Gobuster is a popular directory/file and DNS busting tool used in penetration testing and security assessments. It is designed to brute-force URIs (directories and files) in web sites, DNS subdomains, virtual host names, and Amazon S3 buckets. This cheatsheet provides a quick reference to essential Gobuster commands and options.
1. Basic Usage
1.1 Directory Brute-Forcing
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt
# Brute-forces directories and files using a wordlist.1.2 DNS Subdomain Brute-Forcing
gobuster dns -d example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt
# Finds DNS subdomains using a wordlist.1.3 Virtual Host Brute-Forcing
gobuster vhost -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt
# Identifies virtual hosts on a target web server.2. Advanced Options
2.1 Custom Status Codes
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -s 200,204,301,302,307,403
# Filters results to include specific status codes.2.2 Specify Extensions
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -x php,html,txt
# Appends extensions to each wordlist entry.2.3 Recursion
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -r
# Enables recursion for found directories.3. Output Options
3.1 Save Results to a File
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -o output.txt
# Saves the scan results to a specified file.3.2 Quiet Mode
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -q
# Runs Gobuster in quiet mode (less verbose).4. Speed and Performance
4.1 Set Number of Threads
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -t 50
# Sets the number of concurrent threads (default is 10).4.2 Request Timeout
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -to 5s
# Sets the request timeout to 5 seconds.5. Proxy and Headers
5.1 Use a Proxy
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -p http://127.0.0.1:8080
# Routes traffic through a specified proxy.5.2 Add Custom Headers
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -H "User-Agent: CustomAgent"
# Adds custom headers to the request.6. Useful Wordlists
- SecLists: SecLists GitHub Repository
- SVNDigger: SVNDigger Wordlists
7. Common Use Cases
7.1 Brute-Force Hidden Files
gobuster dir -u http://example.com -w /path/to/wordlist.txt -x bak,old,backup
# Finds hidden backup files with common extensions.7.2 Brute-Force S3 Buckets
gobuster s3 -w /path/to/wordlist.txt
# Attempts to discover accessible S3 buckets using a wordlist.