Gobuster Command List

Welcome, aspiring cybersecurity professionals! Today, we're going to dive into a powerful and very common tool used in the early stages of a penetration test or CTF challenge: Gobuster. Think of it as a digital detective that helps us find hidden doors and secret rooms on websites.

1. Brief Explanation: What is Gobuster and Why is it Used?

Gobuster is an open-source tool written in Go that's designed for brute-forcing directories and files on web servers. In simpler terms, imagine a website is like a house. You know the main entrance (the website's URL), but there might be other doors (directories) or even hidden rooms (files) that aren't advertised. Gobuster tries to guess the names of these hidden paths to see if they exist.

Why is this important in cybersecurity?

• Discovering Hidden Content: Websites often have administrative panels, configuration files, backup directories, or sensitive information that are not linked from the main pages. Gobuster helps us find these.
• Identifying Vulnerable Endpoints: Sometimes, these hidden directories or files might contain outdated software, unpatched vulnerabilities, or expose sensitive information that can be exploited.
• Mapping the Attack Surface: By discovering more about the website's structure, we get a better understanding of what we can potentially interact with and exploit.

It's a fundamental step in reconnaissance and enumeration, which are the first phases of understanding a target system.

2. Top 10 Useful Gobuster Commands

Let's explore some of the most common and useful ways to use Gobuster. We'll break down each command and its output so you understand exactly what's happening.

Command 1: Basic Directory Brute-Force

This is the most fundamental use of Gobuster. We're telling it to look for common directories on a target website.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt

• gobuster dir: This tells Gobuster we want to use its directory busting mode.
• -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com: This is the * -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirboss/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt: This specifies the wordlist. -w stands for "wordlist". A wordlist is a file containing a list of potential directory or file names that Gobuster will try. directory-list-2.3-medium.txt is a common wordlist that contains a good balance of common and less common directory names.

Example Output Snippet:

/admin            (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/backup           (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
/config           (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
/images           (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/phpinfo.php      (Status: 200) [Size: 1024]

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• What we're seeing: Gobuster is trying every word from the wordlist as a potential directory or file after http://testphp.vulnweb.com/.
• Status Codes are Key:
  • 200 OK: This is excellent! It means Gobuster found something at that path. A 200 status code generally means the request was successful, and the server returned content. In this case, /admin and /images likely exist and contain web pages or directories. /phpinfo.php is also found.
  • 403 Forbidden: This means the directory or file exists, but the server is preventing us from accessing it directly. It's a signpost that something is there, but we might need specific permissions or a different approach to see its content.
  • Other Status Codes: You might see 404 Not Found (meaning the path doesn't exist), 301 Moved Permanently, 302 Found (redirects), etc. For directory busting, 200 and 403 are usually the most interesting initially.
• [Size: XXXX]: This tells us the size of the content returned. It can sometimes give clues, though for directories, it's often a default size.
• Why this command is used: This is your first step in discovering what's hidden. Finding an /admin directory is a huge hint that there might be a login page, which is a prime target for further investigation (like password guessing or exploitation). Finding a /phpinfo.php file is also interesting, as it often reveals a lot about the server's configuration.

Command 2: Specifying File Extensions

Many web applications use specific file extensions like .php, .html, .asp, etc. This command helps narrow down the search to only those extensions.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -x php,html,bak

• -x php,html,bak: This flag tells Gobuster to only look for paths that end with these extensions. You can list multiple extensions separated by commas. We're looking for PHP files, HTML files, and potentially backup files (.bak).

Example Output Snippet:

/index.php        (Status: 200) [Size: 512]
/admin.php        (Status: 200) [Size: 2048]
/config.bak       (Status: 403) [Size: 1024]
/login.html       (Status: 200) [Size: 1536]

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Focusing the Search: Instead of trying admin and then admin.php and then admin.html as separate items, this command efficiently targets common file types. If you suspect a web application is built with PHP, adding -x php can significantly speed up your search for relevant files.
• What's Interesting: Finding .bak files is often a jackpot, as they can be uncompiled source code or configuration files that accidentally got left on the server. A 200 status for admin.php or login.html is, again, a strong indicator of a potential entry point.
• Why this command is used: When you have an idea of the technologies used on a website (e.g., it's a PHP site), this command helps you find relevant files more quickly and avoid noise from irrelevant directories that don't have extensions.

Command 3: Changing the Wordlist Size (Shorter/Longer)

Wordlists can be very large, and sometimes a smaller, more targeted list is better, or a larger, more exhaustive list is needed.

# Using a small, common wordlist
gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-small.txt

# Using a larger, more comprehensive wordlist (if available)
gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-big.txt

• -w /path/to/wordlist.txt: As seen before, this specifies the wordlist. Different wordlists (small, medium, big) contain varying numbers of potential directory/file names.

Example Output Snippet (with a small wordlist):

/admin   (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/images  (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]

Example Output Snippet (with a big wordlist):

/admin            (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/backup           (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
/cgi-bin          (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
/config           (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
/docs             (Status: 404) [Size: 0]
/etc              (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
/images           (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/images/logo.png  (Status: 200) [Size: 1024]
/phpinfo.php      (Status: 200) [Size: 1024]
/robots.txt       (Status: 200) [Size: 64]

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Small Wordlist: Faster, good for initial quick scans or when you have a strong idea of common paths (like admin, login, api). Might miss less common but critical paths.
• Big Wordlist: More thorough, increases the chance of finding obscure directories or files. Takes significantly longer to run and can produce a lot of noise (many 404s).
• Why this command is used: This is about managing the trade-off between speed and thoroughness. You might start with a medium or small list for a quick overview and then use a larger list for a deeper dive if initial findings are promising but not exhaustive. Finding robots.txt with a larger list is common; this file often contains hints about disallowed paths.

Command 4: Ignoring Specific Status Codes

Sometimes, you want to filter out results you know aren't useful, like 404 Not Found pages, which indicate a path doesn't exist.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -x php -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f 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-f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -f -nmap -sC -sV -oA nmap_output http://testphp.vulnweb.com

• -f: This flag tells Gobuster to follow redirects. By default, Gobuster might not report directories that result in a redirect (e.g., a 301 or 302 status code). Using -f multiple times (as shown in the example which is a bit excessive, usually one is enough) can increase the likelihood of following redirects, which might lead to discoverable content.
• nmap -sC -sV -oA nmap_output http://testphp.vulnweb.com: This is a different tool, Nmap, being used here as part of the workflow.
  • nmap: The network scanner itself.
  • -sC: Runs the default set of Nmap scripts. These scripts can perform various tasks like vulnerability detection, service version detection, and more.
  • -sV: Attempts to determine the version of the service running on the port. This is crucial for finding known vulnerabilities associated with specific software versions.
  • -oA nmap_output: This tells Nmap to output the scan results in three formats: normal, XML, and grepable. The prefix for these files will be nmap_output.
  • http://testphp.vulnweb.com: The target URL.

Example Output Snippet (Gobuster with -f - less common to see direct output changes, more about what it finds):

Gobuster's output doesn't dramatically change with -f in terms of formatting, but it will now report paths that previously might have been ignored if they resulted in a redirect.

Example Output Snippet (Nmap):

Starting Nmap 7.80 ( https://nmap.org ) at 2023-10-27 10:00 EDT
Nmap scan report for testphp.vulnweb.com (192.168.1.100)
Host is up (0.050s latency).
Not shown: 997 filtered ports
PORT    STATE SERVICE VERSION
21/tcp  open  ftp     vsftpd 3.0.3
22/tcp  open  ssh     OpenSSH 7.4p1 Debian 10+deb9u7 (protocol 2.0)
80/tcp  open  http    Apache httpd 2.4.25 ((Debian))
|_http-server-header: Apache/2.4.25 ((Debian))
|_http-title: Welcome to the Apache2 Debian Default Page!
135/tcp closed msrpc
139/tcp closed netbios-ssn
445/tcp closed microsoft-ds
Service Info: OS: Linux; CPE: cpe:/o:linux:linux_kernel

Service detection performed. Please report any incorrect results at https://nmap.org/submit/ .
Nmap done: 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 12.34 seconds

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Gobuster with -f: This helps uncover content that might be hidden behind a redirection. For instance, a URL might redirect to a login page or a specific application directory. Following these redirects can reveal more of the website's structure.
• Nmap Output Explained:
  • PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION: This is the core of the Nmap output. It lists the ports that are open on the target.
    • 21/tcp open ftp: Port 21 is commonly used for the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). An open FTP server is interesting because it's often used for file uploads and downloads, and sometimes allows anonymous logins (which can be a weak point).
    • 22/tcp open ssh: Port 22 is for Secure Shell (SSH). This is used for secure remote access to the server. While usually requiring authentication, older versions or misconfigurations can be vulnerable.
    • 80/tcp open http: Port 80 is the standard port for HTTP (web servers). This is where our Gobuster scans are focused! The Apache httpd 2.4.25 ((Debian)) tells us the specific web server software and version. This is critical information because we can now look for known vulnerabilities in Apache 2.4.25.
  • |_http-server-header and |_http-title: These are results from the -sC (default scripts) that provide more details about the web server and the page title. "Welcome to the Apache2 Debian Default Page!" indicates we're likely on a default installation, which might not have much unique configuration yet, but the web server itself is running.
  • Service Info: OS: Linux; CPE: cpe:/o:linux:linux_kernel: This gives us information about the operating system. Knowing it's Linux is helpful for understanding potential command-line tools or file permissions.
• Why this command is used: This command shows how Gobuster is often used in conjunction with other tools. Nmap provides a broader view of open ports and services, while Gobuster dives deep into one of those services (the web server). The -f flag in Gobuster helps ensure we don't miss anything that's just a hop away via redirection.

Command 5: Recursively Discovering Directories

This is where Gobuster starts to feel like a true explorer, not just looking one level deep, but going deeper into discovered directories.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com/admin/ -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -r

• -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com/admin/: We're now targeting a specific discovered directory, /admin/.
• -r: This flag tells Gobuster to recurse. If it finds a directory that contains other directories or files, it will automatically start a new scan within that discovered directory. This is incredibly useful for mapping out entire application structures.

Example Output Snippet (illustrative, as full recursion can be long):

/admin/users/           (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/admin/users/profile/   (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/admin/users/profile/view.php (Status: 200) [Size: 2048]
/admin/settings/        (Status: 403) [Size: 128]

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Going Deeper: When Gobuster finds a directory like /admin/, it doesn't stop there. With the -r flag, it will then try to find directories inside /admin/ (like /admin/users/ or /admin/settings/). This continues recursively, uncovering the nested structure of the website.
• Uncovering Sub-Applications: This is how you might discover sub-sections of a web application, like a user management portal (/admin/users/), or a configuration area (/admin/settings/).
• Why this command is used: This is essential for comprehensive enumeration. If a single directory is found, recursion allows us to map out the entire potential attack surface within that section of the website. It helps build a complete picture of the web application's structure.

Command 6: Searching for Virtual Hosts

Web servers can host multiple websites on the same IP address, each with its own domain name. This is called virtual hosting. Gobuster can help find these hidden hosts.

gobuster vhost -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/vhost-common.txt

• gobuster vhost: This tells Gobuster to use its virtual host discovery mode.
• -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com: The target IP address or domain. Gobuster will try to resolve virtual hosts from this IP.
• -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/vhost-common.txt: A wordlist specifically for common virtual hostnames (like blog.example.com, mail.example.com, dev.example.com).

Example Output Snippet:

Found: blog.testphp.vulnweb.com (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
Found: api.testphp.vulnweb.com  (Status: 200) [Size: 2048]
Found: staging.testphp.vulnweb.com (Status: 200) [Size: 1536]

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• What is a Virtual Host?: Imagine a large apartment building (the IP address). Each apartment is a different website (a virtual host). By default, you only see the lobby (the main website). Gobuster, with virtual host scanning, tries to knock on every apartment door to see if anyone answers.
• How it Works: Gobuster makes requests to the target IP address, but it sends different Host headers in the HTTP request, trying names from the wordlist. If the web server is configured to respond to a specific hostname, it will return content.
• Why this command is used: This is critical for understanding the full scope of a target. A single IP address might host several different web applications or services. Discovering these hidden virtual hosts can reveal additional attack vectors. For example, a staging.testphp.vulnweb.com might be less secured than the main testphp.vulnweb.com and contain sensitive information or vulnerabilities.

Command 7: Controlling Thread Count

Gobuster can run multiple requests simultaneously. This is controlled by the number of threads.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -t 50

• -t 50: This sets the number of threads to 50. Threads are like parallel workers. More threads mean Gobuster can try more words from the wordlist at the same time.

Example Output Snippet:

The output will appear to update faster, with many more lines appearing in quick succession as each thread finds something or times out.

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Speed vs. Stability: Increasing the thread count (-t) makes Gobuster run much faster. However, too many threads can overwhelm the target server, causing it to slow down, block your IP address, or even crash. It can also make your own machine run out of resources or cause unstable results.
• Finding the Right Balance: A good starting point is often 20-50 threads. If the target is robust and your machine is powerful, you might go higher. If the target is sensitive or you're on a slow connection, you might use fewer threads.
• Why this command is used: This is primarily for performance tuning. You want to find the fastest speed that doesn't cause problems for the target or your system.

Command 8: Setting a Timeout

Sometimes, requests to a server can hang indefinitely. A timeout prevents Gobuster from waiting forever.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -timeout 10

• -timeout 10: This sets the timeout for each request to 10 seconds. If a request doesn't receive a response within 10 seconds, Gobuster will move on to the next one.

Example Output Snippet:

You'll notice that any requests that would have taken longer than 10 seconds are simply dropped, and Gobuster continues without waiting.

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Preventing Slowdowns: This is crucial for dealing with slow or unresponsive servers. Without a timeout, a single slow request could halt the entire scan.
• Impact on Results: Setting the timeout too low might cause Gobuster to miss valid responses from a slow server. Setting it too high means your scan will take longer if the server is genuinely unresponsive.
• Why this command is used: To ensure that the scan progresses efficiently and doesn't get stuck on unresponsive parts of the target system.

Command 9: Outputting to a File

While seeing output in the terminal is good, it's often necessary to save it for later analysis or reporting.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -o gobuster_results.txt

• -o gobuster_results.txt: This flag tells Gobuster to output all its findings to the specified file, gobuster_results.txt.

Example Output Snippet:

The terminal will show the standard output, but all of it will also be written into the gobuster_results.txt file.

/admin            (Status: 200) [Size: 4096]
/backup           (Status: 403) [Size: 128]
...

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Saving for Later: When you run Gobuster for extended periods or on complex targets, you need to save the results. This allows you to review them later, sort them, filter them, or include them in a report.
• Organized Data: Saving to a file makes it easier to process the results with other tools or scripts.
• Why this command is used: For persistent logging and easy analysis of scan results. It's a standard practice in any penetration testing or security assessment.

Command 10: Skipping Specific URLs

Sometimes, you might want to exclude certain directories from your scan, perhaps if they are known to be irrelevant or could cause issues.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -s '200,204,301,302,403' -x php

• -s '200,204,301,302,403': This flag specifies which status codes to include in the output. You're telling Gobuster, "Only show me results that have one of these status codes." In this example, we are explicitly listing the codes we want to see. Common ones are 200 (OK), 403 (Forbidden), and redirects (301, 302).
• -x php: We're also narrowing our search to only PHP files.

Example Output Snippet:

/index.php          (Status: 200) [Size: 512]
/admin.php          (Status: 200) [Size: 2048]
/config.php         (Status: 200) [Size: 1024]

(Note: If config.bak from earlier was requested, and it returned 403, it would be shown here. If backup directory returned 403, it would also be shown.)

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Filtering Noise: This is incredibly useful for cutting down on irrelevant results. If you're only interested in finding files that definitely exist (200 OK), you can filter out 404s. If you want to see what's protected (403 Forbidden) but not necessarily what doesn't exist (404), you can specify that.
• • Why this command is used: To refine the scan results and focus on the most relevant findings, making analysis more efficient and less prone to distraction.

3. The Most Powerful Command

While many commands offer specific functionalities, the "most powerful" command is often a combination that provides a broad yet deep scan. For Gobuster's directory busting, a powerful command aims for thoroughness and speed without being overly noisy.

gobuster dir -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -x php,html,bak,old,backup,config -t 50 -o gobuster_comprehensive_scan.txt

Explanation of its Power:

1. gobuster dir: We're using the core directory discovery mode.
2. -u http://testphp.vulnweb.com: Specifies the target website.
3. -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirbuster/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt: Uses a well-balanced wordlist that finds common and some less common paths, avoiding the excessive noise of a big list but being more thorough than small.
4. -x php,html,bak,old,backup,config: This is a key addition. We're targeting specific file extensions that are commonly associated with web applications and sensitive information. This significantly increases the chances of finding something useful compared to just looking for directories.
5. -t 50: Uses a healthy number of threads (50) for efficient scanning, balancing speed with the risk of overwhelming the server.
6. -o gobuster_comprehensive_scan.txt: Saves all the results to a file for easy review and further processing.

🧠 Beginner Analysis:

• Why this is powerful: This command combines several effective strategies:
  • • Balanced Wordlist: It uses a wordlist that's not too small (missing things) and not too big (overwhelming and slow).
  • Speed and Logging: It's set to run at a good speed and saves all output, making it practical for real-world use.
• How to use it: You would typically run this command after initial Nmap scans to understand the web server. If Nmap revealed port 80 is open, this Gobuster command is a fantastic next step to start digging for hidden web content that might lead to vulnerabilities. The results (gobuster_comprehensive_scan.txt) would then be reviewed for 200 OK status codes, which are the most promising finds.

This combination provides a robust and efficient way to discover a significant portion of a web application's hidden structure, making it a cornerstone command for any beginner learning web enumeration. Happy hacking!