- Published on
fzf is my favorite CLI tool for penetration testing
- Authors
- Name
- Chris Alupului
- @chrisalupului
fzf for ethical hackers
In this video, I’ll cover:
✅ What is fzf and why it’s a game-changer for ethical hackers
✅ How to install and integrate fzf in Kali Linux
✅ Practical use cases:
- Searching through wordlists
- Finding commands in history
- Killing processes and navigating directories
- Previewing file contents with color
✅ Tips and tricks to maximize your productivity
Commands Used in the Video:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Install fzf:
sudo apt install fzf
Preview files:
fzf --preview="batcat --color=always {}"
Search command history:
history | fzf
Open files in Nano:
nano $(fzf --preview="batcat --color {}")
If you're ready to take your Linux skills to the next level and supercharge your pentesting workflow, this video is for you!
My fzf information in my .zshrc file for kali linux
# Set up fzf key bindings and fuzzy completion
source <(fzf --zsh)
export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="fd --hidden --strip-cwd-prefix --exclude .git"
export FZF_CTRL_T_COMMAND="$FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND"
# alt+c is directory tree with preview in eza
export FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND="fd --type=d --hidden --strip-cwd-prefix"
export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS="--height 70% --layout=reverse --border --color=hl:#2dd4bf"
# fzf default for tmux, change window size to preference
export FZF_TMUX_OPTS=" -p100%,100% "
# pwd without nano
#export FZF_CTRL_T_OPTS="--preview 'batcat --color=always -n --line-range :500 {}'"
# open with nano, or your editor of choice
export FZF_CTRL_T_OPTS="--preview 'batcat --color=always -n --line-range :500 {}' --bind 'enter:execute(nano {})'"
export FZF_ALT_C_OPTS="--preview 'eza --tree --color=always {} | head -200'"
fd is a program to find entries in your filesystem. It is a simple, fast and user-friendly alternative to find.
eza is a modern alternative for the venerable file-listing command-line program ls.
batcat You can use bat as a previewer for fzf.
Shoutout to @Link1995Kid from Youtube!
@chrisalupului this preview command allows us to adapt preview based on selected file or folder:
fzf --preview '([[ -r {} && ! -d {} ]] && (file --mime-type -b {} | grep -qE '\''^(text|application/(x-shellscript|json|xml|javascript))'\'' && batcat --color=always --terminal-width $(tput cols) -n --line-range :500 {} || file {} | cut -d: -f2) || ([[ -d {} ]] && eza --tree --color=always {} | head -200 || file {} | cut -d: -f2))'
It use batcat to display readable files, eza to display directories and file otherwise.