Many people believe that a hacker is a computer hacker, but this is a misconception. That's why, before you learn this profession, I recommend that you understand what a hacker is.
Education vs experience
There are many ways to master a hacker's specialty – there is no specific scheme, as, for example, in the case of a doctor's profession. While some people were trained to become hackers, others simply began to immerse themselves in this environment from an early age, gradually developing their skills. And, I must say, most of the pros in hacking went exactly along the second path. They were simply interested in how computer systems work and experimented with them, trying to hack them.
The above does not mean that it does not make sense to get an education in the field of information technology. In fact, having such an education is very helpful in building an IT career. However, in order to become a professional hacker, it is not so necessary. Many university teachers have little or no hacking experience, because they were taught to build systems, not hack them. Even when teaching the basics of hacking programs, they themselves are usually far from such things. It's like learning to fly an airplane from someone who can only fly a kite.
The Hacker Mindset
One of the main differences between hackers and ordinary programmers is the way of thinking. Here are the four main features of the hacker mentality::
Problem solving
A hacker must be able to get out of difficult situations. This skill is formed by constantly solving problems without outside help. Yes, sometimes it is easier to turn to Google or a more experienced friend, but then you will not develop the ability to analyze the problem and gradually move towards its solution, breaking it down into smaller, "digestible" components. ALL hackers have the ability to solve problems. Without it, you will not achieve any outstanding results.
Perseverance
Problem-solving skills are closely related to another essential quality of a hacker – perseverance. Faced with an obstacle, the hacker will not give up, but will look for a way out of the situation to the bitter end. Sometimes the search can take days, weeks, or even months, but it won't break a real hacker. They know that eventually a solution will be found, and the search process itself will allow them to gain new knowledge and strengthen their valuable ability to solve any problems.
Database
Any hacker needs to have certain basic skills in the field of IT. To hack websites, you will need to master a whole arsenal of web languages. Before hacking anything, it is advisable to have experience in creating similar programs. For example, it will be easier for those who have written web applications to understand how they work and, accordingly, how to hack them. However, this approach does not work for everyone: some hackers are incapable of creating anything – their brains are set up solely to find vulnerabilities and crack.
Hacker's Knowledge Base:
Hacking tools
In addition to the above, a hacker needs some specific skills. So, in addition to knowing the Linux OS and how computer networks work, you will need to master one of the hacker operating systems – such as Kali. Other tools most frequently used by hackers include:
Specialization
The world of information technology is huge. It is simply impossible to master all possible IT technologies and programming languages at a decent level. The most that you will achieve is a superficial knowledge of "a little bit of everything" in the absence of deep knowledge of anything. The same applies to hackers. Choose the area in which you will specialize and focus your efforts on it. Once you've mastered one area, move on to another. No one can learn everything, and certainly not at the same time.
Certification process
IT professionals in general and hackers in particular should take advanced training courses-they will allow them to acquire new, special skills and increase their attractiveness in the eyes of a potential employer. First, we recommend that you get the CompTIA – Security+, Network+, and A+certificates. These courses will provide you with general knowledge, based on which you can move to the next level. After that, you should get a CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certificate – the progenitor of ethical hacker certificates.
For the future
For some people, work is a way of life. This kind of makings are most often laid down in childhood. This is especially true for professional hackers. Learn how to become one of them below. Today, the hacker profession is in demand more than ever. IT security companies, antivirus developers, private investigators, military and spy organizations seek to cooperate with hackers. At the same time, there are not enough specialists in this field and their salaries are growing day by day. In general, now is a good time to discuss what it takes to become a hacker.
Education vs experience
There are many ways to master a hacker's specialty – there is no specific scheme, as, for example, in the case of a doctor's profession. While some people were trained to become hackers, others simply began to immerse themselves in this environment from an early age, gradually developing their skills. And, I must say, most of the pros in hacking went exactly along the second path. They were simply interested in how computer systems work and experimented with them, trying to hack them.
The above does not mean that it does not make sense to get an education in the field of information technology. In fact, having such an education is very helpful in building an IT career. However, in order to become a professional hacker, it is not so necessary. Many university teachers have little or no hacking experience, because they were taught to build systems, not hack them. Even when teaching the basics of hacking programs, they themselves are usually far from such things. It's like learning to fly an airplane from someone who can only fly a kite.
The Hacker Mindset
One of the main differences between hackers and ordinary programmers is the way of thinking. Here are the four main features of the hacker mentality::
- Focus on problem solving
- Love of freedom
- Creative approach
- The desire to help "fellow workers»
Problem solving
A hacker must be able to get out of difficult situations. This skill is formed by constantly solving problems without outside help. Yes, sometimes it is easier to turn to Google or a more experienced friend, but then you will not develop the ability to analyze the problem and gradually move towards its solution, breaking it down into smaller, "digestible" components. ALL hackers have the ability to solve problems. Without it, you will not achieve any outstanding results.
Perseverance
Problem-solving skills are closely related to another essential quality of a hacker – perseverance. Faced with an obstacle, the hacker will not give up, but will look for a way out of the situation to the bitter end. Sometimes the search can take days, weeks, or even months, but it won't break a real hacker. They know that eventually a solution will be found, and the search process itself will allow them to gain new knowledge and strengthen their valuable ability to solve any problems.
Database
Any hacker needs to have certain basic skills in the field of IT. To hack websites, you will need to master a whole arsenal of web languages. Before hacking anything, it is advisable to have experience in creating similar programs. For example, it will be easier for those who have written web applications to understand how they work and, accordingly, how to hack them. However, this approach does not work for everyone: some hackers are incapable of creating anything – their brains are set up solely to find vulnerabilities and crack.
Hacker's Knowledge Base:
- Learn the basic basics of programming. This skill will allow you to reach your goal. According to professionals, it is possible to study the database independently at home, if you spend as much time as possible studying materials, programming languages and computer equipment.
- The basics of programming have a similar structure and principles. A number of programming languages will have to be learned by heart. These include PHP, MySQL, Java, and others.
- Be sure to get acquainted with operating systems that, at first glance, seem simple. We are talking about UNIX and Linux platforms. Real hackers with Windows firmware don't work.
- Hackers strive for proper work on the network, which involves much more than communicating with friends. If you really want to become a real ace, you will have to get a lot of knowledge, and only the Internet will help. Learn how the global web works and understand why the client sends HTTP servers, how the browser interacts with the server, and so on. Without this knowledge, you will not have to count on a good result.
- Choose a software package. I will immediately warn you that choosing the right tool programs is not easy, but a strong desire will simplify the task. First, find a few compilers and assemblers. The first solutions translate the program text into an equivalent program. The second option is software that converts programs to machine-type commands.
- You can also use a good text editor that allows you to create and edit text files, view, print, and find text information.
- You will need a specialized editor that creates and changes the source codes of programs. This solution can be a separate program or part of the development environment.
- English. You can not do without knowledge of English. This language is used by all global services. Therefore, ownership of it is mandatory.
Hacking tools
In addition to the above, a hacker needs some specific skills. So, in addition to knowing the Linux OS and how computer networks work, you will need to master one of the hacker operating systems – such as Kali. Other tools most frequently used by hackers include:
- Metasploit
- Nmap
- Hping3
- Wireshark
- BeEF
- Aircrack-ng
- Snort
- Cain & Abel
- Burp Suite
- Nikto
- Nessus, Nexpose, or OpenVAS
- Sysinternals
- Sqlmap
- Dsniff
- Splunk
- Tamper Data
- p0f
- John the Ripper или Hashcat
Specialization
The world of information technology is huge. It is simply impossible to master all possible IT technologies and programming languages at a decent level. The most that you will achieve is a superficial knowledge of "a little bit of everything" in the absence of deep knowledge of anything. The same applies to hackers. Choose the area in which you will specialize and focus your efforts on it. Once you've mastered one area, move on to another. No one can learn everything, and certainly not at the same time.
Certification process
IT professionals in general and hackers in particular should take advanced training courses-they will allow them to acquire new, special skills and increase their attractiveness in the eyes of a potential employer. First, we recommend that you get the CompTIA – Security+, Network+, and A+certificates. These courses will provide you with general knowledge, based on which you can move to the next level. After that, you should get a CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certificate – the progenitor of ethical hacker certificates.
For the future
- If you don't want to lose credibility in the hacker community or even be banished from it, don't help anyone patch programs and systems, as this is not welcome. Also, you should not make exploits created by other hackers publicly available, otherwise you risk making dangerous enemies.
- When cleaning up traces, do not delete the logs completely , as this will definitely arouse suspicion. It will be better if you just clear the log only from records about your activity in the system. Another question: what should I do if there are backup copies of logs somewhere? After all, in this case, it will only be enough to compare them with the originals to find traces of the attack. Therefore, always consider all options for covering up tracks, perhaps the best way out is to delete random records along with those that were left after your invasion.
- Hacking someone else's system is often illegal. Therefore, it should only be done if you have the owner's permission, or if you consider yourself a super hacker and are absolutely confident in yourself
- Any information provided in the article should be used only for educational purposes and does not contain any calls to violate the law. Failure to comply with this recommendation may result in criminal or administrative liability.
- Do not relax if you managed to hack the system too easily or you found some "childish" vulnerability. It is quite possible that this is a trap from the administrator, the so-called Honeypot.
- Keep in mind that hacking systems is not fun and not a way to have fun. This is a serious activity that should be approached with full responsibility.
- If you have even the slightest doubt about your abilities, refrain from trying to hack into the systems of large corporations, or government and military structures. Even if the security systems installed on them are not very effective, they will undoubtedly do everything possible to catch any hacker, if they succeed.
