<![CDATA[RedBSD with RTFMv2]]>https://www.redbsd.org/

… a FreeBSD-based distribution loaded with a curated red team and penetration testing toolkit, an XFCE-derived desktop, and VMware-ready images — built for operators who want a fast, stable alternative to Linux-based distros. …

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https://greyprotocolsecurity.com/

RTFMv2 is the offensive security operations platform that combines structured checklists, automated scan integrations, and AI-assisted reporting—everything you need to finish assessments faster and with zero gaps.

This is neither an advertisement nor an endorsement.

I used RedBSD-1.20260713-amd64-installer.iso with Oracle VirtualBox 7.2.14 r174565 on Kubuntu 26.04:

  1. allowed the default set of RedBSD packages
  2. shutdown -r now
  3. installed emulators/virtualbox-ose-additions-72 and enabled its two services
  4. edited /boot/loader.conf and /etc/rc.conf to make SDDM and the desktop environment work with VirtualBox instead of VMware
  5. enabled and started the two services for VirtualBox
  6. service sddm restart

Security notes

RedBSD's provisioning scripts make choices that are convenient for an isolated lab but are not safe on an untrusted or internet-facing network:

…

Additional background

Six Reddit posts:

  1. Red Team Oriented BSD OS : r/BSD (2026-06-15)
  2. Red BSD scam or real? : r/BSD (2026-06-16)
  3. RedBSD : r/freebsd (2026-07-10)
  4. RedBSD: Um FreeBSD para cyberseguranca : r/FreeBSD_BR (2026-07-10)
  5. RedBSD seems like only FreeBSD 15.1 : r/freebsd (2026-07-23)
  6. RedBSD continued. First Run. : r/freebsd (2026-07-24)

Thanks to @jbz@indieweb.social for the Mastodon post that sparked my interest in RedBSD.

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/topic/306/redbsd-with-rtfmv2RSS for NodeSun, 16 Aug 2026 06:18:40 GMTSat, 25 Jul 2026 23:46:50 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to RedBSD with RTFMv2 on Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:50:28 GMT]]>redbsd@redbsd:~ $ pkg leaf 7-zip-26.02 ImageMagick7-7.1.2.25_1 aircrack-ng-1.5.2_4 apache-ant-1.10.15_2 apache24-2.4.68 automake-1.18.1 bind-tools-9.20.24_1 ca_root_nss-3.125 cherrytree-1.7.0 cmake-3.31.12 crunch-3.6_1 doas-6.4 dotnet-9.0.14 dotnet8-8.0.27 engrampa-1.28.2_1 firefox-esr-153.0,2 freerdp3-3.30.0 gcc-14_5 gdb-15.1_5 geany-2.1 git-2.54.0 go-1.25_20,2 gradle-9.6.1 hashcat-7.1.2_11,1 hs-pandoc-3.10 htop-3.5.1 john-1.9.0.j.1_1 kismet-2016.07.r1_2,1 kubectl-1.36.1_2 libtool-2.5.4_1 lighttpd-1.4.84_1 linux-rl9-libxkbcommon-1.0.3_2 linux-rl9-xcb-util-0.4.0_2 llvm-19_1,1 lsof-4.99.5,8 mariadb1011-client-10.11.18 maven-3.8.9_3 mercurial-7.1.2 nano-9.0 nginx-1.30.4,3 ninja-1.13.2,4 nmap-7.99_1 node-24.18.0_3 noto-basic-2.0_4 npm-11.18.0 open-vm-tools-13.1.0,2 openjdk17-17.0.18+8.1 openjdk21-21.0.10+7.1_1 openssl-3.0.21,1 papirus-icon-theme-20250501 pavucontrol-6.1 php83-curl-8.3.32_1 php83-mbstring-8.3.32_1 php83-mysqli-8.3.32_1 php83-pdo_sqlite-8.3.32_1 php83-zip-8.3.32_1 pixiewps-1.4.1 podman-5.8.4_1 postgresql16-client-16.14 proxychains-ng-4.17 py312-certbot-4.2.0,1 py312-podman-compose-1.5.0 py312-pwntools-4.15.0_1 py312-virtualenv-21.2.3 python3-3_4 radare2-6.1.4 reaver-1.6.6_1 redis-8.8.0 ripgrep-15.1.0_6 ristretto-0.14.0 rizin-0.9.1 rsync-3.4.4_1 ruby-3.4.9_2,1 rust-1.96.1 screen-5.0.1_6 sddm-0.21.0.36_3 socat-1.8.1.3 sqlitebrowser-3.13.1 subversion-1.14.5_1 sudo-1.9.17p2_2 tcpdump-4.99.6 thunar-archive-plugin-0.6.0 tmux-3.7b tree-2.3.2 trivy-0.72.0_1 vim-9.2.0738 virtualbox-ose-additions-72-7.2.14.1500068 vscode-1.127.0_1 wget-1.25.0 whois-5.5.7_1 xf86-video-vmware-13.4.0 xfce-4.20_2 xfce4-screenshooter-plugin-1.11.3 xmlstarlet-1.6.1_5 xorg-7.7_3 yq-4.1.1 zig-0.16.0 zip-3.0_5 zsh-5.9.1 redbsd@redbsd:~ $ ]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/897https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/897Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:50:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to RedBSD with RTFMv2 on Sun, 26 Jul 2026 01:31:25 GMT]]>Note

Without the changes to /boot/loader.conf and /etc/rc.conf:

  1. SDDM failed to start
  2. the virtual display was too large for my screens.

SDDM fails to start after installation in VirtualBox · Issue #5 · shanefarris/RedBSD

General information

redbsd@redbsd:~ $ redbsd-version
RedBSD 1.0 - Initial Release
Based on FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE
Kernel: FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE
Architecture: amd64

FreeBSD base: 15.1-RELEASE
Kernel: FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE
Architecture: amd64

OS release file: /etc/os-release
redbsd@redbsd:~ $ freebsd-version -kru ; uname -mvKU
15.1-RELEASE
15.1-RELEASE
15.1-RELEASE
FreeBSD 15.1-RELEASE releng/15.1-n283562-96841ea08dcf GENERIC amd64 1501000 1501000
redbsd@redbsd:~ $ pkg iinfo virtualbox
virtualbox-ose-additions-72-7.2.14.1500068
redbsd@redbsd:~ $

/boot/loader.conf

redbsd@redbsd:~ $ cat /boot/loader.conf

# Console resolution + font (set by 07_set_console_resolution.sh)
# efi_max_resolution="1920x1080"
# kern.vt.fb.default_mode="1920x1080"
# vt.font="/usr/share/vt/fonts/spleen-8x16.fnt"
loader_logo="redbsd"
loader_color="YES"
kern.geom.label.disk_ident.enable="0"
kern.geom.label.gptid.enable="0"
zfs_load="YES"
hw.efi.poweroff=0
redbsd@redbsd:~ $

/etc/rc.conf

redbsd@redbsd:~ $ cat /etc/rc.conf
hostname="redbsd"
keymap="uk.kbd"
ifconfig_em0="DHCP"
ifconfig_em0_ipv6="inet6 accept_rtadv"
lightdm_enable="NO"
sddm_enable="YES"
# vmware_guest_vmblock_enable="YES"
# vmware_guest_vmhgfs_enable="YES"
# vmware_guest_vmmemctl_enable="YES"
# vmware_guestd_enable="YES"
moused_enable="YES"
allscreens_flags="-f /usr/share/vt/fonts/spleen-8x16.fnt"
linux_enable="YES"
# vmware_guest_vmxnet_enable="YES"
wlans_iwm0="wlan0"
sshd_enable="YES"
ntpd_enable="YES"
ntpd_sync_on_start="YES"
moused_nondefault_enable="NO"
# Set dumpdev to "AUTO" to enable crash dumps, "NO" to disable
dumpdev="AUTO"
zfs_enable="YES"
vboxguest_enable="YES"
vboxservice_enable="YES"
redbsd@redbsd:~ $

Bonus

This line in /boot/loader.conf is for FreeBSD to truly power off, when required, in a VirtualBox guest that uses UEFI:

hw.efi.poweroff=0

Not just VirtualBox. It's sometimes required with real hardware.

]]>https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/896https://billboard.bsd.cafe/post/896Sun, 26 Jul 2026 01:31:25 GMT