5 Essential Linux Tools for Effective Directory Bursting

Directory bursting (also known as directory brute forcing) is an important step in web application security testing. It involves discovering hidden files and directories on a web server by guessing common directories and file names.

Attackers often utilize directory bursting to uncover unlinked admin panels, source code repositories, configuration files, and other sensitive resources on a web application. As an ethical hacker, you can use the same techniques to assess and improve an application's security posture.

On Linux, there are many great open-source tools available for automating the directory brute-forcing process. Here are 5 of the best options:

1. DIRB

DIRB is one of the original and still most widely used directory-busting tools. It is included by default in Kali Linux and most pen-testing distributions.

To install DIRB on Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install dirb

To use DIRB, provide a target URL and word list file:

dirb https://example.com /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt

DIRB will then rapidly cycle through the word list, appending each item to the target URL and detecting valid paths via the response code.

Key features of DIRB:

• Fast multi-threaded requests for quick results

• Output highlighting valid paths in green for easy analysis

• Supports password-protected dirs and HTTP authentication

• Easy to customize word lists and configurations

2. DirBuster

DirBuster is a graphical tool for directory busting, offering an intuitive interface and advanced configuration options.

Though DirBuster is Java-based, it comes preinstalled on Kali Linux. You can also download the latest JAR file from SourceForge.

To run DirBuster, launch the JAR file:

java -jar DirBuster-1.0-RC1.jar

Enter your target URL and select a word list file. DirBuster will initiate the brute force using multiple threads.

Key features:

• Interactive results table with filtering by response code

• Graph showing directory-busting progress

• Supports proxies, authentication, and recursion

• Highly customizable through GUI or advanced config file

3. Gobuster

Gobuster is a fast command line tool written in Go designed especially for brute forcing directories and subdomains.

Install Gobuster on Kali with:

sudo apt install gobuster

Basic gobuster syntax for directories:

gobuster dir -u https://example.com/ -w common-files.txt

Key features:

• Fast performance leveraging Go routines

• Support for rate limiting and proxying requests

• Option to append/prepend strings to the word list

• Can brute force file extensions as well as dirs

• Wildcard filtering to exclude content

4. wfuzz

wfuzz is a versatile web application fuzzer that can brute force directories, files, parameters, and more.

Install wfuzz:

sudo apt install wfuzz

To brute force directories:

wfuzz -c -z file,/usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt --hc 404 https://example.com/FUZZ

Key features of wfuzz:

• Powerful Fuzzing Engine for any part of HTTP request

• Recursion support for unlimited path depths

• Filtering, monitoring, and comparative modes

• Burp and proxy integration are available

• Handy for directory busting, file brute forcing, web scraping, and more

5. ffuf

ffuf is a lightning-fast directory buster written in Go and designed for speed and ease of use.

Install ffuf:

GO111MODULE=auto go install github.com/ffuf/ffuf@latest

To brute directories:

ffuf -u https://example.com/FUZZ -w wordlist.txt

Key features of ffuf:

• Extremely fast thanks to concurrent processing

• Colorized output for clear visibility

• Recursive brute forcing for unlimited depths

• Regex filtering of responses

• Handy options like verbosity, extensions, recursion level

Conclusion

This covers 5 of the top directory-busting tools available for Linux. All are free and open source.

Consider combining several tools to leverage different word lists and approaches when enumerating an application. The more comprehensive your directory brute forcing, the more hidden resources you'll discover.

These utilities help automate the tedious process of guessing paths and filenames. With the latest dir-busting tools at your disposal, you can conduct more powerful web app security assessments.