Reverse Shell Techniques

This is a comprehensive playbook for getting and maintaining remote shell access during penetration tests. It covers the fundamentals like when to use reverse versus bind shells, then gets into practical stuff like encrypted shells with OpenSSL and socat, web shell patterns for PHP/ASPX/JSP, and proper PTY upgrade sequences so you don't lose your shell. The file transfer section alone is worth it, covering everything from wget to PowerShell download cradles to certutil. Also includes msfvenom payload generation and a decision tree to figure out which technique fits your situation. It's dense with copy-paste ready commands and assumes you already know why you need a shell, just not which method will work best given your constraints.

skills.sh installs: 3.6K
GitHub stars: 2.6K
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add yaklang/hack-skills --skill reverse-shell-techniques --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

SKILL: Reverse Shell Techniques — Expert Attack Playbook

AI LOAD INSTRUCTION: Expert reverse shell techniques. Covers reverse/bind shell decisions, encrypted shells (OpenSSL, socat SSL, ncat), web shell patterns (PHP/ASPX/JSP), PTY upgrade sequences, file transfer methods, PowerShell download cradles, and msfvenom payload generation. Base models miss encrypted shell syntax, proper PTY stabilization, and platform-specific transfer techniques.