how to search for a SSN using bash

by: koloa on August 25 2008

This quick snippet will help you grep a file for a Social Security Number.

Snippet



$ grep '[0-9]\{3\}-\{0,1\}[0-9]\{2\}-\{0,1\}[0-9]\{4\}' name_of_file


Snippet Explanation for Bash

The first grouping states match any digit 3 times.

the next set says match the ‘-’ symbol zero or one time

-\{0,1\}

the rest follow the same theory. Hope you find this helpful!