timsonner Dirb
Purpose
Use this skill for simple, classic web content discovery when a straightforward directory brute-force workflow is sufficient.
Phase Fit
- Primary: Discovery and Reconnaissance, Vulnerability Analysis
- Secondary: Retest and Closure
Use When
- Need quick path discovery on a confirmed web target.
- Need a lightweight classic workflow familiar to certification-trained analysts.
- Need a repeatable content retest.
Avoid When
- Broad wordlist use would exceed the approved impact level.
- The target is fragile or heavily rate-sensitive.
Inputs
- Approved base URL
- Narrow wordlist and extension set
- Rate and exclusion constraints
Procedure
- Start with a small wordlist aligned to the hypothesis.
- Review only material responses, not every hit.
- Escalate interesting paths to manual validation.
- Record the exact wordlist and target used.
- Preserve the path set for retest.
Command Syntax
Replace sample targets with approved in-scope URLs.
# Basic scan with built-in common wordlist
dirb https://portal.contoso.com
# Scan with custom wordlist and file extensions
dirb https://portal.contoso.com /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -X .php,.aspx,.html
# Output to file
dirb https://portal.contoso.com /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -o contoso-dirb.txt
# Authenticated scan with session cookie
dirb https://portal.contoso.com /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt -c "session=<token>"
# Ignore certain response codes
dirb https://portal.contoso.com common.txt -N 403
# Non-recursive scan
dirb https://portal.contoso.com common.txt -r
Evidence to Capture
- Hidden paths or files that materially expand exposure
- Exact wordlist and extension set used
- Minimal path set for retest
Safety Boundaries
- Keep the wordlist and extension scope minimal.
- Stop if the application shows instability or rate-limit effects.