Searching for passwords in history files

One of the advantages of running Linux is the extensive amount of logging that is afforded to a user. By default, Linux will automatically log all Bash commands entered on a system by a user unless specified otherwise. This is an advantage for system administrators as it provides a system of accountability whereby all user actions and commands are logged and can be analyzed historically; however, if not configured correctly, attackers can leverage this functionality to search for and identify important information such as credentials from various history files that log the commands entered by a user.

Companies and organizations mitigate this inherent configuration vulnerability by disabling the user command history from being logged. Alternatively, they can also enforce the deletion of these logs once a user has completed a session. However, in many cases, users on a Linux system may forget to clear their history, and as a result, attackers...