Essential Cybersecurity Commands and Techniques for IT Professionals

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Introduction:

In today’s digital landscape, cybersecurity is a critical concern for organizations and individuals alike. Mastering key commands and techniques can help mitigate threats, secure systems, and respond to incidents effectively. This article covers essential Linux, Windows, and cybersecurity commands, along with step-by-step guides to bolster your defenses.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand critical Linux and Windows commands for security auditing.
  • Learn how to detect and mitigate vulnerabilities using command-line tools.
  • Gain hands-on experience with cybersecurity techniques for system hardening.

You Should Know:

1. Network Scanning with Nmap

Command:

nmap -sV -A target_ip

Step-by-Step Guide:

Nmap is a powerful network scanning tool used to discover hosts and services. The `-sV` flag enables version detection, while `-A` enables aggressive scanning (OS detection, script scanning, etc.).

1. Install Nmap:

sudo apt install nmap  Linux

2. Run the scan:

nmap -sV -A 192.168.1.1

3. Analyze open ports and services to identify potential vulnerabilities.

2. Checking Listening Ports in Windows

Command:

netstat -ano

Step-by-Step Guide:

This command lists all active connections and listening ports, along with their process IDs (PIDs).

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

2. Execute:

netstat -ano

3. Identify suspicious ports and correlate PIDs with Task Manager (tasklist) to detect malware.

3. Securing SSH on Linux

Command:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Step-by-Step Guide:

SSH is a common attack vector. Hardening it reduces risks.

1. Open the SSH config file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

2. Disable root login and restrict access:

PermitRootLogin no
AllowUsers your_username

3. Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

4. Detecting Malware with Windows Defender

Command:

Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan

Step-by-Step Guide:

Windows Defender can perform deep malware scans via PowerShell.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.

2. Run a full scan:

Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan

3. Review results in Windows Security.

5. Log Analysis with Grep

Command:

grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log

Step-by-Step Guide:

Grep helps filter logs for security events.

1. Check failed SSH attempts:

grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log

2. Identify brute-force attacks and block IPs using iptables.

6. Firewall Rule Management in Windows

Command:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Malicious IP" -Direction Inbound -RemoteAddress 123.45.67.89 -Action Block

Step-by-Step Guide:

Block suspicious IPs via PowerShell.

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.

2. Execute:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Malicious IP" -Direction Inbound -RemoteAddress 123.45.67.89 -Action Block

3. Verify with:

Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Malicious IP"

7. Password Policy Enforcement in Linux

Command:

sudo nano /etc/pam.d/common-password

Step-by-Step Guide:

Enforce strong passwords using PAM.

1. Edit the PAM config:

sudo nano /etc/pam.d/common-password

2. Add complexity rules:

password requisite pam_pwquality.so retry=3 minlen=12 difok=3 ucredit=-1 lcredit=-1 dcredit=-1

3. Save and exit.

What Undercode Say:

  • Key Takeaway 1: Proactive command-line auditing is essential for identifying vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.
  • Key Takeaway 2: System hardening through SSH, firewall rules, and password policies significantly reduces attack surfaces.

Analysis:

Cybersecurity is an ongoing battle, and automation through scripting and command-line tools is a force multiplier. Organizations must train IT teams in these techniques to stay ahead of threats. As AI-driven attacks evolve, mastering these fundamentals will remain crucial for defense.

Prediction:

With the rise of AI-powered cyber threats, manual security practices will increasingly integrate with machine learning tools. Command-line expertise will remain foundational, but automation and AI-assisted threat detection will dominate future cybersecurity strategies.

IT/Security Reporter URL:

Reported By: Activity 7348018585576890368 – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
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