keepnote - Backtrack 5 - Reporting Tools - Evidence Management - keepnote

KeepNote is a great note taking application installed by default in Backtrack Linux. Notes are an important part of security assessments as well as pretty much any technical projects you work on because there is no way to remember everything that happens in hours of working on a project unless you have good notes. KeepNote provides the ability to create multiple notebooks, directories under those notebooks, and associate actual notes to any level of directories underneath the primary notebook.

Current Backtrack KeepNote Version: 0.7.7

Backtrack KeepNote Executable Location: /usr/local/bin/keepnote

KeepNote On Backtrack:

The above example image shows what KeepNote looks like on Backtrack. You basically have the Notebook directory tree on the left, the active file noted in the center column on top, and the contents of the actual file below. A great function of KeepNote is the ability to attach external files to a note. If for instance you were working on a project that included say a patch or multiple patches to an application you might have a note where you are keeping track of things as you work to resolve the issue. You can attach the patches to the note so they can be referenced easily at a later date as shown in the below example.

KeepNote: Attach Files To A Note

As you can see in the above example the aktest.txt note had numerous files attached to it. They display as sub items in the menu tree and will display in the center column underneath the note when the note is highlighted. The best part about attaching a file to a note in KeepNote is not only the fact that there is reference to the file itself but also the fact that the file is moved into the KeepNote directory structure so if you happen to backup KeepNote automatically the file that has been attached will make it into those backups.

KeepNote Functionality: Spell Check, External Applications, Etc.

KeepNote provides lots of other functionality such as Spell Check which will need to be modified to function properly on Backtack Linux as noted in this article. KeepNote also provides an easy interface into outside applications through what it calls Helper Applications which has been documented here.

KeepNote Command Line:

root@bt:~# keepnote -h
Usage: keepnote [options] [NOTEBOOK]
Options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-c, --cmd treat remaining arguments as a command
-l, --list-cmd list available commands
-i, --info show runtime information
--no-gui run in non-gui mode
-t, --continue continue to run after command execution
--show-errors show errors on console
--no-show-errors do not show errors on console
--no-default do not open default notebook
--newproc start KeepNote in a new process
-p PORT, --port=PORT use a specified port for listening to commands
root@bt:~#

KeepNote -c/–cmd: Commands Available

root@bt:~/notes/notes/aktest# keepnote -l
==============================================
KeepNote 0.7.7: Sun Dec 30 18:36:29 2012
available commands:
ext_path PATH -- add an extension path for this session
focus -- focus all open windows
install FILENAME -- install a new extension
minimize -- minimize all windows
new PARENT_URL -- add a new note
quit -- close all KeepNote windows
screenshot -- insert a new screenshot
search-titles TEXT -- search notes by title
start-http PORT NOTEBOOK -- start HTTP server on PORT with NOTEBOOK
stop-http PORT -- stop HTTP server on port PORT
tmp_ext FILENAME -- add an extension just for this session
toggle-windows -- toggle all windows
uninstall EXTENSION_NAME -- uninstall an extension
upgrade [v VERSION] NOTEBOOK... -- upgrade a notebook
view NOTE_URL -- view a note
root@bt:~/notes/notes/aktest#

So when it comes to note taking on Backtrack you can accomplish pretty much whatever you need using KeepNote. To read the KeepNote documentation online visit the manual located here. We would love to hear about any more advanced uses of KeepNote on Backtrack so if you have any information to share please post it in the comments below.