A physical medium, such as a formatted USB drive or a data diode, to move the activation file to the air-gapped system. Step 1: Generate the Activation Request File
Metasploit Pro is a commercial vulnerability validation and penetration testing tool that helps security professionals reduce the risk of data breaches by identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities before attackers do. It provides a web-based user interface that leverages the full power of the Metasploit Framework, offering features such as automated vulnerability validation, task chaining, advanced credential cracking, and comprehensive reporting.
Rapid7 Support will send you a ZIP file similar to user_license.zip —this is your activation file. It is important to note that you do need to unzip the file to activate your license.
Request SHA-1 or SHA-256 checksums for activation files to enable verification before deployment
What (Linux distribution or Windows Server) is hosting your instance? metasploit pro offline activation file verified
If any of these checks fail, refer to the troubleshooting section in Chapter 6 or contact Rapid7 Support directly with your license log attached.
Save the resulting file, usually named activation_request.req or similar, to your local storage. Step 2: Download the Verified Activation File
Follow this sequential methodology to upload and verify the activation footprint inside your air-gapped container or server instance. 1. Obtain Your Verified License Archive
(ZIP format) transferred to a location accessible from Metasploit Pro. A physical medium, such as a formatted USB
Click , select the verified license file from your portable storage, and click Upload .
Insert your portable storage media back into the air-gapped machine.
It is important not to confuse (the subject of this article) with offline updates . They are related but separate features:
Compare the resulting hash against the official checksum provided by Rapid7 Support. If the values match, the file has not been corrupted or tampered with. Rapid7 Support will send you a ZIP file
: After any activation or license change, you may need to restart Metasploit services. On Linux (typically in /opt/metasploit ):
Restart the Metasploit services if prompted by the interface. Verifying File Integrity and Safety
Like all commercial software, Metasploit Pro requires a valid license to operate. Metasploit is licensed as a subscription, which allows you to use the application as long as the subscription is active. Your license key determines the commercial edition you can access, the number of days remaining on the license, and the number of users allowed to use Metasploit at any given time.
: If provided by your account representative, check the SHA-256 hash of the downloaded license file against the provided value.