BackTrack is more than an application; a group of applications mainly aimed at information security auditing.

BackTrack is presented through a GNU/Linux distribution based on Ubuntu. We can install it on our hard disk as an alternative operating system or use it with the option “live DVD.”

With BackTrack, we dispose of a wide array of tools that allow us to perform limitless tests, diagnoses, and cross-checks, all related to important aspects when evaluating the information security of analyzed equipment.

We have to keep in mind that, in contrast to the great functionalities that BackTrack incorporates, to get good performance, it will be necessary to count on at least some basic knowledge to use them. Anyway, on the official website, many helpful tutorials are available for the different installation options, use of the unique characteristics of BackTrack, customization of distribution, etc.

The tools we can use with BackTrack are classified according to their functionality into the following groups:

• Enumeration: With the tools included, we will get determined information about the equipment, such as the Kernel, Operating System, etc.
• Exploit Archives: All the exploits are contained here.
• Fuzzers: Tools to look for protocol failures.
• Spoofing: The techniques of criminal impersonation such as IP changes, forgery of ARP table, etc. Are collected here.
• Tunneling: To implement a net protocol over another.
• Forensic Tools: A complete analysis of those systems that have suffered from some attack so that the damages caused can be fixed and future attacks avoided.

The potential of BackTrack is enormous given the tools it incorporates, which is why special care should be taken in its use, doing it always from a responsible point of view since some of its functions may infringe on the law.