Here is a list of terminal commands for Kali Linux:
Command
Description
ls
List contents of a directory.
cd
Change the current working directory.
pwd
Print the current working directory, showing the full path.
mkdir
Create a new directory.
rmdir (or rm)
Remove files or directories.
touch
Create an empty file.
cat
Display the contents of a file.
less (or more)
Display the contents of a file one screen at a time, allowing you to scroll through text.
nano (or vim)
Terminal-based text editors for editing text files.
cp
Copy files or directories from one location to another.
mv
Move or rename files and directories.
rm
Remove (delete) files or directories (be cautious, as this operation is irreversible).
find
Allows you to search for files and directories in a specified location. You can customize search criteria.
grep
Enables you to search for text patterns within files and find matches.
ps
Displays information about currently running processes. Various options are available.
top (or htop)
Shows a real-time system performance monitor, including CPU and memory usage, along with a list of processes.
ifconfig (or ip)
Displays network configuration information, including IP addresses and network interfaces.
ping
Tests network connectivity to a specific host or IP address by sending ICMP packets.
ssh
Provides secure shell access to other machines over a network.
scp
Enables secure file copying between local and remote machines using SSH.
apt (or apt-get)
Package management tools for installing, updating, and managing software packages in Kali Linux.
wget (or curl)
Used to download files from the internet and fetch data from web sources.
df
Displays disk space usage on mounted file systems.
du
Shows disk usage of files and directories.
history
Views a list of previously executed commands in the terminal.
chmod and chown
Change file permissions and ownership.
Hacking Tools
Command
Description
nmap
An network scanning tool used to discover network devices and open ports.
ifconfig
Used to configure and display network interfaces, including IP addresses and MAC addresses.
iwconfig
Displays and configures wireless network interfaces.
airmon-ng
A tool for managing interfaces for wireless network monitoring, including monitor mode.
arpspoof
Used for ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) spoofing, often for network sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks.
netcat (nc)
A versatile networking tool for reading and writing to network connections, often used for banner grabbing, port scanning, and creating reverse shells.
nikto
A web server scanner that detects various security vulnerabilities in web applications and servers.
dirb (dirbuster)
Directory and file brute-force tools used to find hidden web resources on a web server.
sqlmap
An automated SQL injection tool for detecting and exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities in web applications.
hydra
A password cracking tool that supports various protocols, including SSH, FTP, HTTP, and more.
msfconsole
The command-line interface of the Metasploit Framework used for vulnerability detection and penetration testing.
burp-suite
A popular GUI-based tool for web application security testing and scanning.
wireshark
A graphical network protocol analyzer used for capturing and inspecting network packets.
john (or hashcat)
Tools used in password cracking operations to crack password hashes.
enum4linux
A tool used to gather information from Windows machines through SMB enumeration, including user accounts and shares.
tcpdump
A command-line packet analyzer used to capture network traffic.
gobuster
A tool used for brute-force discovery of directories and files on web servers.
snort
An open-source intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS) used for network security monitoring.
mitmproxy
A man-in-the-middle proxy used to capture and modify HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
setoolkit (Social Engineering Toolkit)
A toolkit used for conducting social engineering attacks, including phishing and information gathering.
xrdp
A remote desktop protocol server that allows remote access to Kali Linux.
msfvenom
A tool used to generate payloads for Metasploit attacks tailored to specific targets.