Final Answer:
To view the most recent web server logs on a Metasploitable box, you need to access the Metasploitable system using the terminal. Metasploitable is typically set up with Apache as its web server.
Step-by-step explanation:
The logs for Apache are usually stored in the `/var/log/apache2/` directory.
The following are step-by-step instructions to view the most recent Apache web server logs:
1. Access the Terminal: Open a terminal session on the Metasploitable box. If you're accessing it remotely, you might use a tool like SSH.
2. Navigate to the Apache log directory: Before you can view the logs, you need to go to the directory where they are stored. You can do this with the `cd` command:
```sh
cd /var/log/apache2/
```
3. List the files in the directory: It's a good idea to check the contents of the log directory. You can list the files using the `ls` command:
```sh
ls -l
```
This command will show you all the log files available in this directory, such as `access.log`, `error.log`, etc.
4. View the most recent entries in the log file: The `tail` command is commonly used to display the last few lines of a file. To continuously monitor changes to the log file in real-time (i.e., to see new log entries as they are added), you would use the `-f` (follow) option of the `tail` command:
```sh
tail -f /var/log/apache2/access.log
```
With this command, the terminal will display the last few lines of the `access.log` file and will update in real-time as new logs are written to the file.
5. Exit the `tail` command: When you're done monitoring the logs, you can stop the `tail` process and return to the command prompt by pressing `Ctrl + C` on your keyboard.
Note that the specific log file names may vary depending on the configuration of the Apache server and what types of logs have been configured to record.
Additionally, if a different web server software, like nginx, is being used, the log file paths will be different. For nginx, log files are typically found in `/var/log/nginx/`.
Always ensure that you have the necessary permissions to view these logs, which may require superuser privileges (using `sudo` before the commands).