Making Scripts Dynamic

To make scripts truly useful for security automation, we need control structures like variables and loops.

Variables

Variables store data. You define them without a $ but use $ to reference them.

bash #!/bin/bash TARGET_IP="192.168.1.10" PORT="80"

echo "Scanning target: $TARGET_IP on port $PORT"

The 'echo' command now uses the variable values

Loops (The for loop)

Loops allow you to iterate over a list of items (e.g., a list of IP addresses or usernames).

bash #!/bin/bash

Iterate over a list of common ports

for port in 21 22 23 80 443; do echo "Checking port: $port" # In a real script, this would be where you run a tool like nmap done

Bash scripting is essential for quickly automating reconnaissance and analysis tasks.