Command Line Interface (CLI) & Linux OS Cybersecurity Engineering 101 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering Linux file systems, CLI commands, path types, and operating system basics from Cybersecurity Engineering 101.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

A program on your computer that allows you to create and delete files, run programs, and navigate through folders and files.

Terminal

The name for the Command Line Interface on a Mac.

Command Prompt

The name for the Command Line Interface on Windows.

Linux

An open-source operating system (OS).

Operating System (OS)

The software that directly manages a system's hardware and resources, like CPU, memory, and storage, sitting between applications and physical hardware.

/bin

Common Linux directory containing binary or executable programs.

/etc

Common Linux directory containing system configuration files.

/home

Common Linux home directory that serves as the default current directory.

/var

Common Linux directory containing log files.

/tmp

Common Linux directory providing temporary space that is cleared on reboot.

Absolute Path

A path that starts with the root directory and shows the full path from the root.

Relative Path

A directory path that doesn’t start with the root directory.

Root

The base of the file system where everything is located, which is different than the root user.

Sudo

The superuser (AKA root user) who has elevated permissions and the ability to do more from the CLI.

ifconfig

A networking command that displays configuration of network interface.

netstat

A networking command that shows network status and protocol statistics.

ping

A networking command that sends test packets to a specified IP.

pathping

A networking command that shows the path it takes to get to a specified IP.

traceroute

A networking command that shows the hops and time it takes to a destination IP.

nslookup

A networking command that shows local DNS server and associated IPs.

curl

A networking command that can navigate to a webpage/link.

ls

A file manipulation command used to list out files.

file

A file manipulation command used to read files.

pwd

Stands for print working directory; lists the current directory you are in.

cd

Stands for change directory; lets you change into a different directory.

cat

A file manipulation command used to read files.

history

A command that lists the history of commands output.

man

Short for manual.

help

A command that defines commands and flags that can be added.

Kali Linux

A Linux OS built specifically for penetration testing.