Master the Art of Cewl with This In-Depth Guide
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is Civil?
- Installation and Setup
- Generating Word Lists
- 4.1 Using a URL
- 4.2 Saving the Word List to a File
- 4.3 Generating Word Lists of Specific Length
- Retrieving Emails from Websites
- Counting the Number of Repeated Words on a Website
- Increasing the Spider Depth
- Using Verbose Mode
- Retrieving Email Addresses
- Bypassing Authentication Page
- 10.1 Basic Authentication
- 10.2 Digest Authentication
- Conclusion
Detailed Guide on Civils in Penetration Testing
Civil is a custom word list generator written in Ruby programming language that is used for penetration testing. It is a tool included in Kali Linux that allows users to scrape web servers and extract keywords that can be used for password cracking. This tutorial will provide a detailed guide on how to use Civil effectively in penetration testing.
1. Introduction
Penetration testing is a crucial part of the security assessment process, as it helps identify vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications. One of the essential tools used in penetration testing is Civil, which is a powerful word list generator.
2. What is Civil?
Civil is a custom word list generator written in Ruby programming language. It is specifically designed to crawl a given URL and extract keywords that can be used for password cracking. These word lists can be further used with tools like John the Ripper, Medusa, or wfuzz to crack passwords.
3. Installation and Setup
Before using Civil, you need to ensure that you have Kali Linux installed on your system. Kali Linux comes pre-installed with Civil, so there is no need for any additional setup. Simply open the terminal and start using Civil.
4. Generating Word Lists
4.1 Using a URL
To generate a word list using Civil, you need to provide a URL as input. Civil will scrape the web server of the given website and extract keywords. Open the terminal and type the following command:
civil -WL
This command will prompt you to enter a URL. Once you enter the URL, Civil will generate a word list.
4.2 Saving the Word List to a File
If you want to save the generated word list to a file, you can use the -D
flag followed by the filename. For example:
civil -WL -D dictionary.txt
This command will save the word list in a file named dictionary.txt
. You can then view the contents of the file using the cat
command.
4.3 Generating Word Lists of Specific Length
If you want to generate a word list of a specific length, you can use the -M
flag followed by the desired length. For example, to generate a word list of length 10, use the following command:
civil -WL -M 10
This command will generate a word list in which each word has a minimum length of 10 characters.
5. Retrieving Emails from Websites
Civil also provides functionality to retrieve emails from a website. Use the -E
option to retrieve emails. Additionally, you can use the -N
option to hide the list of created emails while crawling the website. For example:
civil -WL -E -N
This command will retrieve the emails from the targeted website and display them in the terminal.
6. Counting the Number of Repeated Words on a Website
To count the number of times a word is repeated on a website, use the following command:
civil -WL -C URL
Replace URL
with the website's URL. This command will display the count of each word that is repeated on the website.
7. Increasing the Spider Depth
By default, Civil uses a spider depth of 1, meaning it crawls only one level deep. If you want to increase the spider depth, use the -D
flag followed by the desired depth. For example:
civil -WL -D 3
This command will set the spider depth to 3, allowing Civil to crawl three levels deep.
8. Using Verbose Mode
Verbose mode in Civil provides more detailed information while crawling a website. To enable verbose mode, use the -V
flag. For example:
civil -WL -V
This command will display extended website crawling results and retrieve the complete details of the website.
9. Retrieving Email Addresses
Civil can be used to retrieve email addresses from a targeted company. Simply provide the company's website URL as input. For example:
civil -WL https://www.targetedcompany.com
This command will retrieve the email addresses from the targeted company's website.
10. Bypassing Authentication Page
In some cases, the basic command may not give desired results when there is an authentication page for login. To bypass the authentication page, use the following command:
10.1 Basic Authentication
civil HTTP://example.com/login.php -u username -p password
Replace username
and password
with the desired values. Civil will attempt to bypass the authentication page using the provided credentials.
10.2 Digest Authentication
civil HTTP://example.com/login.php -d username -u username -p password
Replace username
and password
with the desired credentials. Civil will use digest authentication to bypass the login page.
11. Conclusion
Civil is a powerful word list generator that provides various functionalities for penetration testing. It can be used to generate word lists, retrieve emails, count repeated words, increase spider depth, and bypass authentication pages. By utilizing Civil effectively, penetration testers can enhance their testing capabilities and identify potential vulnerabilities more efficiently.
Highlights
- Civil is a custom word list generator that is primarily used in penetration testing.
- It is written in Ruby programming language and comes pre-installed with Kali Linux.
- Civil allows users to generate word lists, retrieve emails, count repeated words, and bypass authentication pages.
- The tool provides various options and flags to customize the word list generation process.
- By using Civil effectively, penetration testers can enhance their testing capabilities and identify potential vulnerabilities more efficiently.
FAQs
Q: Can I use Civil on any operating system?
A: Civil comes pre-installed with Kali Linux, so it is recommended to use it on Kali Linux. However, it may also be possible to use Civil on other operating systems by installing Ruby and the required dependencies.
Q: Can I generate word lists of various lengths with Civil?
A: Yes, Civil allows you to generate word lists of specific lengths by using the -M
flag followed by the desired length.
Q: Are there any limitations to word list generation with Civil?
A: The word list generation process in Civil is dependent on the website's structure and content. If a website has limited content or is highly secure, the generated word list may not be as extensive or effective.
Q: Can Civil be used for legitimate purposes other than penetration testing?
A: Yes, Civil can be used for various legitimate purposes, such as creating word lists for password management or improving cybersecurity measures.
Q: Are there any alternatives to Civil for word list generation?
A: Yes, there are other tools available for word list generation, such as Crunch and Cewl. These tools offer similar functionalities to Civil and can be used depending on the specific requirements of the user.