/vss_restore
Memory & Process Windows post/windows/manage/migrate
Windows post/windows/manage/execute_powershell
Windows post/windows/manage/killav
Windows post/windows/manage/disable_wdigest
Windows post/windows/manage/disable_uac
Windows post/windows/manage/switch_user
Windows post/windows/manage/power_off
Windows post/windows/manage/logoff
Windows post/windows/manage/shutdown
Windows post/windows/manage/message_box
Browser & History Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/iexplore
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/chrome
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/firefox
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/outlook
Windows post/windows/gather/credentials/netntlmv1_hashes
Windows post/windows/gather/clipboard
Windows post/windows/gather/screenshot
Windows post/windows/gather/webhist_collector
Windows post/windows/gather/logfiles
Multi post/multi/gather/download_file
File System Access Windows post/windows/gather/enum_files
Windows post/windows/manage/exec_cmd
Windows post/windows/manage/keyboard_send
Windows post/windows/manage/wallpaper
Windows post/windows/manage/webcam
Linux post/linux/gather/collect_system_info
Multi post/multi/gather/dotfiles
Multi post/multi/manage/reverse_http
Multi post/multi/gather/file_collector
Windows post/windows/gather/collect_system_info

 How to Use Metasploit Post Modules

To start using post modules in Metasploit, use the following commands:

msf6 > show post
msf6 > use post/windows/gather/hashdump
msf6 post(hashdump) > run

To narrow down by platform or function:

msf6 > search type:post platform:linux
msf6 > search type:post name:credentials

 Learn Metasploit Post Exploitation With Real-Time Labs

If you want to master the post-exploitation phase using Metasploit practically, you should enroll in a cybersecurity course that provides:

  • Hands-on labs on real machines

  • Advanced Metasploit training

  • Privilege escalation and persistence

  • Red teaming techniques

Courses that cover OSCP-like labs and CTFs are ideal for developing real-world ethical hacking skills.

Conclusion

The post exploitation modules in Metasploit empower ethical hackers to simulate complete cyber attacks, just like real adversaries. Whether you're doing red team assessments or preparing for penetration testing certification, these modules give you the tools to perform comprehensive assessments and reporting.

FAQs

Post exploitation refers to the phase after gaining access to a target system using Metasploit. It involves gathering data, escalating privileges, creating persistence, and pivoting within a network.

Metasploit includes over 100+ post modules, covering information gathering, credential extraction, persistence, and system control for various platforms.

Post modules help ethical hackers perform activities like data extraction, privilege escalation, network discovery, and maintaining access after an exploit.

No, post exploitation modules require an active session, typically a Meterpreter session, to run on a compromised target.

Popular ones include hashdump, mimikatz, enum_chrome, enable_rdp, and persistence.

Modules like post/windows/gather/hashdump, mimikatz, lsass, and enum_saved_credentials are used to extract passwords and hashes.

hashdump is a module that extracts stored password hashes from the Windows SAM file, useful for offline cracking.

Examples include enum_configs, gather/ssh_creds, gather/hashdump, and collect_system_info.

Use the command: use post/windows/gather/hashdump run

Yes, Mimikatz is integrated into Metasploit under post/windows/gather/credentials/mimikatz.

Use modules like bypass_uac, exploit/windows/local, and manual commands within Meterpreter to check for privilege escalation paths.

Persistence modules allow you to maintain access to a target even after a reboot or session closure by installing backdoors or services.

post/windows/manage/enable_rdp enables the Remote Desktop Protocol on a compromised machine.

post/multi/manage/autoroute allows you to route traffic through a compromised host, useful for pivoting.

Yes, modules like enum_chrome, enum_firefox, and webhist_collector extract browser data and saved credentials.

It gathers saved passwords, bookmarks, and browser history from Google Chrome on Windows systems.

By using persistence modules that install scheduled tasks, registry keys, or background services to reconnect automatically.

Yes, the module post/windows/gather/screenshot captures active desktop screenshots of the target machine.

post/windows/gather/credentials/lsass captures credentials from the LSASS process memory.

It scans the local network for active IPs and MAC addresses using ARP packets.

Yes, modules like post/windows/gather/credentials/wlan help extract stored Wi-Fi passwords.

post/windows/gather/credentials/outlook extracts stored email credentials from Microsoft Outlook.

You can pivot using autoroute, socks4a, and meterpreter port forwarding.

Yes, knowing how to use post modules like mimikatz, hashdump, and persistence is essential for OSCP-like labs.

Yes, modules like post/windows/manage/service_persistence allow managing or creating malicious services.

It allows running PowerShell scripts on the target system for advanced automation or payload execution.

Metasploit supports post modules for Windows, Linux, macOS, and multi-platform systems.

Use the command: msf6 > show post

post/windows/manage/webcam allows capturing images or video from the target’s webcam (if accessible).

Enroll in a cybersecurity training course with real labs and red teaming exercises to master Metasploit practically.

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Vaishnavi

Vaishnavi is a skilled tech professional at the Ethical Hacking Training Institute in Pune, responsible for managing and optimizing the technical infrastructure that supports advanced cybersecurity education. With deep expertise in network security, backend operations, and system performance, she ensures that practical labs, online modules, and assessments run smoothly and securely. Her behind-the-scenes contributions play a vital role in delivering a seamless and secure learning experience for aspiring ethical hackers.