Tip

Secret Windows command line tools can boost security

There's a much under-hyped and overlooked set of Windows security tools that you should be taking advantage of as a Windows administrator. You've already paid for them but may not realize that you have them. I'm talking about a handful of
Security tools for Windows Vista
Learn about Windows Vista's new security features, like BitLocker and the Security Center, with these tips by industry experts.
nifty command-line tools that are extremely powerful in practically any information security context. If your experience goes back to the good old DOS days, you'll feel right at home. And if the command line is a little outside your comfort zone, relax -- what you need to know is really straightforward.

The following Windows command-line tools can be a big help. Hardly a day passes that I'm not using several of them. To get rolling, simply click Start/Run, run cmd.exe, and you're ready to start entering these commands:

Command toolHow to use this command for security
dir dir /od to find the most recently modified files on the hard drive
ping ping -a and ping –t to determine hostnames and whether or not the host is alive
tracerttracert –d for determining how your system is communicating with a remote host
finddir c:\ /s /b | find "SSN" to search your local hard drive for sensitive text such as "SSN"
findstrfindstr /s /i confidential *.* to search the current directory and all subdirectories for sensitive text such as "confidential"
nslookupnslookup –type=ANY domain_name to display all DNS records for a specific domain
nbtstatnbtstat –A remote_host_IP_address to display a remote system's NetBIOS name table, computer name, domain name, MAC address and possibly the currently logged on user
net
  1. net view hostname to display shares on a remote system
  2. net accounts to display local user account policies for passwords, etc.
  3. net share to display local shares
  4. net user to display local user names.
When used with the /add switch and a username and password, you can add users to the local system (works great once you've obtained a remote command prompt using Metasploit during your security testing!)
netshnetsh interface ip set address name="Local Area Connection" static ip_address network_mask default_gateway for quickly setting a static IP address on your default network interface
netsh interface ip set address "Local Area Connection" dhcp for quickly obtaining IP configuration information via DHCP
netstatnetstat –a –o to determine TCP and UDP connections currently in use along with the process ID that owns each connection. Use to find out which application is talking to whom
scsc stop service_name to stop a Windows service
sc start service_name to start a Windows service
taskkilltaskkill /pid and taskkill /im for killing hung processes, such as a security scanner that you've maxed out or potential malware loaded in memory
tasklisttasklist /svc shows services associated with each Windows process
tasklist /n dll_name shows all processes using a specified DLL
tasklist /fi /m "imagename eq process" shows the DLLs loaded into the specified Windows process
wmicWindows Management Interface Command-line (WMIC), literally an entire control system in and of itself, allows you to control both local and remote systems. Commands of interest for security include:
  1. wmic /output:c:\temp\stuff.html process list /format:htable for displaying all currently running processes in an HTML table

  2. wmic /record:c:\temp\investigate.xml process list full for recording your commands. Write them to a file for an investigative trail that includes the date, time, user name, command entered and output of the command.

  3. wmic useraccount list full for displaying a list of users on the local machine

  4. wmic /user:userID /password:password /node:hostname share list full for displaying a list of shares on the remote machine (administrator access required)
  5. wmic qfe list full for displaying a list of patches and service packs installed on the local machine

Give these a spin. They're quick and dirty and may be just what you need to get the job done and to take some of the pain out of day-to-day security administration.

About the author: Kevin Beaver is an independent information security consultant, speaker and expert witness with Atlanta-based Principle Logic LLC. He has nearly two decades of experience in IT and specializes in performing information security assessments regarding compliance and risk management. Kevin has authored/co-authored six books on information security including Hacking For Dummies and Hacking Wireless Networks For Dummies (Wiley) as well as (Auerbach). He's also the creator of the Security On Wheels providing security learning for IT professionals on the go. Kevin can be reached at kbeaver@principlelogic.com.


This was first published in June 2007

Join the conversationComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.

    Disclaimer: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.

    Back to top