1) Introduction

Hidden directories and files—such as /admin/, /backup.zip, or /.git/—are a frequent source of risk in web apps. DirBuster systematically discovers these resources by requesting paths from a wordlist (and optional file extensions). This guide shows how to install and use DirBuster effectively and when to prefer faster, modern tools while staying within legal boundaries.

2) Installing DirBuster

Kali Linux / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install owasp-dirbuster

Windows / macOS (JAR)

1. Install Java (JRE): java.com/en/download
2. Download the JAR: SourceForge – DirBuster
3. Run:

java -jar DirBuster-1.0-RC1.jar

3) Best Wordlists (Direct URLs)

Great results begin with great wordlists. Clone for offline use:

git clone https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists.git

Bonus sources: VHost lists, FuzzDB (payloads, predictable file names), and CMS-specific lists under SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content.

4) Using DirBuster (GUI)

1. Start DirBuster (Applications → Kali Linux → Web Application Analysis or run dirbuster / java -jar ...).
2. Set Target URL (e.g., https://target.tld).
3. Choose List based brute force and pick a wordlist (e.g., common.txt).
4. Extensions: add .php,.html,.js,.bak,.zip (comma-separated).
5. Threads: start with 20–50 (balance speed vs. impact).
6. (Optional) Enable Recursive to dive into discovered directories.
7. Click Start and monitor results (status codes, sizes).

5) DirBuster (CLI)

DirBuster can be run headless with the JAR:

java -jar DirBuster-1.0-RC1.jar -u https://target.tld -l /path/to/common.txt -t 50 -x php,html,js,bak,zip

• -u target URL
• -l path to wordlist
• -t threads
• -x extensions

6) Modern Alternatives: Gobuster, FFUF, Wfuzz

Gobuster (fast, Go-based)

sudo apt install gobuster
gobuster dir -u https://target.tld -w SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/common.txt -t 50 -x php,html,js,bak -o gobuster.txt

FFUF (feature-rich, great filters)

ffuf -u https://target.tld/FUZZ -w SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -t 75 -e .php,.html,.bak -mc 200,204,301,302,307,401,403 -o ffuf.json -of json

Wfuzz (powerful fuzzing & filters)

wfuzz -w SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/raft-large-directories.txt --hc 404 https://target.tld/FUZZ

7) Playbooks & Tuning (Real-World Scenarios)

7.1 Quick Recon (1–3 min)

• Start small: common.txt (high signal).
• Extensions: .php,.html; Threads: 20–50.

7.2 Deep Discovery (10–40 min)

• Directory lists: directory-list-2.3-medium.txt or big.txt.
• Pair with extensions_common.txt to try file endings.
• Enable recursion to explore newly found directories.

7.3 Backup/Artifact Hunt

• Use backup.txt and add extensions: .bak,.old,.zip,.tar,.tar.gz.
• Watch for /backup/, /old/, /zip/, db.sql.

7.4 CDN / “Wildcard 200” Environments

• Some apps return 200 OK for any path (custom 404). Filter by response size and word count.
• FFUF helps: -fs (filter size), -fw (filter words), -fl (filter lines).

7.5 Authenticated Areas

• Export your session cookie and pass it to the tool (FFUF: -H "Cookie: name=value").
• Respect scope and authorization.

7.6 Source-Aware Discovery

• Manually review /robots.txt, /sitemap.xml, and JavaScript files for hard-coded paths and API routes.
• Check archived paths via the Wayback Machine.

7.7 Rate-Limit Friendly

• Lower threads, add delays (FFUF: -p 0.1-0.3 “jitter”).
• Randomize wordlist order to reduce pattern detection.

8) Troubleshooting False Positives

“Everything returns 200”

• Use FFUF filters: -fs/-fw/-fl with a baseline (e.g., hit a known 404 and note the size/count).
• Exclude known error pages by header or title match.

Heavy WAF/CDN Interference

• Slow down: fewer threads, add delay/jitter.
• Vary User-Agent, add Accept/Accept-Language headers.

Too Many 403/401

• 403 is still intel: the resource likely exists. Log it and test with alternative methods or authentication.

9) Legal & Ethical

• Have written authorization before testing.
• Respect scope, rate-limits, and production impact.
• Report sensitive findings responsibly (with reproduction steps and remediation).

10) Quick Cheatsheet

DirBuster (GUI)

• Mode: List based brute force
• Wordlist: SecLists/.../common.txt
• Extensions: .php,.html,.js,.bak,.zip
• Threads: 20–50; Recursive: optional

Gobuster

gobuster dir -u https://target.tld -w SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/common.txt -x php,html,js,bak -t 50 -o gobuster.txt

FFUF

ffuf -u https://target.tld/FUZZ -w SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt -e .php,.html,.bak -mc 200,204,301,302,307,401,403 -o ffuf.json -of json

Wfuzz

wfuzz -w SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/raft-large-directories.txt --hc 404 https://target.tld/FUZZ

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