how to setup or install dvwa on local xampp server

In this post, we will learn how to setup or install DVWA(Damn Vulnerable Web Application). We will learn how to install dvwa on local xampp server in your pc. DVWA is a platform that runs on server, after that you can practice your hacking skills.

In last post, I told you how to become an ethical hacker. But if you wants to become best self made hacker. You need to practice a lot. You cant practices on other persons website. Because it is illeagl.

But DVWA is a small program OWASP. You can install this program on your localhost server using xampp. Remember you should not install this DVWA program on your hosting server, because it vulnerable and anyone can use it to exploit.

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OK to install and use DVWA we need two things. Here below are the to those files, you can download them from here.

• DVWA (Download)
• Xampp (Download)

After download above files, follow these steps to install and use dvwa.

Part 1:- Setting UP our Xampp Server

Step 1:- Download Xampp from above link. Install it in your windows. After installing it, you will see its control panel. Now start Apache server and MySQL just by clicking on Start button. Here is screenshot for this task.

Step 2-To check weather our server is running or not, Open your browser and enter localhost in url bar and press enter button. If you are prompted with xampp page, it means your server is running.

Step 3-After checking the, again stop it by clicking on Stop button in control panel.

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Part 2:- Installing and configuring Xampp on server

Step 4- Extract the zipped DVWA file and rename its folder from DVWA to dvwa. Its not what its name just rename it to dvwa.

Step 5-Now copy dvwa folder, in which all dvwa files are stored, to C:/xampp/htdocs.

Step 6-After copying the dvwa folder in htdocs folder, open dvwa folder in htdocs and open .htaccess folder with notepad.

Step 7-Now in the htacess file, find deny for all and delete this line from file. This line is in last of file. After making changes, save it.

Save 8- Now open config file in C:/xampp/htdocs/dvwa/config/. Now you can configure your dvwa database here. Just find and delete the MySQL database password in file.

Step 9- After removing password in config file, Start you Apache server and MySQL server from control pane.

Step 10 – Open your browser and type localhost/dvwa. You will see the screen like below image. Now scroll down and click on Create/Reset Database.

Step 11- Now that your database had been set. You will see the login screen like below. Now use below credentials to login in. These are default username and password.

Username:- admin

Password:- password

Step 12:- Now you had entered in. Click on DVWA security on left panel. And select the security level as per your needs. I recommend you to set it to low. And click on Submit button.

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That's all. If you worked as per my step by step commands, your dvwa had been started you can use it to practice your web hacking. Because it is very vulnerable you can practice all type of your hacking techniques legally. Learn some web hacking techniques and practice them in dvwa. You can learn from dvwa too. Just click on any vulnerability on left hand side options and you will see some links below form. Visit these links to learn about specific vulnerability.

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Now, we have learnt how to setup or install dvwa. You can easily learn hacking and practice it i your system. Have a good day friends and keep visiting my website to learn hacking or you can also subscribe for my newsletter.