Dependency Issues

Resolving system and Python dependency problems in AutoPentestX

Overview

AutoPentestX requires both system-level tools and Python packages to function. This guide covers troubleshooting dependency installation and compatibility issues.

System Dependencies

• Nmap
• Nikto
• SQLMap
• Metasploit (optional)

Python Dependencies

• python-nmap
• requests
• reportlab
• sqlparse

---

System Dependencies

Required Packages

Nmap (Network Mapper)

Purpose: Port scanning, service detection, OS fingerprinting

Installation:

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y nmap

Verification:

which nmap
nmap --version
# Should output: Nmap version 7.80+ 

AutoPentestX will not work without Nmap. It’s the core scanning engine.

Nikto (Web Scanner)

Purpose: Web server vulnerability scanning, CGI testing

Installation:

APT Package

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y nikto

Verification:

which nikto
nikto -Version

Workaround if unavailable:

# Skip web vulnerability scanning
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-web

SQLMap (SQL Injection Tool)

Purpose: Automated SQL injection detection and exploitation

Installation:

APT Package

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y sqlmap

Verification:

which sqlmap
sqlmap --version

Workaround if unavailable:

# Skip SQL injection testing (part of --skip-web)
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-web

Metasploit Framework (Optional)

Purpose: Exploit generation, RC script creation, payload development

Installation:

Official Installer

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-omnibus/master/config/templates/metasploit-framework-wrappers/msfupdate.erb > msfinstall
chmod 755 msfinstall
sudo ./msfinstall

Verification:

which msfconsole
msfconsole --version

Workaround if unavailable:

# Skip exploitation phase
python3 main.py -t 192.168.1.100 --skip-exploit

Metasploit is optional. AutoPentestX can perform reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning without it, but exploitation features will be limited.

Supporting Packages

Additional system packages required:

Core Tools

sudo apt-get install -y \
  python3 \
  python3-pip \
  python3-venv \
  git \
  curl \
  wget

PDF Generation Dependencies

# Required for ReportLab
sudo apt-get install -y \
  libjpeg-dev \
  zlib1g-dev \
  libfreetype6-dev

SSL/TLS Support

sudo apt-get install -y \
  libssl-dev \
  openssl

---

Python Dependencies

Requirements File Breakdown

AutoPentestX uses these Python packages (from requirements.txt):

requirements.txt

python-nmap==0.7.1
requests>=2.31.0
reportlab>=4.0.4
sqlparse>=0.4.4

python-nmap

Purpose: Python wrapper for Nmap

Installation:

pip install python-nmap==0.7.1

Common Issues:

Module Not Found

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'nmap'

Solution:

# Ensure virtual environment is activated
source venv/bin/activate

# Install package
pip install python-nmap

# Verify
python3 -c "import nmap; print(nmap.__version__)"

Wrong Package

If you accidentally installed nmap instead of python-nmap:

pip uninstall nmap
pip install python-nmap

The package is called python-nmap, not nmap. They are different packages!

Version Conflicts

# Force specific version
pip install python-nmap==0.7.1 --force-reinstall

# Or use compatible version
pip install 'python-nmap>=0.7.0,<1.0.0'

requests

Purpose: HTTP library for web vulnerability scanning and CVE lookups

Installation:

pip install requests>=2.31.0

Common Issues:

SSL Errors

requests.exceptions.SSLError: [SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED]

Solution:

# Update certificates
pip install --upgrade certifi

# Or install requests with security extras
pip install 'requests[security]'

Connection Timeout

requests.exceptions.ConnectTimeout
requests.exceptions.ConnectionError

Causes:

• Network connectivity issues
• Firewall blocking outbound connections
• Proxy configuration needed

Solutions:

# Test connection
curl -I https://httpbin.org/get

# Configure proxy if needed
export HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080

reportlab

Purpose: PDF report generation

Installation:

pip install reportlab>=4.0.4

Common Issues:

Build Errors

error: command 'gcc' failed with exit status 1
fatal error: Python.h: No such file or directory

Solution:

# Install build dependencies
sudo apt-get install -y \
  python3-dev \
  build-essential \
  libjpeg-dev \
  zlib1g-dev \
  libfreetype6-dev

# Then reinstall
pip install --upgrade reportlab

Import Errors

ImportError: cannot import name 'ImageReader' from 'PIL'

Solution:

# Install Pillow (Python Imaging Library)
pip install --upgrade Pillow

# Reinstall reportlab
pip install --upgrade reportlab

# Verify
python3 -c "from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter; print('OK')"

Font Issues

reportlab.pdfgen.canvas.TTFError: Can't find font

Solution:

# Install fonts
sudo apt-get install -y \
  fonts-dejavu \
  fonts-liberation \
  ttf-mscorefonts-installer

# Rebuild font cache
fc-cache -fv

sqlparse

Purpose: SQL parsing and formatting

Installation:

pip install sqlparse>=0.4.4

Issues: Rarely causes problems. If needed:

pip install --upgrade sqlparse

---

Complete Dependency Resolution

Fresh Installation

1. Update system package lists

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get upgrade -y
   
2. Install system dependencies

   sudo apt-get install -y \
     python3 \
     python3-pip \
     python3-venv \
     nmap \
     nikto \
     sqlmap \
     git \
     curl \
     wget \
     build-essential \
     python3-dev \
     libjpeg-dev \
     zlib1g-dev
   
3. Create virtual environment

   cd AutoPentestX
   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   
4. Upgrade pip

   pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
   
5. Install Python packages

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   
6. Verify installation

   python3 -c "
   import nmap
   import requests
   from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
   import sqlparse
   print('✓ All Python modules imported successfully')
   "
   
7. Test system tools

   which nmap && echo "✓ Nmap found"
   which nikto && echo "✓ Nikto found" || echo "⚠ Nikto not found"
   which sqlmap && echo "✓ SQLMap found" || echo "⚠ SQLMap not found"
   which msfconsole && echo "✓ Metasploit found" || echo "⚠ Metasploit not found"
   

---

Troubleshooting Dependency Installation

Pip Install Fails

Symptoms:

• Package installation errors
• Compilation failures
• Permission denied errors

Solutions:

Check pip version

pip --version
# Should be pip 21.0+

# Upgrade if old
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip

Version Conflicts

Error Message:

ERROR: pip's dependency resolver does not currently take into account all the packages that are installed.

Solution:

1. Create fresh virtual environment

   rm -rf venv
   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   
2. Upgrade pip

   pip install --upgrade pip
   
3. Install requirements

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Creating a fresh virtual environment resolves most dependency conflicts.

Missing System Headers

Error Message:

fatal error: Python.h: No such file or directory
error: command 'gcc' failed with exit status 1

Solution:

# Install development headers
sudo apt-get install -y \
  python3-dev \
  build-essential \
  gcc \
  g++ \
  make

# Then retry pip install
pip install -r requirements.txt

Network/Proxy Issues

Symptoms:

• Timeout errors during pip install
• Cannot reach PyPI
• SSL certificate errors

Solutions:

Configure proxy

export HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
pip install -r requirements.txt

---

Verification Script

Use this script to verify all dependencies:

check_dependencies.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Check AutoPentestX dependencies"""

import sys
import subprocess
import importlib

def check_system_tool(tool):
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(['which', tool], capture_output=True)
        return result.returncode == 0
    except:
        return False

def check_python_module(module):
    try:
        importlib.import_module(module)
        return True
    except ImportError:
        return False

print("=" * 60)
print("AutoPentestX Dependency Checker")
print("=" * 60)

# System tools
print("\n[System Tools]")
tools = {'nmap': True, 'nikto': False, 'sqlmap': False, 'msfconsole': False}
for tool, required in tools.items():
    status = "✓" if check_system_tool(tool) else "✗"
    req_str = "REQUIRED" if required else "OPTIONAL"
    print(f"{status} {tool:15s} [{req_str}]")

# Python modules
print("\n[Python Modules]")
modules = ['nmap', 'requests', 'reportlab', 'sqlparse']
for module in modules:
    status = "✓" if check_python_module(module) else "✗"
    print(f"{status} {module:15s} [REQUIRED]")

print("\n" + "=" * 60)
print("Check complete!")

Run with:

python3 check_dependencies.py

---

Platform-Specific Notes

Ubuntu/Debian

# Update sources
sudo apt-get update

# Install everything
sudo apt-get install -y \
  python3 python3-pip python3-venv \
  nmap nikto sqlmap \
  build-essential python3-dev \
  libjpeg-dev zlib1g-dev

# Python packages
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Kali Linux

# Most tools pre-installed
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3-venv

# Python environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Kali Linux includes Nmap, Nikto, SQLMap, and Metasploit by default.

Arch Linux

# Install dependencies
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S python python-pip nmap nikto sqlmap

# AUR for additional tools
yay -S metasploit

# Python environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

macOS

# Install Homebrew first: https://brew.sh

# Install tools
brew install python nmap nikto sqlmap

# Python environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Some features may not work on macOS due to raw socket restrictions. Running with sudo helps.

---

Getting Help

If dependencies still fail to install:

1. Collect diagnostic information:

   python3 --version
   pip --version
   cat /etc/os-release
   uname -a
   

2. Check error logs:

   pip install -r requirements.txt --verbose
   

3. Consult other guides:

   • Common Issues
   • Permission Problems

Need More Help?

Open a GitHub issue with your system info and error messages