Fun with Shells

This story was originally posted at https://blog.hadenes.io/post/fun-with-shells/

This is part of a series of articles meant to guide newcomers and professionals alike on important security topics, and sometimes questions from certifications like CEH will be used as the initial instigator to the article. Topics vary from the very basic to the really advanced stuff.

We are in no way associated with EC Council or any other group or company, and the only purpose of this series is to sum up our study group learnings.

A shell is basically the command line interface you are likely to use on a daily basis on a Unix-based operating system. It’s nothing more than an user interface where you can type commands using a well-known syntax.

We approach more advanced subjects that assume you know your way around. If that is not the case or if you want to learn about shell in-depth, I highly recommend Aurelio Jargas’ book on the matter.

Covering Tracks

So you popped a shell. Nice! First thing you should do is ensure your steps aren’t being monitored.

Keep in mind this section is only about Shell, and doesn’t cover things like auditd and other auditing systems. Don’t risk your life only on that! Still, it’s a useful knowledge for quick stuff.