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Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Hive in 5 minutes! This guide will walk you through your first security scan.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

5-Minute Quick Start

Step 1: Log In (30 seconds)

  1. Navigate to your Hive instance URL (provided during onboarding)
  2. Enter your credentials
  3. Click Sign In
📸 Screenshot: Login screen

Step 2: Create an Engagement (1 minute)

  1. Click Operations → Engagements in the sidebar
  2. Click Create Engagement
  3. Fill in basic details:
  4. Name: "Quick Start Test"
  5. Type: "Penetration Test"
  6. Scope: Your test target (e.g., example.com)
  7. Click Create
📸 Screenshot: Create Engagement form

Test Safely

Only test targets you own or have explicit permission to test. Use a test environment if available.

Step 3: Run Your First Scan (30 seconds)

  1. Navigate to Attack Platform → Runbooks
  2. Find "Web Application Scan" runbook
  3. Click Execute
  4. Configure:
  5. Target: Enter your target URL (e.g., https://example.com)
  6. Engagement: Select "Quick Start Test"
  7. Click Start Execution
📸 Screenshot: Runbook execution configuration

Step 4: Monitor Progress (2 minutes)

  1. Navigate to Automation Engine → Scan Executions
  2. Watch your scan progress in real-time
  3. See modules execute one by one
  4. View discovered assets as they're found
📸 Screenshot: Scan execution progress

Step 5: View Results (1 minute)

Once complete:

  1. Navigate to Assets → All
  2. See all discovered assets
  3. Click Graph View to visualize relationships
  4. Navigate to Intelligence → Vulnerabilities to see findings
📸 Screenshot: Asset inventory with results

What Just Happened?

You just completed a comprehensive security scan that:

✅ Discovered Assets: Found URLs, hosts, IPs, ports, and applications
✅ Mapped Relationships: Connected assets to show your attack surface
✅ Identified Vulnerabilities: Discovered potential security issues
✅ Generated Intelligence: Created actionable security findings

Next Steps by Skill Level

🟢 Beginner: Learn the Basics

Goal: Understand core features and run basic scans

  1. Explore the Dashboard
  2. Understand key metrics
  3. Navigate the interface

  4. Customize your view

  5. Learn Asset Types

  6. What are URLs, hosts, ports?
  7. How do assets relate?

  8. View asset details

  9. Try Different Runbooks

  10. Network Discovery
  11. Subdomain Enumeration
  12. SSL/TLS Analysis

Estimated Time: 1-2 hours

🟡 Intermediate: Advanced Features

Goal: Create custom testing strategies and automate workflows

  1. Create Custom Runbooks
  2. Design your own workflows
  3. Configure module options

  4. Save and share runbooks

  5. Install APHIDS CLI

  6. Set up command-line interface
  7. Run scans from terminal

  8. Automate with scripts

  9. Build Attack Trees

  10. Create complex scenarios
  11. Add conditional logic
  12. Simulate real attacks

Estimated Time: 3-5 hours

🔴 Advanced: Master the Platform

Goal: Integrate Hive into your security operations

  1. API Integration
  2. Authenticate with API
  3. Automate scan execution

  4. Retrieve results programmatically

  5. CI/CD Integration

  6. Add security testing to pipelines
  7. Automate continuous scanning

  8. Break builds on findings

  9. Custom Modules

  10. Create your own tools
  11. Integrate proprietary scanners
  12. Extend platform capabilities

Estimated Time: 5-10 hours

Common First Scans

1. External Web Application Test

Target: Public-facing web application
Duration: 15-30 minutes
Runbook: "Web Application Scan"

What it does: - Subdomain enumeration - Port scanning - Web server fingerprinting - Vulnerability scanning - SSL/TLS analysis

Use when: - Testing external websites - Pre-deployment security checks - Compliance requirements

2. Network Discovery

Target: IP range or CIDR block
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Runbook: "Network Discovery"

What it does: - Host discovery - Port scanning - Service enumeration - OS fingerprinting

Use when: - Internal network assessment - Asset inventory - Network mapping

3. Subdomain Enumeration

Target: Domain name
Duration: 5-15 minutes
Runbook: "Subdomain Enumeration"

What it does: - DNS enumeration - Subdomain discovery - Certificate transparency logs - Brute force enumeration

Use when: - Reconnaissance phase - Attack surface mapping - Finding forgotten assets

4. API Security Test

Target: API endpoint
Duration: 20-40 minutes
Runbook: "API Security Scan"

What it does: - Endpoint discovery - Authentication testing - Authorization checks - Input validation - Rate limiting tests

Use when: - Testing REST APIs - GraphQL security - Microservices assessment

Quick Reference Commands

APHIDS CLI Quick Commands

# Run a runbook
aphids-cli \
  --api-key YOUR_KEY \
  --runbook RUNBOOK_ID \
  --target-url https://example.com \
  --engagement ENGAGEMENT_ID

# Run an attack tree
aphids-cli \
  --api-key YOUR_KEY \
  --attack-tree TREE_ID \
  --target-url https://example.com \
  --engagement ENGAGEMENT_ID

# Offline scan
aphids-cli \
  --options options.yaml \
  --config config.yaml

# Verbose output
aphids-cli \
  --options options.yaml \
  --config config.yaml \
  --verbose

Docker Quick Commands

# Pull latest container
docker pull ghcr.io/darksidesecurity/aphids:latest

# Check container version
docker run ghcr.io/darksidesecurity/aphids:latest --version

# Run container manually
docker run -v $(pwd):/workspace \
  ghcr.io/darksidesecurity/aphids:latest \
  python3 aphids.py --help

Troubleshooting Quick Start

Scan Not Starting

Symptoms: Scan stays in "Pending" state

Solutions: 1. Check engagement scope includes target 2. Verify target is reachable 3. Check API key permissions 4. Review scan execution logs

No Results Found

Symptoms: Scan completes but no assets discovered

Solutions: 1. Verify target is correct format 2. Check target is online and reachable 3. Review firewall/network restrictions 4. Try a simpler scan first (e.g., just Nmap)

Permission Denied

Symptoms: "Access Denied" or "Unauthorized" errors

Solutions: 1. Verify API key is valid 2. Check user permissions 3. Ensure engagement is active 4. Confirm license is valid

Docker Issues

Symptoms: Container won't start or crashes

Solutions: 1. Ensure Docker is running: docker ps 2. Pull latest container: docker pull ghcr.io/darksidesecurity/aphids:latest 3. Check disk space: docker system df 4. Review Docker logs: docker logs CONTAINER_ID

Quick Tips

💡 Pro Tips

  1. Start Small: Test with a single target before scanning large ranges
  2. Use Test Environments: Practice on test systems before production
  3. Check Scope: Always verify you have authorization
  4. Monitor Progress: Watch scans in real-time to catch issues early
  5. Save Runbooks: Create reusable runbooks for common scenarios

🎯 Best Practices

  1. Document Everything: Add notes to engagements and findings
  2. Tag Assets: Use tags to organize and filter
  3. Review Regularly: Check results daily during active testing
  4. Collaborate: Share findings with team members
  5. Update Often: Keep runbooks and modules current

Learning Path

Follow this path to master Hive:

graph TD
    A[Quick Start] --> B[Basic Scans]
    B --> C[Custom Runbooks]
    C --> D[Attack Trees]
    D --> E[CLI Usage]
    E --> F[API Integration]
    F --> G[Advanced Workflows]

    style A fill:#667eea
    style G fill:#30cfd0

Week 1: Foundations

  • Complete Quick Start ✅
  • Run 5 different runbooks
  • Explore all asset types
  • Create first custom runbook

Week 2: Intermediate Skills

  • Install APHIDS CLI
  • Run CLI scans
  • Build first attack tree
  • Generate first report

Week 3: Advanced Features

  • API integration
  • Automated scanning
  • Custom modules
  • Team collaboration

Week 4: Mastery

  • CI/CD integration
  • Complex workflows
  • Custom reporting
  • Platform optimization

Quick Start Checklist

Track your progress:

  • Logged into Hive platform
  • Created first engagement
  • Ran first scan
  • Viewed discovered assets
  • Explored graph visualization
  • Reviewed vulnerabilities
  • Generated first report
  • Installed APHIDS CLI (optional)
  • Ran CLI scan (optional)
  • Created custom runbook (optional)

Get Help

Stuck? We're here to help:

What's Next?

Choose your path:

🌐 Explore Hive Platform

Deep dive into all platform features and capabilities.

Hive Platform Guide →

⚡ Master APHIDS CLI

Learn command-line scanning and automation.

APHIDS CLI Guide →

🔄 Study Workflows

Learn end-to-end security testing workflows.

Workflow Guide →

🎉 Congratulations!

You've completed your first Hive scan. You're now ready to explore more advanced features!

Keep learning, keep securing! 🐝