Install Webgoat 8 - Learn Web Pentesting

WebGoat is a beginner friendly practice target for web penetration testing.

In this article, I'll install WebGoat 8 on Kali and Ubuntu using Java.

The Small Print

Using penetration testing techniques requires many legal and ethical considerations, which are not taught in this article. You're responsible for following the law.

Note that WebGoat is extremely vulnerable, and you must consider the risks of adding such a vulnerable piece of software to your computer.

This article is about the latest WebGoat 8. My earlier article shows how to run older WebGoat 7 in Docker.

Prerequisites

Install Java (and ufw if needed)

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get -y install openjdk-11-jre ufw

Enable firewall.

$ sudo ufw enable

Install and Run WebGoat

Download and run WebGoat 8 Java JAR package

$ wget https://github.com/WebGoat/WebGoat/releases/download/v8.0.0.M26/webgoat-server-8.0.0.M26.jar
$ java -jar webgoat-server-8.0.0.M26.jar

Register

Open WebGoat in browser. Notice the path, or you get an empty page.

http://localhost:8080/WebGoat/

Become a Hacker

Well done, you're runnning web goat. You're on the path to becoming a hacker. Only use your new powers for good!

Updated: title, minor improvements in text; fixed '...opendjk...' -> 'sudo apt-get install openjdk-11-jre'