✯Linux’s command-line interface and shell scripting help turn it into a solid tool for

ethical hacking, managing and automating complex operations and security tasks.

Basics of Navigating the File System (ls, cd, pwd):

➔ cd : Changes the current directory. For example, cd Documents moves to the

MASTERING LINUX COMMAND FOR CYBER "Documents" directory.

SECURITY
CyberSec Sentinel · Follow
7 min read · Jun 25, 2024

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✯Boost your security expertise with Linux utilities

➔ ls : Lists the contents of the current directory.

➔ pwd : Prints the current working directory, showing you where you are in the file
system.

✯Linux has cemented its place as an essential tool for cyber security professionals ➔ls -l command option lets you print out detailed information about the directory
with its customizable and secure operating system management. It also helps in contents in a columnar format that includes size, modified date and time, file or
managing and securing servers, networks, and devices. directory name, owner of the file, and its permission.

✯Linux offers various tools and methods to identify and mitigate security risks.
Some of the useful tools are encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.
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➔ chmod - Change File Permissions: Modify file permissions.

Example: chmod 755 file.sh

➔ chown - Change Ownership: Change the owner and group of a file or directory.
Example: chown user:group file.txt

➔ wget - Download Files: Download files from the internet.

Example: wget https://example.com/file.zip

➔ ssh - Secure Shell: Connect to a remote server securely.

Example: ssh user@remote_host

➔ who - Display Users: Display currently logged-in users.

Example: who
➔ w - Displays current user.

➔ history - This command is used to view the previously executed command.

Example: history 10
Basic Text Editing (nano, vim):
➔ nano : A simple and user-friendly text editor. Use nano filename to open a file in
nano for editing. It provides on-screen instructions for basic operations.
➔ vim : A powerful and customizable text editor with a steeper learning curve. Use File Manipulation Commands (mkdir, touch, rm, cp, mv,cat):
vim filename to open a file in vim. Press i to enter insert mode for editing, Esc to ➔ mkdir : Creates a new directory. For example, mkdir my_folder create a directory
exit insert mode, and :wq to save and exit. named "my_folder."

User Management:
Adding Users:

➔ useradd : Adds a new user account to the system. Syntax: useradd username .

➔ adduser : A user-friendly interface for adding users, often with additional

configuration options.

Deleting Users: ➔ touch : Creates a new empty file or updates the timestamp of an existing file. For
example, touch my_file.txt create a new text file named "my_file.txt."
➔ userdel : Deletes a user account from the system. Syntax: userdel username .

➔ deluser : A user-friendly interface for deleting users, often handling additional

cleanup tasks.

Modifying User Attributes:

➔ usermod : Modifies user account attributes, such as username, home directory, or

group membership. Syntax: usermod options username . ➔ rm : Removes files or directories. Be cautious with this command, as it
permanently deletes files. For example, rm my_file.txt delete the file "my_file.txt."
Changing User Passwords:
➔ cp : Copies files or directories. For example, cp file1.txt file2.txt copy
➔ passwd : Allows users to change their passwords. As an administrator, you can use
"file1.txt" to "file2.txt."
it to change another user's password by typing passwd username .

Viewing User Information:

➔ id : Displays user and group IDs, as well as additional information about a

specified user. Syntax: id username .

➔ finger : Provides detailed user information, including login name, real name,
terminal, and more. Syntax: finger username .

Switching Users: ➔ mv : moves or renames files or directories. For example, mv old_file.txt

new_file.txt rename "old_file.txt" to "new_file.txt", and mv file.txt directory/

➔ su : Allows you to switch to another user account or execute commands as
move "file.txt" into the "directory" directory.
another user. Syntax: su username .
 ➔ lshw : Lists detailed hardware configuration, including memory, processor, disk,
and network information. Requires root privileges or sudo access.

➔ cat - Concatenate and Display: View the content of a file.

Example: cat file.txt

System Information:
Displaying Basic System Information: ➔ lspci : Shows information about PCI buses and connected devices.

➔ uname : Displays system information such as kernel name, network node

hostname, kernel release, kernel version, machine hardware name, and processor
type. For example, uname -a displays all available system information.

Viewing System Hardware Information:

➔ lscpu : Provides information about the CPU architecture and processor details.

➔ lsusb : Displays information about USB buses and connected devices.

 Checking Disk Usage:

➔ df : Displays disk space usage for all mounted filesystems.

➔ lsblk : Lists block devices, such as hard drives and partitions, along with their
mount points.

➔ du : Estimates disk usage for directories and files.

Checking System Memory Usage:

➔ free : Displays the amount of free and used memory in the system, including
total, used, and free memory, as well as buffers and cache.

➔ vmstat : Reports information about processes, memory, paging, block IO, traps,
and CPU activity.

Process Management:
Viewing Processes:

➔ ps : Displays information about active processes. Common options include -aux

for a detailed list of all processes and -ef for a full listing of processes.

➔ pgrep : Searches for processes based on name or other attributes and prints their
process IDs.
➔ top : Provides a dynamic real-time view of system processes, CPU usage, and
memory usage. ➔ pstree : Displays a tree diagram of processes, showing their hierarchical
relationship.

➔ htop : An interactive process viewer that provides an overview of system

Killing Processes:
resources and allows for easy process management.
➔ kill : Terminates a process by sending a signal to it. By default, it sends the TERM
signal, but other signals like KILL or HUP can be specified.

➔ killall : Terminates processes by name rather than PID.

➔ pkill : Similar to killall, but more versatile as it allows specifying processes by ➔ grep : Searches for patterns in files or standard input. It's commonly used to filter
name or other attributes using regular expressions. lines containing a specific pattern.

➔ xkill : A graphical utility that allows users to kill a window or process by clicking ➔ awk : A versatile text processing tool that operates on lines of input and can
on it. perform actions based on patterns.

Background and Foreground Processes: ➔ sed : A stream editor used to perform text transformations on an input stream. It's
often used for search and replace operations.
➔ bg : Puts a stopped or backgrounded process into the background.
➔ tar : Archives files into a single file (often called a "tarball") and optionally
➔ fg : Brings a backgrounded process to the foreground. compresses them.

➔ jobs : Lists active jobs (background processes) associated with the current shell. ➔ gzip : Compresses files using the gzip compression algorithm. It replaces the
original file with a compressed version.
Process Priority and Control:
➔ zip : Compresses files into a zip archive, which can include multiple files and
➔ nice : Launches a process with a specified priority level.
directories.
➔ renice : Changes the priority of an existing process.
CONCLUSION
➔ ionice : Sets the I/O scheduling priority for a process.
In summary, Linux commands are essential in cybersecurity for managing system
Monitoring and Debugging: security, monitoring networks, and responding to threats.Mastery of these commands
enables security professionals to effectively manage and secure Linux systems, detect
➔ strace : Traces system calls and signals made by a process, helpful for debugging. and respond to potential threats, and maintain robust security postures. Mastering
these commands is crucial for effective cybersecurity defense.
➔ lsof : Lists open files and the processes that opened them, useful for
troubleshooting. If you found this guide helpful, then do click on 👏 the button. Follow for more
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➔ pidof : Returns the process ID of a running program.
Cybersecurity Linux Commands Ubuntu Linux Command Line
➔ pgrep : Searches for processes based on name and other attributes and prints
their process IDs. Basic Linux Commands

➔ killall : Terminates processes by name rather than PID.

File Management:
➔ find : Searches for files and directories in a directory hierarchy based on various
criteria such as name, size, or permissions.