Basic Network Commands

Question 1

• Displays the path taken by a packet from its source to its destination
• Can be used by any user, regardless of privileges
• Primarily used in Linux

Answer 1

TRACEPATH

Question 2

• Provides the user with the IP, subnet mask, and default gateway for each network adapter
• Can be used to release all connections and renew all adapters
• Primarily used in Windows

Answer 2

IPCONFIG

Question 3

• Used to trace the route an IP packet takes to a destination
• Displays each hop’s IP address and the time it takes to receive the packet
• Used for Linux and Windows systems
• Useful in troubleshooting performance and connectivity issues

Answer 3

TRACEROUTE/TRACERT

Question 4

• One of the most basic tools
• Tests connectivity to other hosts
• Sends an ICMP echo request to a host and listens for the reply
• Useful in troubleshooting connectivity issues
• Measures latency between two devices

Answer 4

PING

Question 5

• Displays some DNS information
• Troubleshoots DNS problems
• Useful in displaying names to IP address mappings
• Native to both Windows and Linux

Answer 5

NSLOOKUP

Question 6

• Used to configure the kernel network interfaces
• Implemented at the time of botting to configure the necessary interfaces
• Used for debugging or tuning the system
• Primarily used in Linux

Answer 6

IFCONFIG

Question 7

• Displays information about active ports
• Useful in troubleshooting and capacity management •Displays routing information for network adapters •Available in Windows, MacOS, and Linux

Answer 7

NETSTAT

Question 8

• Used to retrieve the entire DNS response message
• Used for lookups and will display answers from the query
• Uses the OS resolver libraries
• Native to Linux

Answer 8

DIG

Question 9

• Displays the IP to physical (MAC) address mappings for hosts that have been discovered
• Used to add, remove, or modify entries in the cache
• Discovers addresses by broadcasting to the network and noting the reply from the owner

Answer 9

ARP

Question 10

• Used to securely copy files between servers

* Leverages SSH (secure shell) for authentication and encryption

Answer 10

SCP

Question 11

• Used to display the current route tables on a host
• Can be used to add or remove routes
• Used by the local host to determine where to send traffic

Answer 11

ROUTE

Question 12

• Most often used to look up who owns a domain or block of IP addresses on the internet
• Returns information including name, email address, and physical address
• Privacy options may hide this information from being returned
• Primarily used in Linux

Answer 12

WHOIS

Question 13

• Copies the file from one host to another host
• The data is unencrypted unless a Secure Sockets Layer is used
• Transfer uses TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) used on the internet and other wide-area networks.

Answer 13

FTP

Question 14

• Displays packets that are being transmitted over the network system
• Is a form of protocol analyzer
• Shows the contents of network packets in human-readable form

Answer 14

TCPDUMP

Question 15

• Scans networks to find hosts and open ports
• Helps determine what is deployed on a network
• Not native to either Linux or Windows but can be used with both

Answer 15

NMAP

Question 16

• Transfers a file from either a client to a server or from a server to a client
• Uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) instead of TCP
• Typically used on reliable (local) networks

Answer 16

TFTP

Question 17

• Displays information about a user or users on a remote system
• Includes information such as last login time and username
• Primarily used in Linux

Answer 17

FINGER

Question 18

• Allows a user to manage accounts and devices remotely
• Can be encrypted to secure data from eavesdropping
• Can be encrypted, as well

Answer 18

TELNET/SSH