TASK - 1:

Linux is an operating system such as Mac or Windows. It runs upon phones, cars, and computers. Many other things make it run also.

⚡Things we will learn about Linux:

1. In your own browser, 💻 try out your first Linux commands now.

2. In order to locate files 📂 as well as move around, one must learn basic commands.

3. View how files get searched using simple tricks. 🧠

TASK - 2:

Linux is Everywhere! 🌍, You may not see it, but you probably use Linux every day. Here are some places where Linux runs:

1. 🌐 Websites: Google/Facebook servers run Linux.

2. 🚗 Cars: Infotainment & dashboards use Linux.

3. 🏪 Stores: Checkout machines & POS systems.

4. 🚦 Traffic: Smart signals & sensors.

Flavours of Linux:

Just like Windows has versions (7, 8, 10), Linux also has many versions called “distros” 🏷️.

• Ubuntu Server can run on systems with only 512MB of RAM!

• Popular ones are Ubuntu and Debian.

• You can use them for websites or as a regular computer.

TASK - 3:

• For now, press "Start Machine" where you will be able to interact with your own Linux machine within your browser whilst following along with this room:

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• Ubuntu is lightweight and can run on old computers, but sometimes it doesn’t have a GUI. Instead, you use the Terminal 🖥️ a text-only window for typing commands.

At first, the terminal looks a bit scary, but with practice, it gets easy!

Task - 5:

Interacting With the Filesystem:

• Listing Files(ls):

Type “ls” and press Enter! 🔍. It shows everything in your folder 📂.

• Change Directory(cd):

  Now that you can see folders with ls 👀, use cd (change directory) to move inside them. For example, type cd Pictures to enter your photos folder 📸. Once inside, use ls again to view its contents 🖼️.

• Concatenate(cat):

  Use the cat command 🐱 - just type cat filename (like cat notes.txt) to display the file's contents right in your terminal 📄. It works for text files, configs, and more! After listing files with ls, pick one and cat it to see inside 🔍.

• Print Working Directory(pwd):

  Your terminal shows your current folder 📂. pwd (print working directory) it prints your **exact location (**like /home/user/Documents).

Task - 6:

1. Using Find:

The find command 🔍 is incredibly useful for locating files - whether you need a simple search or something more advanced. Let's start with the basics. First, use ls to view your current directories 📂. When you need to find a specific file (like "passwords.txt") but can't remember its location 🤔, simply use find “-name passwords.txt” 🕵️. This handy command will search through all folders in your current directory to find that file for you.

2. Using Grep:

When dealing with large files like logs 📄, cat isn't efficient - imagine searching 244 entries manually! Instead, use grep 🔍 to find specific content fast. For example, to find all visits from IP "81.143.211.90" in a web server's access log:

Task - 7:

• Task Completion of Linux Fundamentals Part - 1

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Linux Modules 🧠

Task - 1:

This room is your terminal practice playground 🐧 - Focus on learning! We'll cover essential tools like grep 🔍, awk ✂️, sed 🖊️, curl 🌐, and more to boost your command-line efficiency. Instead of reading lengthy manuals, you'll learn hands-on with practical examples 💡.

Task -2:

• “du” is a command in Linux which helps you identify what files/directories 📂 are consuming how much space.

Important Flags: -

Example:

1. ”du -a /home/” - will list every file in the /home/ directory with their sizes in KB.

2. “du -a /home/ | grep “- user will list any file/directory whose name is containing the string "user" in it.

Final Word:

• du --time -d 1

Task - 3:

• grep -E functions same as egrep and grep -F functions same as fgrep.

Task - 4:

You’ve used grep 🔍 now things get more powerful. String manipulation (strops) lets you slice ✂️, filter 🧹, and transform 🔄 text like a pro.

Tools for the string manipulation:

1. tr 🔄 – Swap/delete characters. (Example: Change a-z → A-Z in seconds ⏱️)

2. awk 🦅 – Text processing powerhouse. (Example: Print column #2 from a CSV 📑)

3. sed ✏️ – Edit text on the fly. (Example: Replace "error" with "fixed" globally 🔧)

4. xargs 🏗️ – Turn text into command fuel.

Other Commands :

5. sort 🔠 – Alphabetize chaos.

6. uniq 🧊 – Nuke duplicates.

Task - 5:

Example : "cat file.txt | tr -s '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]’ ”

• “tr --help” command Helps in the various commands.

Task - 6:

• Syntax: awk [flags] [select pattern/find(sort)/commands] [input file]

• Awk is acripting language used for manipulating data 📂and generating reports. The awk command programming language requires no compiling, 💡 and allows the user to use variables, numeric functions, string functions, and logical operators."

Important Flags

1. Using AWK:

• To simply print a file with awk.

  

  • To search for a pattern inside a file you enclose the pattern in forward slashes /pattern/ . For instance, if I want to know who all plays CTF competitions the command should be like: “ awk '/ctf/' file.txt”.

    

2. Built-In variables in AWK:

• Built-in variables include field variables ($1, $2, $3 .. $n). These field variables are used to specify a piece of data (. If I run “awk '{print $1 $3}' file.txt “. it will list me the words that are at 1st and 3rd fields.

  

  3. More on variables":

     • NR: (Number Record) is the variable that keeps count of the rows after each line's execution... You can use NR command to number the lines (awk '{print NR,$0}' file.txt). Note that awk considers rows as records.

       

       • FS: (Field Separator) is the variable to set in case you want to define the field for input stream. The field separation can be altered to whatever you want while specifying the pattern. FS can be defined to another character(s)(yea, can be plural) at the BEGIN {command}.

         Ex:- “awk "BEGIN {FS='o'} {print $1,$3} END{print 'Total Rows=',NR}"

• RS: (Record Separator): By default, it separate rows with '\n'.

• OFS: (Output Field Separator) You must have gathered some idea by the full form, it is to specify a delimeter while outputing.

• ORS: (Output Record Separator)

Task - 7:

The sed life: There are endless ways of using sed.

sed -e '1,3 s/john/JOHN/g' file.txt

• 1,3 = Only lines 1 through 3 📏

• s = Substitute command 🔄

• john = Text to find 🔎

• JOHN = Replacement text ✏️

• g = Replace ALL matches (not just first) 💥

Syntax: sed [flags] [pattern/script] [input file]

Important Flags:

Modes/Commands:

Args:

• Range of lines:

• Viewing the entire file except a given range

• Viewing multiple ranges of lines inside a file

• To start searching from nth pattern occurrence in a line you can use combination of /g with /1,/2,/3.

• If you have log files to view which have trailing white spaces, and it is hard to read them, then you can fix that using regex.

Task - 8:

• xargs turns text into command arguments! 🎯 Pipe input to it (like echo "a b c" | xargs mkdir ➡️ creates folders a, b, c 📁). Handles spaces/splitting automatically ✨. Use -n to limit args per call. CLI magic! ⚡

• What if we want to run multiple command with xargs in one line.

• You can use xargs with conjunction to find command to enhance the search results.

Note: The find command prints results to standard output by default, so the -print option is normally not needed, but -print0 separates the filenames with a \0 (NULL) byte so that names containing spaces or newlines can be interpreted correctly.

• You can use xargs command to grep a text from any file in any directory meeting a specific pattern/criteria.

Task - 9:

Uniq Command:

The “uniq” command filters out duplicate lines from a file or stdin, but it only works on adjacent duplicates. To effectively use it, first sort the lines. This combo reduces clutter and simplifies searching! 📄✨

sort file.txt | uniq

Sort Command:

The sort command organizes lines alphabetically or numerically with ease. Simply pipe your stdin into it, and it will handle the sorting for you! 📊✨

Important Flags for Uniq:

Important Flags for Sort:

• sort command, as the name suggests sorts the lines alphabetically and numerically, automatically. All you got to do is pipe the stdin into sort command.

  

  

Task - 10:

cURL (short for "crawl URL") fetches webpage data in raw format, letting you perform browser tasks in the terminal. 🖥️.You can't save cat pictures directly from Google, but with some grepping, you can! 🐱Use cURL to download large files or create offline copies easily. Just curl the URL and go! 🌐🚀

Syntax: curl https://google.com/

Important Flags:

• Continuing a download:

• Saving the file with the name it was saved on the server.

Task - 11:

Syntax: “wget protocol://url.com/ “

Important Flags:

• Downloading a file with different name

• specifying logfile as log.txt with timestamping enabled

Task - 12:

“xxd” is a handy tool for creating and reversing hexdumps. 💻🔄 It's great for handling hex strings, whether you're into CTFs or automating JWT bypasses. Use it with files or pipe input directly! ⚡️🛠️

Important Flags:

• Use of -E flag (For curious minds)

• Output in binary and C include format

• Specifying a length

• Seeking an offset

• Seeking at offset from the end of the file.

• here is a difference between -s +offset and -s offset while seeking through stdin.

Task -13:

GPG & Encryption Commands 🔐:

An open-source encryption tool, different from PGP (Pretty Good Privacy). GPG uses AES by default.

Tar Command 📦:

Use tar for encrypting/decrypting gzip or bzip archives. Check the man page for details: man tar.

1. ID/PWD/UNAME Commands 🆔: Essential commands for user info after gaining shell access.

2. PS/KILL Commands ⚔️: List and kill processes using PID. Learn more about “ps”here.

3. Netstat Command 🌐: Lists network activity, open ports, and connections. An alternative is the ss command for real-time port activity.

4. Less/More Commands 📖

• More: Older command with limited backward scrolling.

• Less: Improved version with better navigation and search options.

• Most: Another alternative, install with sudo apt install most.

Diff Command 🔍:

pares two files byte-by-byte. For line-by-line comparison, use the comm command.

• base64 command

• tee command

• file/stat commands

Export Command 🌍:

Use the export command to set environment variables for your shell session.

Reset Command 🔄:

If your terminal is acting up, just type reset to restore it to normal without closing the shell.

systemctl/Service Command ⚙️:

Service Command: Initializes services in /etc/init.d without major system changes. Systemctl: A more powerful command for managing services with systemd, but be cautious as it affects system settings.

Linux Modules Task Completion :

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Windows Fundamentals 1

Task - 1:

Task - 2:

The Evolution of Windows OS 🖥️🪟 Since its launch in 1985, Windows has ruled homes and businesses but also attracted hackers 🐱‍💻.

Windows XP was loved ❤️, but Windows Vista struggled and was quickly replaced. When XP support ended, many rushed to Windows 7, causing a compatibility scramble ⏳⚙️.

After Windows 7, Windows 8.x had a short run, then came the solid Windows 10. Now, Windows 11 is here with Home and Pro editions, bringing new features and better security 🔐✨.

For servers, the latest is Windows Server 2025 🖥️🛡️. Microsoft keeps improving despite criticism.

Note: The attached VM uses Windows Server 2019 Standard 🖥️.

Update: Windows 10 support runs until Oct 14, 2025, 📅, and Windows 11 launched Oct 5, 2021 🎉.

Stay updated with Windows! 🚀

Task - 3:

Exploring the Windows 10 Desktop 🖥️✨

The Windows Desktop, also known as the graphical user interface (GUI), is your welcome screen after logging into a Windows 10 machine. First, you’ll encounter the login screen, where you enter your username and password 🔑.

Key Components of the Windows Desktop:

1. The Desktop: This is your workspace, filled with shortcuts to programs, folders, and files. You can organize these icons or let them scatter randomly for quick access. Right-clicking on the desktop opens a menu to change icon sizes, arrange them, or personalize your wallpaper 🎨.

2. The Start Menu: Accessed by clicking the Windows logo, the Start Menu provides shortcuts to apps, files, and settings. It’s divided into sections for quick actions, recently added apps, and installed programs. You can pin your favorite apps for easy access 📂.

   

3. The Taskbar: This is where all your open apps appear. Hovering over an icon shows a preview, helping you find the right window. You can customize the taskbar by right-clicking to enable or disable components 🛠️.

   

4. The Notification Area: Located at the bottom right, this area displays the date, time, and icons for volume and network status. You can customize which icons appear here through Taskbar settings ⏰🔔.

With these features, Windows 10 offers a user-friendly experience, making it easy to navigate and customize your desktop environment. 🚀

Task - 4:

Understanding NTFS in Windows 🖥️📁

The modern Windows file system is NTFS (New Technology File System), which replaced older systems like FAT16/FAT32 and HPFS. While FAT is still common in USB drives and MicroSD cards, NTFS is the go-to for Windows installations.

Key Features of NTFS:

1. Journaling: Automatically repairs files in case of failure using a log file 📜.

2. File Size Support: Handles files larger than 4GB 📏.

3. Permissions: Set specific access rights for files and folders,

4. including: Full control Modify Read & Execute List folder contents Read Write 🔒 To check your drive's file system, right-click the C drive and select Properties.

Alternate Data Streams (ADS) 🌊 NTFS allows files to have multiple data streams through ADS. While Windows Explorer doesn’t show these, you can use PowerShell to view them. ADS can be used for both legitimate purposes and malicious activities, like hiding malware.

Task - 5:

The Windows Folder: C:\Windows 🗂️💻

The Windows folder (C:\Windows) is where the Windows operating system is stored, but it doesn't have to be on the C drive. It can exist on any drive or even in a different folder.

Environment Variables 🌍 The system environment variable for the Windows directory is %windir%. Environment variables store important information about the operating system, such as paths, processor details, and temporary folder locations.

Inside the Windows folder, you'll find several important subfolders, including System32.

The System32 Folder ⚠️ The System32 folder contains critical files essential for the OS to function. Be very careful when interacting with this folder, as deleting files here can make Windows inoperable.

Many tools you'll learn about in the Windows Fundamentals series are located in the System32 folder.

Task - 6:

User Accounts in Windows: Administrator vs. Standard User 👤🔑

In a typical Windows system, user accounts can be either Administrator or Standard User. The type of account determines what actions the user can perform.

Account Types:

• Administrator: Can make system changes, add or delete users, modify settings, and more.

• Standard User: Can only modify personal files and folders, with no permission to install programs or make system-level changes.

• You are currently logged in as an Administrator. To view existing user accounts, click the Start Menu and type "Other User" to access System Settings > Other users.

• Managing User Accounts ⚙️: As an Administrator, you can add users. Standard Users won’t see this option. Clicking on a local user account will show options like Change account type and Remove.

When a new user logs in for the first time, their profile is created in C:\Users (e.g., C:\Users\Max). During this process, messages like "User Profile Service" will appear on the login screen. Each user profile includes standard folders such as:

Desktop Documents Downloads Music Pictures Local User and Group Management 🛠️ For more detailed management, right-click the Start Menu, select Run, and type “lusrmgr.msc”. This opens Local User and Group Management, where you can see Users and Groups.

Task - 7:

What is User Account Control (UAC)? 🖥️🛡️

Many Windows users are logged in as local administrators, which means they can change system settings. But running with full admin rights all the time is risky because malware can easily infect the system.

UAC helps protect your PC by asking permission when a program needs higher privileges.

How UAC Works 🔍?

• When you log in as an administrator, your session runs with normal rights by default.

• If a program wants to make big changes (like install software), UAC shows a prompt asking for permission.

• This prompt appears with a shield icon on the program.

Important to Know ⚠️

• The built-in administrator account skips UAC prompts. Standard users see the shield icon and must enter admin credentials to proceed.

• Try It Yourself 👨‍💻 Log in as a standard user and try to install a program. You’ll see the shield icon and get a UAC prompt asking for the admin password. If you don’t enter it, the install won’t start.

• UAC keeps your PC safer by making sure you agree before important changes happen! 🔐✨

Task - 8:

Windows Settings vs Control Panel 🖥️⚙️

Windows has two main places to change system settings:

• Settings Menu: Newer and easier to use, found in Windows 8 and 10.

• Control Panel: Older, with more advanced options. How to Access 🗂️ Both can be opened from the Start Menu.

Quick Example 🔧

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Change adapter options.

• It takes you to the Control Panel for more options.

• Tips 🔍 If unsure, just search for what you want (like “wallpaper”) in the Start Menu. It will help you open the right place.

• 

Task - 9:

Exploring Task Manager in Windows 🖥️📊

The Task Manager is a powerful tool that shows you what applications and processes are currently running on your system. It also provides insights into CPU and RAM usage under the Performance tab.

How to Access Task Manager 🗂️

• Right-click the taskbar to open Task Manager.

• Views in Task Manager 👀 Simple View: Initially opens with limited information.

• More Details: Click this to expand and see more data about running processes. For a deeper dive into Task Manager, check out the related blog post.

Windows Fundamentals 1 Task:

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Windows Fundamentals 2

Task - 1:

Machine IP: MACHINE_IP

User: administrator

Password: letmein123!

Task - 2:

System Configuration Utility (MSConfig) in Windows 🛠️🔧

The System Configuration utility (MSConfig) is designed for advanced troubleshooting, primarily to help diagnose startup issues.

How to Access MSConfig 🗂️

You can launch MSConfig from the Start Menu. Note that you need local administrator rights to open it.

Tabs in MSConfig 📑 MSConfig has five tabs:

• General: Choose how Windows loads (Normal, Diagnostic, or Selective).

• Boot: Set various boot options for the operating system.

• Services: Lists all services, whether running or stopped. Services run in the background. Startup: Not very useful in some VMs; Microsoft recommends using Task Manager for managing startup items.

• Tools: Contains various utilities to further configure the operating system, with descriptions for each tool. Running Tools 🛠️ In the Tools tab, you can launch utilities by using the command in the run prompt, command prompt, or by clicking the Launch button.

Task 3:

User Account Control (UAC) in MSConfig 🛡️

In the System Configuration panel, you can adjust User Account Control (UAC) settings, which were discussed in detail in Windows Fundamentals 1.

Adjusting UAC Settings ⚙️

• You can change UAC settings or turn them off (not recommended).

• Use the slider to see how different settings affect UAC.

Task - 4:

Computer Management (compmgmt) 🖥️🔧 Sections:

System Tools Storage Services & Applications System Tools 🔍

• Task Scheduler: Automate tasks (run at login, schedule, etc.).

• Event Viewer: See system events to troubleshoot.

• Shared Folders: View and manage shared files and users.

• Local Users & Groups: Manage users and groups.

• Performance Monitor: Check system performance.

• Device Manager: Manage hardware devices. Storage 💾

• Disk Management: Manage drives, partitions, and letters.

  

  Services & Apps ⚙️

• Manage running services and view details.

• WMI Control: Manage Windows system info (uses PowerShell now).

Task - 5:

System Information Tool (msinfo32) 🖥️

❓What is msinfo32?

Windows has a tool called System Information (msinfo32) that shows detailed info about your computer’s hardware, components, and software environment.

🗂️Main Sections

• Hardware Resources: Advanced info about your hardware.

• Components: Info on devices like your display or keyboard.

• Software Environment: OS software info and environment variables.

🛠️Environment Variables

They store important system info, like where Windows is installed or the number of processors. You can also find them via Control Panel or Settings.

🔍Try Searching!

At the bottom of msinfo32, use the search bar. Try searching for IP address under Components to see your network info.

Task - 6:

Discovering Resource Monitor (resmon) 🖥️

What is Resource Monitor? 🤔

Resource Monitor is a tool that shows how your computer is using resources like CPU, memory, disk, and network. It helps you see which programs are using these resources and can help you fix issues if something is not working right. 🛠️

Key Sections in Resource Monitor 📊

In the Overview tab, you’ll find four main sections:

1. CPU 🖥️: Shows how much processing power is being used.

2. Disk 💾: Displays disk usage and activity.

3. Network 🌐: Shows network activity and usage. Memory

4. 🧠: Displays how memory is being used. Each section has its own tab at the top for more details!

Real-Time Graphs 📈 On the right side, Resource Monitor has real-time graphs that show how your resources are being used right now. This helps you see what’s happening at a glance.

Note: What you see in Resource Monitor may look different from examples, as it depends on your computer's activity.

Task - 7:

Introduction to Command Prompt (cmd) 🖥️

What is Command Prompt? 🤔

The Command Prompt is a tool that lets you type commands to interact with your computer. Before graphical interfaces (like Windows), this was the main way to use a computer. Now, you can still use it for quick tasks! 🛠️

Easy Commands to Try 📝

Here are a couple of easy commands:

• hostname: This shows your computer's name.

• whoami: This tells you the name of the user currently logged in.

• Helpful Commands for Troubleshooting 🔧

Here are some commands that can help you fix issues:

• ipconfig: This shows your network settings. To get help on any command, just add /?. For example, to see help for ipconfig, type:

1ipconfig

🧹 To clear the Command Prompt screen, type:

cls

• Another useful command is netstat, which shows your network connections. You can run it by itself or add options like -a to see more details.

Managing Network Resources 🌐

The net command helps you manage network settings. If you type net by itself, it will show you what you can do. To get help for a specific part, use:

1 net help [sub-command]

example:

1 net help user

Task - 8:

What is the Windows Registry? 🗄️

The Windows Registry is a database that stores important settings for your computer. It helps Windows work properly. 😊

What’s Inside? 📋

The registry contains:

User profiles Installed apps Folder and icon settings Hardware info Used ports Important Note

⚠️ Warning: Only advanced users should change the registry, as it can affect your computer.

How to Access It 🖥️ Use the Registry Editor (regedit) to view or edit the registry.

Windows Fundamentals 2 Task Completion:

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OverTheWire Bandit 🎮

1️⃣ Level 0 → Level 1

Log in with: ssh bandit0@bandit.labs.overthewire.org -p 2220
Find the password for bandit1 in the file readme in your home directory:
cat readme

2️⃣ Level 1 → 2

The password for the next level is stored in a file called - located in the home directory.

cat readme

3️⃣ Level 2 → 3

The password f is stored in a file called spaces in this filename located in the home directory.

cat spaces\ in\ this\ filename

4️⃣ Level 3 → 4

The password is stored in a hidden file .
cat ...Hiding-From-You

5️⃣ Level 4 → 5

The password is stored in the only human-readable file in the inhere directory. Tip: if your terminal is messed up, try the “reset” command.

find . -type f | xargs file

6️⃣ Level 5 → 6

The password is stored in a file somewhere under the inhere directory and has all of the following properties:

• human-readable

• 1033 bytes in size

• not executable

  find . -type f -size 1033c ! -executable

7️⃣ Level 6 → 7

The password is stored somewhere on the server and has all of the following properties:

• owned by user bandit7

• owned by group bandit6

• 33 bytes in size

  find / -type f -user bandit7 -group bandit6 -size 33c

8️⃣ Level 7 → 8

Password stored in data.txt, next to the word “millionth”
Using String to find the password beside “millionth”.
strings data.txt | grep “millionth”

9️⃣ Level 8 → 9

The password is stored in the file data.txt and is the only line of text that occurs only once
sort data.txt | uniq -c

🔟 Level 9 → 10

Use the command strings to search password stored in the file data.txt in one of the few human-readable strings, preceded by several ‘=’ characters.
strings data.txt | grep “=”