Linux enumeration

Published on 23 January, 2024

Enumeration is the process of gathering information about a computer system, network, or application. It helps gain valuable insights into the target system.

Here are some commands for Linux enumeration:

hostname prints the computer's name.
uname -a prints information about the kernel.
cat /proc/version prints additional information about the kernel, and sometimes compiler information.
cat /etc/issue can be used to identify some operating systems.
ps shows running processes.
env prints environment variables.
sudo -l prints commands the current user can run with sudo.
ls -la shows all files and folders in current directory, including hidden files.
id prints an overview of current user's privileges and groups.
cat /etc/passwd prints information about all accounts configured on the system.
ifconfig prints information about the network adapters. However this has been deprecated in newer Linux distributions in favour of the ip command below.
ip prints information about the network adapters.
cat /etc/exports prints information about Network File Sharing (NFS).
echo $PATH prints a list of directories used to search for binaries when commands are typed in the terminal.
whoami prints the current user.
which python3 prints the location of an executable, in this example python3.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list!

Closing thoughts

The effectiveness of these commands can vary depending on the specific Linux distribution, and the permissions of the user executing them.

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