A lot of my aspiring hackers have written to me asking the identical factor. “What expertise do I have to be a superb, skilled hacker?”
Because the hacker is among the many most expert data know-how disciplines, it requires a large data of IT applied sciences and strategies. To actually be an excellent hacker, one should grasp many expertise. Do not be discouraged if you do not have all the talents I record right here, however relatively use this record as a beginning floor for what it’s essential to research and grasp within the close to future.
That is my overview record of required expertise to enter the pantheon of this elite IT occupation. I’ve damaged the talents into three classes that will help you go from one rung to the opposite extra simply—elementary, intermediate, and intangible expertise.
The Basic Expertise
These are the fundamentals that each hacker ought to know earlier than even making an attempt to hack. After getting a superb grasp on all the things on this part, you may transfer into the middleman degree.
1. Fundamental Pc Expertise
It most likely goes with out saying that to develop into a hacker you want some fundamental pc expertise. These expertise transcend the power to create a Phrase doc or cruise the Web. You want to have the ability to use the command line in Home windows, edit the registry, and arrange your networking parameters.
Many of those fundamental expertise might be acquired in a fundamental pc expertise course like A+.
2. Networking Expertise
It’s essential to perceive the fundamentals of networking, comparable to the next.
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DHCP
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NAT
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Subnetting
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IPv4
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IPv6
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Public v Non-public IP
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DNS
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Routers and switches
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VLANs
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OSI mannequin
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MAC addressing
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ARP
As we are sometimes exploiting these applied sciences, the higher you perceive how they work, the extra profitable you can be.
3. Linux Expertise
This can be very vital to develop Linux expertise to develop into a hacker. Practically all of the instruments we use as a hacker are developed for Linux and Linux provides us capabilities that we do not have utilizing Home windows.
If it’s essential to enhance your Linux expertise, otherwise you’re simply getting began with Linux, try my new Linux collection for newbies beneath.
4. Wireshark or Tcpdump
Wireshark is essentially the most broadly used sniffer/protocol analyzer, whereas tcpdump is a command line sniffer/protocol analyzer. Each might be terribly helpful in analyzing TCP/IP site visitors and assaults.
5. Virtualization
It’s essential to develop into proficient in utilizing one of many virtualization software program packages comparable to VirtualBox or VMWare Workstation. Ideally, you want a protected setting to observe your hacks earlier than you’re taking them out in actual world. A digital setting offers you a protected setting to check and refine your hacks earlier than going reside with them.
6. Safety Ideas & Applied sciences
hacker understands safety ideas and applied sciences. The one approach to overcome the roadblocks established by the safety admins is to be acquainted with them. The hacker should perceive things like PKI (public key infrastructure), SSL (safe sockets layer), IDS (intrusion detection system), firewalls, and many others.
The newbie hacker can purchase many of those expertise in a fundamental safety course comparable to Safety+ or via my upcoming collection on Info safety ideas
7. Wi-fi Applied sciences
So as to have the ability to hack wi-fi, you could first perceive the way it works. Issues just like the encryption algorithms (WEP, WPA, WPA2), the four-way handshake, and WPS. As well as, understanding comparable to issues because the protocol for connection and authentication and the authorized constraints on wi-fi applied sciences.
To get began, try my tutorial beneath on wi-fi hacking methods, then learn my assortment of Wi-Fi hacking guides for additional data on every type of encryption algorithms and for examples of how every hack works.
The Intermediate Expertise
That is the place issues get attention-grabbing, and the place you actually begin to get a really feel to your capabilities as a hacker. Realizing all of those will will let you advance to extra intuitive hacks the place you’re calling all of the pictures—not another hacker.
8. Scripting
With out scripting expertise, the hacker can be relegated to utilizing different hackers’ instruments. This limits your effectiveness. Each day a brand new device is in existence, it loses effectiveness as safety admins give you defenses.
To develop your individual distinctive instruments, you’ll need to develop into proficient no less than in one of many scripting languages together with the BASH shell. These ought to embody one among Perl, Python, or Ruby. I can be providing tutorials on all them shortly.
9. Database Expertise
If you would like to have the ability to proficiently hack databases, you’ll need to grasp databases and the way they work. This contains the SQL language. I’d additionally advocate the mastery of one of many main DBMS’s such SQL Server, Oracle, or MySQL. I’ll have a collection of tutorials solely in SQL Injection (SQLi) quickly.
10. Internet Functions
Internet functions are most likely essentially the most fertile floor for hackers lately. The extra you perceive about how net functions work and the databases behind them, the extra profitable you can be. As well as, you’ll probably must construct your individual web site for phishing and different nefarious functions.
11. Forensics
To develop into good hacker, you could not be caught! You’ll be able to’t develop into a professional hacker sitting in a jail cell for five years. The extra you understand about digital forensics, the higher you may develop into at avoiding and evading detection. I can be beginning and persevering with my intensive digital forensics collection right here within the subsequent month.
12. Superior TCP/IP
The newbie hacker should perceive TCP/IP fundamentals, however to rise to the intermediate degree, you could perceive in intimate particulars the TCP/IP protocol stack and fields. These embody how every of the fields (flags, window, df, tos, seq, ack, and many others.) in each the TCP and IP packet might be manipulated and used in opposition to the sufferer system to allow MitM assaults, amongst different issues.
13. Cryptography
Though one does not have to be a cryptographer to be a superb hacker, the extra you perceive the strengths and weaknesses of every cryptographic algorithm, the higher the possibilities of defeating it. As well as, cryptography can utilized by the hacker to cover their actions and evade detection.
14. Reverse Engineering
Reverse engineering allows you to open a chunk of malware and re-build it with extra options and capabilities. Identical to in software program engineering, nobody builds a brand new software from scratch. Practically each new exploit or malware makes use of elements from different present malware.
As well as, reverse engineering allows the hacker to take an present exploit and alter its signature in order that it could actually fly previous IDS and AV detection.
The Intangible Expertise
Together with all these pc expertise, the profitable hacker should have some intangible expertise. These embody the next.
15. Assume Creatively
There’s ALWAYS a approach to hack a system and some ways to perform it. hacker can assume creatively of a number of approaches to the identical hack.
16. Downside-Fixing Expertise
A hacker is all the time arising in opposition to seemingly unsolvable issues. This requires that the hacker be accustomed to pondering analytically and fixing issues. This usually calls for that the hacker diagnose precisely what’s unsuitable after which break the issue down into separate elements. That is a kind of talents that comes with many hours of observe.
17. Persistence
A hacker have to be persistent. In the event you fail at first, attempt once more. If that fails, give you a brand new strategy and take a look at once more. It is just with a persistence that it is possible for you to to hack essentially the most secured methods.
I hope this provides you some pointers as to what one wants to check and grasp to ascend to the intermediate degree of hacking. In a future article, I am going to talk about what it’s essential to grasp to ascend into the superior or grasp hacker degree, so hold coming again, my novice hackers!
For these of you who wish to begin the journey to Grasp Hacker, try my guide “Getting Began Changing into a Grasp Hacker” and the video companion within the on-line retailer at www.hackers-arise.com
