AI agent skill · by @BrownFineSecurity

Ffind

Advanced file finder with type detection and filesystem extraction for analyzing firmware and extracting embedded filesystems. Use when you need to analyze firmware files, identify file types, or extract ext2/3/4 or F2FS filesystems.

Archived 2026-10-23 · Source updated 2026-06-01 · License: MIT. Check the original repository for the latest version.

SKILL.md instructions

# Ffind - Advanced File Finder with Extraction

You are helping the user find and analyze files with advanced type detection and optional filesystem extraction capabilities using the ffind tool.

## Tool Overview

Ffind analyzes files and directories, identifies file types, and can extract filesystems (ext2/3/4, F2FS) for deeper analysis. It's designed for firmware and IoT device analysis.

## Instructions

When the user asks to analyze files, find specific file types, or extract filesystems:

1. **Understand the target**:
   - Ask what path(s) they want to analyze
   - Determine if they want to extract filesystems or just analyze
   - Ask if they want all file types or just artifact types

2. **Execute the analysis**:
   - Use the ffind command from the iothackbot bin directory
   - Basic usage: `ffind <path> [<path2> ...]`
   - To extract filesystems: `ffind <path> -e`
   - Custom extraction directory: `ffind <path> -e -d /path/to/output`
   - Show all file types: `ffind <path> -a`
   - Verbose output: `ffind <path> -v`

3. **Output formats**:
   - `--format text` (default): Human-readable colored output with type summaries
   - `--format json`: Machine-readable JSON
   - `--format quiet`: Minimal output

4. **Extraction capabilities**:
   - Supports ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystems (requires e2fsprogs)
   - Supports F2FS filesystems (requires f2fs-tools)
   - Requires sudo privileges for extraction
   - Default extraction location: `/tmp/ffind_<timestamp>`

## Examples

Analyze a firmware file to see file types:
```bash
ffind /path/to/firmware.bin
```

Extract all filesystems from a firmware image:
```bash
sudo ffind /path/to/firmware.bin -e
```

Analyze multiple files and show all types:
```bash
ffind /path/to/file1.bin /path/to/file2.bin -a
```

Extract to a custom directory:
```bash
sudo ffind /path/to/firmware.bin -e -d /tmp/my-extraction
```

## Important Notes

- **Name collision**: The Sleuth Kit also ships a `ffind` (it finds file names for a given inode and takes a disk image plus an inode number). If `which ffind` points at `/usr/bin/ffind` or `/usr/local/bin/ffind`, the iothackbot flags below (`-e`, `-d <dir>`, `-a`, `--format`) will be misread by the wrong binary. Confirm with `ffind --help` (the iothackbot tool shows `--extract`/`--format`); if it shows `image inode` usage, invoke the iothackbot tool by its full path in the repo `bin/` directory instead.
- Extraction requires root/sudo privileges
- Requires external tools: e2fsprogs, f2fs-tools, util-linux
- Identifies "artifact" file types relevant to security analysis by default
- Use `-a` flag to see all file types including common formats