CyberCode Academy

Course 16 - Red Team Ethical Hacking Beginner Course | Episode 2: Essential Command Line Administration: Linux, Windows, Account Management

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In this lesson, you’ll learn about:
  • Essential Linux command-line administration basics
  • Core Windows command-line networking and system commands
  • How to navigate, inspect, and manage files on both platforms
  • Practical Windows domain user and group management
  • Why command-line proficiency is critical for security professionals
Overview This lesson provides a foundational overview of essential command-line administration techniques used in both Linux and Windows environments. These skills are fundamental for cybersecurity professionals, system administrators, and red team members, as many security operations rely on native command-line utilities rather than graphical interfaces. The lesson concludes with Windows domain account management, an important topic for understanding enterprise environments. Linux Administration Commands The first segment introduces commonly used Linux commands within Kali Linux, focusing on basic system interaction and networking awareness. File System and Directory Management
  • Navigating directories using cd
  • Listing directory contents using ls
  • Creating directories using mkdir
  • Creating files and writing content using echo
  • Viewing file contents using cat
  • Removing files using rm
  • Recursively listing directory contents using ls -r
Networking and Interface Management
  • Viewing network interface information using:
    • ifconfig
    • ip a (modern replacement)
  • Viewing routing information using:
    • ip r
    • netstat -rn
  • Restarting networking services using:
    • service networking restart
  • Manually disabling and enabling interfaces using:
    • ifconfig eth0 down
    • ifconfig eth0 up
Help and Documentation
  • Using the --help flag to view command options
  • Using the man command to read full manual pages and understand command parameters
This section emphasizes learning how to explore command capabilities independently, a critical skill in real-world environments. Windows Administration Commands The second segment focuses on Windows command-line administration, helping students become comfortable working with Windows systems without relying on graphical tools. System and Network Information
  • hostname – displays the computer name
  • ping – checks network connectivity using ICMP packets
    • Demonstrated with the loopback address
    • Using -n to limit the number of packets
  • ipconfig /all – displays detailed network configuration
  • nslookup – resolves domain names to IP addresses
  • netstat -nao – shows active connections, listening ports, and process IDs
  • route print – displays the routing table
  • arp -a – shows IP-to-MAC address mappings
File and Directory Management
  • Listing directory contents using dir
  • Navigating directories using cd
  • Creating files using echo
  • Viewing file contents using type
Command Help and Error Handling
  • Using /? to display command usage and parameters
  • Using net help message to translate Windows error codes into readable messages
This section highlights how attackers and defenders alike rely heavily on native Windows tools. Windows Domain Account Management The final segment introduces command-line management of users and groups in a Windows domain, a crucial concept in enterprise security environments. User and Group Enumeration
  • net user /domain
    • Checks user status
    • Identifies whether the account is active
    • Confirms group memberships (e.g., domain admin)
  • net users /domain
    • Lists all domain users
  • net group /domain
    • Lists all domain groups
  • net group /domain
    • Displays users belonging to a specific group
Managing Domain Privileges
  • Adding a user to domain administrators:
    • net group domain admins /add /domain
  • Removing a user from domain administrators:
    • Using the /delete parameter
  • Activating a disabled domain account:
    • net user /active:yes /domain
These commands demonstrate how domain permissions are controlled and why privileged access must be carefully protected. WMIC as an Alternative
  • wmic group list brief
  • wmic user account list brief
WMIC provides a concise way to list users and groups and is often used for quick reconnaissance and administration. Key Educational Takeaways
  • Command-line tools exist on every system and are powerful by design
  • Many security operations depend on native utilities rather than exploits
  • Understanding system administration improves both offensive and defensive skills
  • Domain environments require careful privilege management
  • Strong visibility and auditing are essential to prevent misuse


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CyberCode AcademyBy CyberCode Academy