Shell scripts are everywhere, especially those written in bash compatible syntax, and it's extremely useful to be able to understand and write them, but they can be complex and obscure. Complexity is the enemy of security, but it's also the enemy of readability and understanding. With this practical book, you'll learn how to decipher old bash code and write new code that's as clear and readable as possible. Your future you will thank you. Authors Carl Albing and JP Vossen show you how to use the power and flexibility of the shell to your advantage. You'll learn how to read and write scripts like an expert, so that you can: Write useful, flexible, and readable bash code...with style Decode bash code such as ${MAKEMELC,,} and ${PATHNAME##*/} Save time and ensure consistency when automating tasks Amaze and impress colleagues with bash idioms Discover how bash idioms can make your code clean and concise

For system administrators, programmers, and end users, shell command or carefully crafted shell script can save you time and effort, or facilitate consistency and repeatability for a variety of common tasks. This cookbook provides more than 300 practical recipes for using bash, the popular Unix shell that enables you to harness and customize the power of any Unix or Linux system. Ideal for new and experienced users alike-including proficient Windows users and sysadmins-this updated second edition helps you solve a wide range of problems. You'll learn ways to handle input/output, file manipulation, program execution, administrative tasks, and many other challenges. Each recipe includes one or more scripting examples and a discussion of why the solution works. You'll find recipes for problems including: Standard output and input, and executing commands Shell variables, shell logic, and arithmetic Intermediate shell tools and advanced scripting Searching for files with find, locate, and slocate Working with dates and times Creating shell scripts for various end-user tasks Working with tasks that require parsing Writing secure shell scripts Configuring and customizing bash

If you hope to outmaneuver threat actors, speed and efficiency need to be key components of your cybersecurity operations. Mastery of the standard command line interface (CLI) is an invaluable skill in times of crisis because no other software application can match the CLI’s availability, flexibility, and agility. This practical guide shows you how to use the CLI with the bash shell to perform tasks such as data collection and analysis, intrusion detection, reverse engineering, and administration. Authors Paul Troncone, founder of Digadel Corporation, and Carl Albing, coauthor of bash Cookbook (O’Reilly), provide insight into command line tools and techniques to help defensive operators collect data, analyze logs, and monitor networks. Penetration testers will learn how to leverage the enormous amount of functionality built into every version of Linux to enable offensive operations. With this book, security practitioners, administrators, and students will learn how to: Collect and analyze data, including system logs Search for and through files Detect network and host changes Develop a remote access toolkit Format output for reporting Develop scripts to automate tasks