diff --git a/extras/build-lynis.sh b/extras/build-lynis.sh
index f0f6cc72..b4f4402e 100755
--- a/extras/build-lynis.sh
+++ b/extras/build-lynis.sh
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@
     if [ -f ${SOURCEFILE_RPM} ]; then
         if [ -f lynis.spec ]; then
             # adjust version in spec file
-            VERSION_IN_SPECFILE=`cat lynis.spec | grep "^Version:" | sed 's/ //g' | awk -F: '{ print $2 }'`
+            VERSION_IN_SPECFILE=`awk '/^Version:/ { print $2 }' lynis.spec`
             echo "[=] Found version ${VERSION_IN_SPECFILE}"
             if [ ${VERSION_IN_SPECFILE} = "" -o ! "${VERSION_IN_SPECFILE}" = "${LYNIS_VERSION}" ]; then
                echo "[X] Version in specfile is outdated"
@@ -372,12 +372,12 @@ Exit
 #=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 
     echo -n "- Creating MD5 hashes..."
-    PACKAGE_LIST_FILES=`cat files.dat | grep "^file:" | cut -d ':' -f3`
+    PACKAGE_LIST_FILES=`grep "^file:" files.dat | cut -d ':' -f3`
 
     for I in ${PACKAGE_LIST_FILES}; do
 
       echo -n "${I} "
-      #FULLNAME=`cat files.dat | grep ":file:include:
+      #FULLNAME=`grep ":file:include:" files.dat
       #echo "${FULLNAME}" >> ${OPENBSD_CONTENTS}
       echo "${I}" >> ${OPENBSD_CONTENTS}
       FILE="../${I}"
diff --git a/include/data_upload b/include/data_upload
index d7bf1401..cd5f0cda 100644
--- a/include/data_upload
+++ b/include/data_upload
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ output "Settings file: ${SETTINGS_FILE}"
             ExitFatal
         fi
         # Extract the hostid from the parse file
-        HOSTID=`cat ${REPORTFILE} | grep "^hostid=" | awk -F= '{ print $2 }'`
+        HOSTID=`awk -F= '/^hostid=/ { print $2 }' ${REPORTFILE}`
         if [ ! "${HOSTID}" = "" ]; then
             output "${WHITE}Found hostid: ${HOSTID}${NORMAL}"
             # Try to connect
diff --git a/include/functions b/include/functions
index 7bf7ed46..aea0109f 100644
--- a/include/functions
+++ b/include/functions
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@
             # If 'file' is an directory, use -d
             if [ -d ${CHECKFILE} ]; then
                 FILEVALUE=`ls -d -l ${CHECKFILE} | cut -c 2-10`
-                PROFILEVALUE=`cat ${PROFILE} | grep '^permdir' | grep ":${CHECKFILE}:" | cut -d: -f3`
+                PROFILEVALUE=`grep '^permdir' ${PROFILE} | grep ":${CHECKFILE}:" | cut -d: -f3`
               else
                 FILEVALUE=`ls -l ${CHECKFILE} | cut -c 2-10`
-                PROFILEVALUE=`cat ${PROFILE} | grep '^permfile' | grep ":${CHECKFILE}:" | cut -d: -f3`
+                PROFILEVALUE=`grep '^permfile' ${PROFILE} | grep ":${CHECKFILE}:" | cut -d: -f3`
             fi
             if [ "${FILEVALUE}" = "${PROFILEVALUE}" ]; then PERMS="OK"; else PERMS="BAD"; fi
         fi
@@ -929,7 +929,7 @@
     # Parse nginx configuration lines
     ParseNginx()
       {
-        FIND=`cat ${REPORTFILE} | grep "^nginx_config_option=" | awk -F= '{ if ($1=="nginx_config_option") { print $2 }}' | sed 's/ /:space:/g'`
+        FIND=`awk -F= '/^nginx_config_option=/ { print $2 }' ${REPORTFILE} | sed 's/ /:space:/g'`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             I=`echo ${I} | sed 's/:space:/ /g' | sed 's/;$//'`
             OPTION=`echo ${I} | awk '{ print $1 }'`
diff --git a/include/osdetection b/include/osdetection
index dbb0d1d8..3aa6af34 100644
--- a/include/osdetection
+++ b/include/osdetection
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@
               FIND=`grep "Amazon" /etc/system-release`
               if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                   OS_REDHAT_OR_CLONE=1
-                  OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/system-release | grep "^Amazon"`
+                  OS_FULLNAME=`grep "^Amazon" /etc/system-release`
                   OS_VERSION=`grep "^Amazon" /etc/system-release | awk '{ if ($4=="release") { print $5 } }'`
                   LINUX_VERSION="Amazon"
               fi
@@ -129,8 +129,8 @@
 
           # Chakra Linux
           if [ -e "/etc/chakra-release" ]; then
-            OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/chakra-release | grep "^Chakra"`
-            OS_VERSION=`cat /etc/chakra-release | grep "^Chakra" | awk '{ if ($3=="release") { print $4 }}'`
+            OS_FULLNAME=`grep "^Chakra" /etc/chakra-release`
+            OS_VERSION=`awk '/^Chakra/ { if ($3=="release") { print $4 }}' /etc/chakra-release`
             LINUX_VERSION="Chakra Linux"
           fi
 
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@
                     OS_FULLNAME="Debian ${OS_VERSION}"
                     LINUX_VERSION="Debian"
                 fi
-                # Ubuntu test (optional) `cat /proc/version | grep "[Uu]buntu"`
+                # Ubuntu test (optional) `grep "[Uu]buntu" /proc/version`
           fi
           # E-smith
           if [ -e "/etc/e-smith-release" ]; then OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/e-smith-release`; fi
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@
                 # CentOS
                 FIND=`grep "CentOS" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "CentOS"`
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "CentOS" /etc/redhat-release`
                     LINUX_VERSION="CentOS"
                     OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}"
                 fi
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@
                 # ClearOS
                 FIND=`grep "ClearOS" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "ClearOS"`
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "ClearOS" /etc/redhat-release`
                     LINUX_VERSION="ClearOS"
                     OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}"
                 fi
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@
                 # Fedora
                 FIND=`grep "Fedora" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "Fedora"`
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "Fedora" /etc/redhat-release`
                     OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}"
                     LINUX_VERSION="Fedora"
                 fi
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@
                 # Mageia (has also /etc/megaia-release)
                 FIND=`grep "Mageia" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "^Mageia"`
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "^Mageia" /etc/redhat-release`
                     OS_VERSION=`grep "^Mageia" /etc/redhat-release | awk '{ if ($2=="release") { print $3 } }'`
                     LINUX_VERSION="Mageia"
                 fi
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@
                 FIND=`grep "Enterprise Linux Enterprise Linux Server" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                     LINUX_VERSION="Oracle Enterprise Linux";
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "Enterprise Linux"`;
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "Enterprise Linux" /etc/redhat-release`;
                     OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}";
                 fi
 
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@
                     FIND=`grep "Oracle Linux Server" /etc/oracle-release`
                     if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                         LINUX_VERSION="Oracle Enterprise Linux";
-                        OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/oracle-release | grep "Oracle Linux"`;
+                        OS_FULLNAME=`grep "Oracle Linux" /etc/oracle-release`;
                         OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}";
                     fi
                 fi
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@
                     FIND=`grep "Oracle VM" /etc/ovs-release`
                     if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                         LINUX_VERSION="Oracle VM Server";
-                        OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/ovs-release | grep "Oracle VM"`;
+                        OS_FULLNAME=`grep "Oracle VM" /etc/ovs-release`;
                         OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}";
                     fi
                 fi
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@
                 # Red Hat
                 FIND=`grep "Red Hat" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "Red Hat"`
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "Red Hat" /etc/redhat-release`
                     OS_VERSION="${OS_FULLNAME}"
                     LINUX_VERSION="Red Hat"
                 fi
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@
                 # Scientific
                 FIND=`grep "Scientific" /etc/redhat-release`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
-                    OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/redhat-release | grep "^Scientific"`
+                    OS_FULLNAME=`grep "^Scientific"  /etc/redhat-release`
                     OS_VERSION=`grep "^Scientific" /etc/redhat-release | awk '{ if ($3=="release") { print $4 } }'`
                     LINUX_VERSION="Scientific"
                 fi
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@
           fi
 
           if [ -f /etc/SLOX-release ]; then
-            OS_FULLNAME=`cat /etc/SLOX-release | grep "SuSE Linux"`
+            OS_FULLNAME=`grep "SuSE Linux" /etc/SLOX-release`
             LINUX_VERSION="SuSE"
           fi
 
diff --git a/include/profiles b/include/profiles
index abdb33d9..60f9a707 100644
--- a/include/profiles
+++ b/include/profiles
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #
     Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking profile file (${PROFILE})..."
     logtext "Reading profile/configuration ${PROFILE}"
-    FIND=`cat ${PROFILE} | grep '^config:' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
+    FIND=`grep '^config:' ${PROFILE} | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
     for I in ${FIND}; do
         OPTION=`echo ${I} | cut -d ':' -f2`
         VALUE=`echo ${I} | cut -d ':' -f3 | sed 's/!space!/ /g'`
diff --git a/include/report b/include/report
index a65f3534..139101c5 100644
--- a/include/report
+++ b/include/report
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
             if [ "${CUSTOM_URL_APPEND}" = "" ]; then CUSTOM_URL_APPEND="/"; fi
 
             # Show warnings from logfile
-            SWARNINGS=`cat ${LOGFILE} | grep -i 'warning:' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
+            SWARNINGS=`grep -i 'warning:' ${LOGFILE} | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
 
             if [ "${SWARNINGS}" = "" ]; then
                 echo "  ${OK}No warnings${NORMAL}"; echo ""
diff --git a/include/tests_authentication b/include/tests_authentication
index 06d732f6..d973b01b 100644
--- a/include/tests_authentication
+++ b/include/tests_authentication
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
         fi
         # Check password file
         if [ -f ${PASSWD_FILE} ]; then
-            FIND=`cat ${PASSWD_FILE} | grep -v '^#' | cut -d ':' -f3 | sort | uniq -d`
+            FIND=`grep -v '^#' ${PASSWD_FILE} | cut -d ':' -f3 | sort | uniq -d`
             if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking for non-unique UIDs" --result OK --color GREEN
                 logtext "Result: all accounts found in ${PASSWD_FILE} are unique"
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@
         logtext "Test: Checking login shells"
         if [ -f /etc/master.passwd ]; then
             # Check for all shells, except: (/usr)/sbin/nologin /nonexistent
-            FIND=`cat /etc/master.passwd | grep "[a-z]:\*:" | egrep -v '^#|/sbin/nologin|/usr/sbin/nologin|/nonexistent' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
+            FIND=`grep "[a-z]:\*:" /etc/master.passwd | egrep -v '^#|/sbin/nologin|/usr/sbin/nologin|/nonexistent' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
             if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking login shells" --result OK --color GREEN
               else
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@
     Register --test-no AUTH-9222 --weight L --network NO --description "Check for non unique groups"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking for non unique group ID's in /etc/group"
-        FIND=`cat /etc/group | grep -v '^#' | grep -v '^$' | awk -F: '{ print $3 }' | sort | uniq -d`
+        FIND=`grep -v '^#' /etc/group | grep -v '^$' | awk -F: '{ print $3 }' | sort | uniq -d`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking non unique group ID's" --result OK --color GREEN
             logtext "Result: All group ID's are unique"
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@
     Register --test-no AUTH-9226 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check non unique group names"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking for non unique group names in /etc/group"
-        FIND=`cat /etc/group | grep -v '^#' | grep -v '^$' | awk -F: '{ print $1 }' | sort | uniq -d`
+        FIND=`grep -v '^#' /etc/group | grep -v '^$' | awk -F: '{ print $1 }' | sort | uniq -d`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking non unique group names" --result OK --color GREEN
             logtext "Result: All group names are unique"
@@ -497,7 +497,7 @@
             logtext "Result: file /etc/pam.conf exists"
             Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking PAM configuration files (pam.conf)" --result FOUND --color GREEN
             logtext "Test: searching PAM configuration files"
-            FIND=`cat /etc/pam.conf | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | sed 's/[[:space:]]/ /g' | sed 's/  / /g' | sed 's/ /:space:/g'`
+            FIND=`grep -v "^#" /etc/pam.conf | grep -v "^$" | sed 's/[[:space:]]/ /g' | sed 's/  / /g' | sed 's/ /:space:/g'`
             if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: File has no configuration options defined (empty, or only filled with comments and empty lines)"
               else
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@
         if [ -f /etc/pam.d/common-auth ]; then
             logtext "Result: file /etc/pam.d/common-auth exists"
             logtext "Test: checking presence LDAP module"
-            FIND=`cat /etc/pam.d/common-auth | grep "^auth" | grep "ldap"`
+            FIND=`grep "^auth.*ldap" /etc/pam.d/common-auth`
             if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: LDAP module present"
                 logtext "Output: ${FIND}"
@@ -950,7 +950,7 @@
             FOUND=0
             WEAK_UMASK=0
             logtext "Result: file /etc/login.conf exists"
-            FIND=`cat /etc/login.conf | grep "umask" | sed 's/#.*//' | sed -E 's/^[[:cntrl:]]//' | grep -v '^$' | awk -F: '{ print $2}' | awk -F= '{ if ($1=="umask") { print $2 }}'`
+            FIND=`grep "umask" /etc/login.conf | sed 's/#.*//' | sed -E 's/^[[:cntrl:]]//' | grep -v '^$' | awk -F: '{ print $2}' | awk -F= '{ if ($1=="umask") { print $2 }}'`
             if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 for UMASK_VALUE in ${FIND}; do
                     case ${UMASK_VALUE} in
diff --git a/include/tests_boot_services b/include/tests_boot_services
index 299c04c6..bf8f0af1 100644
--- a/include/tests_boot_services
+++ b/include/tests_boot_services
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
         case ${OS} in
             "Linux")
                 if [ -f /proc/1/cmdline ]; then
-                    FILE=`cat /proc/1/cmdline | grep "^/" | awk '{ print $1 }'`
+                    FILE=`awk '/^\// { print $1 }' /proc/1/cmdline`
                     if [ ! "${FILE}" = "" ]; then
                         if [ -L ${FILE} ]; then
                             ShowSymlinkPath ${FILE}
@@ -235,10 +235,10 @@
         logtext "Found file ${GRUBCONFFILE}, proceeding with tests."
         FileIsReadable ${GRUBCONFFILE}
         if [ ${CANREAD} -eq 1 ]; then
-            FIND=`cat ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep 'password --md5' | grep -v '^#'`
-            FIND2=`cat ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep 'password --encrypted' | grep -v '^#'`
-            FIND3=`cat ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep 'set superusers' | grep -v '^#'`
-            FIND4=`cat ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep 'password_pbkdf2' | grep -v '^#'`
+            FIND=`grep 'password --md5' ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep -v '^#'`
+            FIND2=`grep 'password --encrypted' ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep -v '^#'`
+            FIND3=`grep 'set superusers' ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep -v '^#'`
+            FIND4=`grep 'password_pbkdf2' ${GRUBCONFFILE} | grep -v '^#'`
             # GRUB1: MD5 or SHA1
             if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" -o ! "${FIND2}" = "" ]; then
                 FOUND=1
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@
                 BOOT_LOADER_FOUND=1
                 Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking presence LILO" --result "OK" --color GREEN
                 logtext "Checking password option LILO"
-                FIND=`cat ${LILOCONFFILE} | ${EGREPBINARY} 'password[[:space:]]?=' | grep -v "^#"`
+                FIND=`${EGREPBINARY} 'password[[:space:]]?=' ${LILOCONFFILE} | grep -v "^#"`
                 if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                     Display --indent 4 --text "- Password option presence " --result "WARNING" --color RED
                     logtext "Result: no password set for LILO. Bootloader is unprotected to"
diff --git a/include/tests_databases b/include/tests_databases
index 80e7405b..98805879 100644
--- a/include/tests_databases
+++ b/include/tests_databases
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@
     #Register --test-no DBS-1842 --weight L --network NO --description "Checking Oracle home paths"
     #if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
     # if [ -f /etc/oratab ]; then
-    #  FIND=`cat /etc/oratab | grep -v "#" | awk -F: "{ print $2 }"`
+    #  FIND=`grep -v "#" /etc/oratab | awk -F: "{ print $2 }"`
     # fi
     #fi
 #
diff --git a/include/tests_file_permissions b/include/tests_file_permissions
index a5f30270..c702e64b 100644
--- a/include/tests_file_permissions
+++ b/include/tests_file_permissions
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         Display --indent 2 --text "- Starting file permissions check"
         logtext "Test: Checking file permissions"
         logtext "Using profile ${PROFILE} for baseline."
-        FIND=`cat ${PROFILE} | egrep '^permfile:|^permdir:' | cut -d: -f2`
+        FIND=`egrep '^permfile:|^permdir:' ${PROFILE} | cut -d: -f2`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             logtext "Checking ${I}"
             CheckFilePermissions ${I}
diff --git a/include/tests_insecure_services b/include/tests_insecure_services
index f6b5e15d..d529f959 100644
--- a/include/tests_insecure_services
+++ b/include/tests_insecure_services
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         # Check if any service is enabled in /etc/inetd.conf (inetd is not active, see test 8002)
         logtext "Test: check if all services are disabled if inetd is disabled"
-        FIND=`cat ${INETD_CONFIG_FILE} | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$"`
+        FIND=`grep -v "^#" ${INETD_CONFIG_FILE} | grep -v "^$"`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking inetd.conf services" --result OK --color GREEN
           else
diff --git a/include/tests_kernel b/include/tests_kernel
index 495d62bc..7cd49e12 100644
--- a/include/tests_kernel
+++ b/include/tests_kernel
@@ -105,9 +105,9 @@
         if [ -f /proc/cpuinfo ]; then
             logtext "Result: found /proc/cpuinfo"
             logtext "Test: Checking CPU options (XD/NX/PAE)"
-            FIND_PAE_NX=`cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep " pae " | grep " nx "`
-            FIND_PAE=`cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep " pae "`
-            FIND_NX=`cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep " nx "`
+            FIND_PAE_NX=`grep " pae " /proc/cpuinfo | grep " nx "`
+            FIND_PAE=`grep " pae " /proc/cpuinfo`
+            FIND_NX=`grep " nx " /proc/cpuinfo`
             FOUND=0
             if [ ! "${FIND_PAE_NX}" = "" ]; then
                 logtext "PAE: Yes"
@@ -380,8 +380,8 @@
         if [ -f /etc/security/limits.conf ]; then
             logtext "Result: file /etc/security/limits.conf exists"
             logtext "Test: Checking if core dumps are disabled in /etc/security/limits.conf"
-            FIND1=`cat /etc/security/limits.conf | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | awk '{ if ($1=="*" && $2=="soft" && $3=="core" && $4=="1") { print "soft core enabled" } }'`
-            FIND2=`cat /etc/security/limits.conf | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | awk '{ if ($1=="*" && $2=="hard" && $3=="core" && $4=="1") { print "hard core enabled" } }'`
+            FIND1=`grep -v "^#" /etc/security/limits.conf | grep -v "^$" | awk '{ if ($1=="*" && $2=="soft" && $3=="core" && $4=="1") { print "soft core enabled" } }'`
+            FIND2=`grep -v "^#" /etc/security/limits.conf | grep -v "^$" | awk '{ if ($1=="*" && $2=="hard" && $3=="core" && $4=="1") { print "hard core enabled" } }'`
             if [ "${FIND1}" = "soft core enabled" -o "${FIND2}" = "hard core enabled" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: core dumps (soft or hard) are enabled"
                 Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking core dumps configuration" --result ENABLED --color YELLOW
diff --git a/include/tests_logging b/include/tests_logging
index 5e94576d..37728489 100644
--- a/include/tests_logging
+++ b/include/tests_logging
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@
     Register --test-no LOGG-2162 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Checking directories in /etc/newsyslog.conf"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: parsing directories from /etc/newsyslog.conf file"
-        FIND=`cat /etc/newsyslog.conf | sort -u | grep "^/" | awk '{ print $1 }' | sed 's/\/*[a-zA-Z_.-]*$//g' | sort -u`
+        FIND=`awk '/^\// { print $1 }' /etc/newsyslog.conf | sed 's/\/*[a-zA-Z_.-]*$//g' | sort -u`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             if [ -d ${I} ]; then
                 logtext "Result: Directory ${I} found and exists"
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@
     Register --test-no LOGG-2164 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Checking files specified /etc/newsyslog.conf"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: parsing files from /etc/newsyslog.conf file"
-        FIND=`cat /etc/newsyslog.conf | sort -u | grep "^/" | awk '{ print $1 }'`
+        FIND=`awk '/^\// { print $1 }' /etc/newsyslog.conf | sort -u`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             if [ -f ${I} ]; then
                 logtext "Result: File ${I} found and exists"
diff --git a/include/tests_memory_processes b/include/tests_memory_processes
index b78429db..ef48c4ef 100644
--- a/include/tests_memory_processes
+++ b/include/tests_memory_processes
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         if [ -f /proc/meminfo ]; then
             logtext "Result: found /proc/meminfo"
             Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking /proc/meminfo" --result FOUND --color GREEN
-            FIND=`cat /proc/meminfo | grep "^MemTotal" | tr -s ' ' | awk '{ print $2" "$3 }'`
+            FIND=`awk '/^MemTotal/ { print $2, $3 }' /proc/meminfo`
             MEMORY_SIZE=`echo ${FIND} | awk '{ print $1 }'`
             MEMORY_UNITS=`echo ${FIND} | awk '{ print $2 }'`
             logtext "Result: Found ${MEMORY_SIZE} ${MEMORY_UNITS} memory"
diff --git a/include/tests_nameservices b/include/tests_nameservices
index 06aa98c3..2b84991f 100644
--- a/include/tests_nameservices
+++ b/include/tests_nameservices
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
         logtext "Test: check /etc/resolv.conf for default domain"
         if [ -f /etc/resolv.conf ]; then
             logtext "Result: /etc/resolv.conf found"
-            FIND=`cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep "^domain" | awk '{ print $2 }'`
+            FIND=`awk '/^domain/ { print $2 }' /etc/resolv.conf`
             if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: no default domain found"
                 Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking default DNS search domain" --result NONE --color WHITE
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
         logtext "Test: check /etc/resolv.conf for search domains"
         if [ -f /etc/resolv.conf ]; then
             logtext "Result: /etc/resolv.conf found"
-            FIND=`cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep "^search" | sed 's/^search //'`
+            FIND=`awk '/^search/ { print $2 }' /etc/resolv.conf`
             if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: no search domains found, default domain is being used"
               else
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
         fi
 
         # Check amount of search domains (max 1)
-            FIND=`cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep "^search" | wc -l | tr -s ' ' | tr -d ' '`
+            FIND=`grep -c "^search" /etc/resolv.conf`
             if [ ! "${FIND}" = "0" -a ! "${FIND}" = "1" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: found ${FIND} line(s) with a search statement (expecting less than 2 lines)"
                 Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking search domains lines" --result "CONFIG ERROR" --color YELLOW
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@
     Register --test-no NAME-4236 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PowerDNS backends"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking for PowerDNS backends"
-        FIND=`cat ${POWERDNS_AUTH_CONFIG_LOCATION} | grep "^launch" | awk -F= '{ print $2 }'`
+        FIND=`awk -F= '/^launch/ { print $2 }' ${POWERDNS_AUTH_CONFIG_LOCATION}`
         if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             for I in ${FIND}; do
                 logtext "Found backend: ${I}"
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@
     Register --test-no NAME-4238 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PowerDNS authoritive status"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking for PowerDNS master status"
-        FIND=`cat ${POWERDNS_AUTH_CONFIG_LOCATION} | grep "^master=yes"`
+        FIND=`grep "^master=yes" ${POWERDNS_AUTH_CONFIG_LOCATION}`
         if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             logtext "Found master=yes in configuration file"
             Display --indent 4 --text "- PowerDNS authoritive master: YES"
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@
             Display --indent 4 --text "- PowerDNS authoritive master: NO"
         fi
         logtext "Test: Checking for PowerDNS slave status"
-        FIND=`cat ${POWERDNS_AUTH_CONFIG_LOCATION} | grep "^slave=yes"`
+        FIND=`grep "^slave=yes" ${POWERDNS_AUTH_CONFIG_LOCATION}`
         if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             logtext "Found slave=yes in configuration file"
             Display --indent 4 --text "- PowerDNS authoritive slave: YES"
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: check duplicate line in /etc/hosts"
         if [ -f /etc/hosts ]; then
-            sFIND=`cat /etc/hosts | egrep -v '^(#|$)' | sort | uniq -d`
+            sFIND=`egrep -v '^(#|$)' /etc/hosts | awk '{ print $1, $2 }' | sort | uniq -d`
             if [ "${sFIND}" = "" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: OK, no duplicate lines found"
                 Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking /etc/hosts (duplicates)" --result OK --color GREEN
@@ -613,7 +613,7 @@
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Check /etc/hosts contains an entry for this server name"
         if [ -f /etc/hosts ]; then
-            sFIND=`cat /etc/hosts | egrep -v '^(#|$|^::1\s|localhost)' | grep ${HOSTNAME}`
+            sFIND=`egrep -v '^(#|$|^::1\s|localhost)' /etc/hosts | grep ${HOSTNAME}`
             if [ "${sFIND}" != "" ]; then
                 logtext "Result: Found entry for ${HOSTNAME} in /etc/hosts"
                 Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking /etc/hosts (hostname)" --result OK --color GREEN
@@ -634,7 +634,7 @@
     Register --test-no NAME-4406 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check server hostname mapping"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Check server hostname not locally mapped in /etc/hosts"
-        sFIND=`cat /etc/hosts | egrep -v '^(#|$)' | egrep '(localhost|^::1\s)' | grep -w ${HOSTNAME}`
+        sFIND=`egrep -v '^(#|$)' /etc/hosts | egrep '(localhost|^::1\s)' | grep -w ${HOSTNAME}`
         if  [ ! "${sFIND}" = "" ]; then
           logtext "Result: Found this server hostname mapped to a local address"
           Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking /etc/hosts (localhost)" --result SUGGESTION --color YELLOW
diff --git a/include/tests_php b/include/tests_php
index d4e842c8..96eb63d0 100644
--- a/include/tests_php
+++ b/include/tests_php
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@
     Register --test-no PHP-2368 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PHP register_globals option"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking PHP register_globals option"
-        FIND=`cat ${PHPINIFILE} | egrep -i 'register_globals.*(on|yes|1)' | grep -v '^;'`
+        FIND=`egrep -i 'register_globals.*(on|yes|1)' ${PHPINIFILE} | grep -v '^;'`
         if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking register_globals option" --result WARNING --color RED
             ReportWarning ${TEST_NO} "M" "PHP option register_globals option is turned on, which can be a risk for variable value overwriting"
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@
     Register --test-no PHP-2372 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PHP expose_php option"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking expose_php option"
-        FIND=`cat ${PHPINIFILE} | egrep -i 'expose_php.*(off|no|0)' | grep -v '^;'`
+        FIND=`egrep -i 'expose_php.*(off|no|0)' ${PHPINIFILE} | grep -v '^;'`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking expose_php option" --result ON --color RED
             ReportWarning ${TEST_NO} "M" "PHP option expose_php is possibly turned on, which can reveal useful information for attackers."
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@
     Register --test-no PHP-2374 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PHP enable_dl option"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking PHP enable_dl option"
-        FIND=`cat ${PHPINIFILE} | egrep -i 'enable_dl.*(off|no|0)' | grep -v '^;'`
+        FIND=`egrep -i 'enable_dl.*(off|no|0)' ${PHPINIFILE} | grep -v '^;'`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking enable_dl option" --result ON --color YELLOW
             report "Result: enable_dl option is turned on, which can be used for riskful downloads via PHP"
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@
     Register --test-no PHP-2376 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PHP allow_url_fopen option"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking PHP allow_url_fopen option"
-        FIND=`cat ${PHPINIFILE} | egrep -i 'allow_url_fopen.*(off|no|0)' | grep -v '^;'`
+        FIND=`egrep -i 'allow_url_fopen.*(off|no|0)' ${PHPINIFILE} | grep -v '^;'`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking allow_url_fopen option" --result ON --color YELLOW
             report "Result: allow_url_fopen option is turned on, which can be used for riskful downloads via PHP"
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@
     Register --test-no PHP-2378 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check PHP allow_url_include option"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking PHP allow_url_include option"
-        FIND=`cat ${PHPINIFILE} | egrep -i 'allow_url_include.*(off|no|0)' | grep -v '^;'`
+        FIND=`egrep -i 'allow_url_include.*(off|no|0)' ${PHPINIFILE} | grep -v '^;'`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking allow_url_include option" --result ON --color YELLOW
             report "Result: allow_url_include option is turned on, which can be used for riskful downloads via PHP"
diff --git a/include/tests_shells b/include/tests_shells
index 1f1cdc21..64de5921 100644
--- a/include/tests_shells
+++ b/include/tests_shells
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
     Register --test-no SHLL-6202 --os FreeBSD --weight L --network NO --description "Check console TTYs"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking console TTYs"
-        FIND=`cat /etc/ttys | egrep '^console' | grep -v 'insecure'`
+        FIND=`egrep '^console' /etc/ttys | grep -v 'insecure'`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
             Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking console TTYs" --result OK --color GREEN
             logtext "Result: console is secured against single user mode without password."
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
         if [ -f /etc/shells ]; then
             logtext "Result: Found /etc/shells file"
             logtext "Test: Reading available shells from /etc/shells"
-            SSHELLS=`cat /etc/shells | grep "^/"`
+            SSHELLS=`grep "^/" /etc/shells`
             CSSHELLS=0; CSSHELLS_ALL=0
             Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking shells from /etc/shells"
             for I in ${SSHELLS}; do
@@ -113,9 +113,9 @@
 
         if [ -f /etc/profile ]; then
             # Determine if we can find a TMOUT value
-            FIND=`cat /etc/profile | grep 'TMOUT=' | tr -d ' ' | tr -d '\t' | grep -v "^#" | sed 's/export//' | sed 's/#.*//' | awk -F= '{ print $2 }'`
+            FIND=`grep 'TMOUT=' /etc/profile | tr -d ' ' | tr -d '\t' | grep -v "^#" | sed 's/export//' | sed 's/#.*//' | awk -F= '{ print $2 }'`
             # Determine if the value is exported (with export, readonly, or typeset)
-            FIND2=`cat /etc/profile | grep '\(export\|readonly\|typeset -r\)[ \t]*TMOUT' | grep -v "^#" | sed 's/#.*//' | awk '{ print $1 }'`
+            FIND2=`grep '\(export\|readonly\|typeset -r\)[ \t]*TMOUT' /etc/profile | grep -v "^#" | sed 's/#.*//' | awk '{ print $1 }'`
             if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 N=0; IDLE_TIMEOUT=1
                 for I in ${FIND}; do
diff --git a/include/tests_snmp b/include/tests_snmp
index 208df92a..5baba15a 100644
--- a/include/tests_snmp
+++ b/include/tests_snmp
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         WARN=0
         logtext "Test: reading active snmp communities"
-        FIND=`cat ${SNMPD_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep "^com2sec" | ${AWKBINARY} '{ print $4 }'`
+        FIND=`${AWKBINARY} '/^com2sec/ { print $4 }' ${SNMPD_DAEMON_CONFIG}`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             logtext "Output: ${I}"
             if [ "${I}" = "public" -o "${I}" = "private" ]; then
diff --git a/include/tests_squid b/include/tests_squid
index f6277feb..59d63dd2 100644
--- a/include/tests_squid
+++ b/include/tests_squid
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
     Register --test-no SQD-3610 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check Squid version"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking all specific defined options in ${SQUID_DAEMON_CONFIG}"
-        FIND=`cat ${SQUID_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | ${AWKBINARY} '{gsub("\t"," ");print}' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
+        FIND=`grep -v "^#" ${SQUID_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep -v "^$" | ${AWKBINARY} '{gsub("\t"," ");print}' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             I=`echo ${I} | sed 's/!space!/ /g'`
             logtext "Found Squid option: ${I}"
diff --git a/include/tests_ssh b/include/tests_ssh
index 303af6b6..5cc466ce 100644
--- a/include/tests_ssh
+++ b/include/tests_ssh
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
     Register --test-no SSH-7408 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check SSH defined options"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Checking all specific defined options in ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG}"
-        FIND=`cat ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | ${AWKBINARY} '{gsub("\t"," ");print}' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
+        FIND=`grep -v "^#" ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep -v "^$" | ${AWKBINARY} '{gsub("\t"," ");print}' | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
             I=`echo ${I} | sed 's/!space!/ /g'`
             logtext "Found SSH option: ${I}"
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
     Register --test-no SSH-7412 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check SSH option: PermitRootLogin"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: check PermitRootLogin option"
-        FIND=`cat ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep "^PermitRootLogin" | awk '{ print $2 }'`
+        FIND=`awk '/^PermitRootLogin/ { print $2 }' ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG}`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "yes" -o "${FIND}" = "YES" -o "${FIND}" = "Yes" ]; then
             logtext "Result: PermitRootLogin is enabled, root can login directly"
             Display --indent 4 --text "- SSH option: PermitRootLogin" --result WARNING --color RED
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@
     Register --test-no SSH-7414 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check SSH option: Protocol"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: check allowed SSH protocol versions"
-        FIND=`cat ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep "^Protocol" | awk '{ print $2 }'`
+        FIND=`awk '/^Protocol/ { print $2 }' ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG}`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "1" -o "${FIND}" = "2,1" -o "${FIND}" = "1,2" ]; then
             logtext "Result: Protocol option is set to allow SSH protocol version 1"
             Display --indent 4 --text "- SSH option: Protocol" --result WARNING --color RED
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@
     Register --test-no SSH-7416 --preqs-met ${PREQS_MET} --weight L --network NO --description "Check SSH option: StrictModes"
     if [ ${SKIPTEST} -eq 0 ]; then
         logtext "Test: Check configured StrictModes option"
-        FIND=`cat ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG} | grep "^StrictModes" | awk '{ print $2 }'`
+        FIND=`awk '/^StrictModes/ { print $2 }' ${SSH_DAEMON_CONFIG}`
         if [ "${FIND}" = "no" -o "${FIND}" = "NO" -o "${FIND}" = "No" ]; then
             logtext "Result: StrictModes option is set to 'no', which means file permissions are NOT checked"
             Display --indent 4 --text "- SSH option: StrictModes" --result WARNING --color RED
diff --git a/include/tests_storage_nfs b/include/tests_storage_nfs
index 1795aeb6..9f245a9a 100644
--- a/include/tests_storage_nfs
+++ b/include/tests_storage_nfs
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@
         logtext "Test: check /etc/exports"
         if [ -f /etc/exports ]; then
             logtext "Result: /etc/exports exists"
-            FIND=`cat /etc/exports | grep -v "^$" | grep -v "^#" | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
+            FIND=`grep -v "^$" /etc/exports | grep -v "^#" | sed 's/ /!space!/g'`
             if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                 for I in ${FIND}; do
                     I=`echo ${I} | sed 's/!space!/ /g'`
diff --git a/include/tests_time b/include/tests_time
index 4184f9b3..34321bd0 100644
--- a/include/tests_time
+++ b/include/tests_time
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
         for I in ${CRONTAB_FILES}; do
             if [ -f ${I} ]; then
                 logtext "Test: checking for ntpdate or rdate in crontab file ${I}"
-                FIND=`cat ${I} | ${EGREPBINARY} "ntpdate|rdate" | grep -v '^#'`
+                FIND=`${EGREPBINARY} "ntpdate|rdate" ${I} | grep -v '^#'`
                 if [ ! "${FIND}" = "" ]; then
                     FOUND=1; NTP_CONFIG_TYPE_SCHEDULED=1
                     Display --indent 2 --text "- Checking NTP client in crontab file (${I})" --result FOUND --color GREEN
diff --git a/include/tests_webservers b/include/tests_webservers
index 8987636c..020c1420 100644
--- a/include/tests_webservers
+++ b/include/tests_webservers
@@ -144,14 +144,14 @@
             FileIsReadable ${I}
             if [ ${CANREAD} -eq 1 ]; then
                 # Search Virtual Hosts
-                for J in `cat ${I} | grep "ServerName" | grep -v "^#" | awk '{ if ($1=="ServerName") print $2 }'`; do
+                for J in `grep "ServerName" ${I} | grep -v "^#" | awk '{ if ($1=="ServerName") print $2 }'`; do
                     if [ ! -z ${J} ]; then
                         tVHOSTS="${tVHOSTS} ${J}"
                         cVHOSTS=`expr ${cVHOSTS} + 1`
                     fi
                 done
                 # Search Server aliases
-                for J in `cat ${I} | grep "ServerAlias" | grep -v "^#" | sed "s/.* ServerAlias//g" | sed "s/#.*//g"`; do
+                for J in `grep "ServerAlias" ${I} | grep -v "^#" | sed "s/.* ServerAlias//g" | sed "s/#.*//g"`; do
                     if [ ! -z ${J} ]; then
                         tVHOSTS="${tVHOSTS} ${J}"
                         cVHOSTS=`expr ${cVHOSTS} + 1`
@@ -200,12 +200,12 @@
 #	        for APACHE_CONFIGFILE in ${APACHE_CONFIGFILES}; do
 #	            if [ -f ${APACHE_CONFIGFILE} ]; then
 #	        	# Check if option ServerTokens is configured
-#	        	SERVERTOKENSTEST=`cat ${APACHE_CONFIGFILE} | grep ServerTokens | grep -v '^#'`
+#	        	SERVERTOKENSTEST=`grep ServerTokens ${APACHE_CONFIGFILE} | grep -v '^#'`
 #	        	if [ ! "${SERVERTOKENSTEST}" = "" ]; then
 #	    		    Display --indent 4 --text "- Checking option ServerTokens" --result FOUND --color WHITE
 #	        	    SERVERTOKENSTEST=`echo ${SERVERTOKENSTEST} | sed 's/ServerTokens//' | tr -d ' '`
 #	    		    logtext "Option ServerTokens found: ${SERVERTOKENSTEST}"
-#	    		    SERVERTOKENSEXPECTED=`cat ${PROFILE} | grep 'apache' | grep 'ServerTokens' | cut -d ':' -f3`
+#	    		    SERVERTOKENSEXPECTED=`grep 'apache' ${PROFILE} | grep 'ServerTokens' | cut -d ':' -f3`
 #	    		    if [ "${SERVERTOKENSEXPECTED}" = "${SERVERTOKENSTEST}" ]; then
 #	    		        logtext "Result: Value from configuration file yielded the same output as in template"
 #	    		        SERVERTOKENSFOUND=1
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@
         # Remove temp file
         if [ ! "${TMPFILE}" = "" ]; then if [ -f ${TMPFILE} ]; then rm -f ${TMPFILE}; fi; fi
         N=0
-        cat ${NGINX_CONF_LOCATION} | sed -e 's/^[ 	]*//' | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | sed 's/[	]/ /g' | sed 's/  / /g' | sed 's/  / /g' >> ${TMPFILE}
+        sed -e 's/^[ 	]*//' ${NGINX_CONF_LOCATION} | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | sed 's/[	]/ /g' | sed 's/  / /g' | sed 's/  / /g' >> ${TMPFILE}
         # Search for included configuration files (may include directories and wild cards)
         FIND=`grep "include" ${NGINX_CONF_LOCATION} | ${AWKBINARY} '{ if ($1=="include") { print $2 }}' | sed 's/;$//g'`
         for I in ${FIND}; do
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@
                   report "nginx_sub_conf_file=${J}"
                   FileIsReadable ${J}
                   if [ ${CANREAD} -eq 1 ]; then
-                      FIND3=`cat ${J} | sed -e 's/^[ 	]*//' | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | sed 's/[	]/ /g' | sed 's/  / /g' | sed 's/  / /g' >> ${TMPFILE}`
+                      FIND3=`sed -e 's/^[ 	]*//' ${J} | grep -v "^#" | grep -v "^$" | sed 's/[	]/ /g' | sed 's/  / /g' | sed 's/  / /g' >> ${TMPFILE}`
                     else
                       ReportException "${TEST_NO}:1" "Can not parse file ${J}, as it is not readable"
                   fi
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@
         done
 
         # Sort all discovered configuration lines and store unique ones. Also strip out the mime types configured in nginx
-        SORTFILE=`cat ${TMPFILE} | sort -u | sed 's/ /:space:/g' | egrep -v "(application|audio|image|text|video)/" | egrep -v "({|})"`
+        SORTFILE=`sort -u ${TMPFILE} | sed 's/ /:space:/g' | egrep -v "(application|audio|image|text|video)/" | egrep -v "({|})"`
         for I in ${SORTFILE}; do
             I=`echo ${I} | sed 's/:space:/ /g'`
             report "nginx_config_option=${I}";