I understand that “hacking” is not a skill that can be learned by simply reading a book, and is learned over time. Still, I REALLY want to take the time to learn the art and procedures. I am not asking the dumb question of “how do I hack,” I am simply asking where I might begin. Where does one start if they wish to learn about it? What kind of programs/code languages should I be studying? Is there any specific hardware that I should look into? thanks in advance.
Tags: Experimenting, Hacking...?, Start, When, Where, With
May 24th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Don’t let anybody tell you that hacking is wrong. Being a hacker is not synonymous with being a criminal. A locksmith picks locks. A criminal picks locks. Are locksmith’s criminals? No. A hacker who shows an interest to learn and manipulate technology (or anything) to better serve himself or mankind is an innovator. A hacker who uses the same skills to break into a secure computer system to steal financial documents is a criminal. Both have the same skills but they use them differently.
It’s hard to say any one thing you can do to become a hacker. You either are one or are not. You’re on your way with your curiosity and interest in where to begin, but the world is your palette. I have met computer hackers, phone hackers, food hackers, mind/body hackers, automotive hackers, etc.. Where you begin and what you learn to get there depends on your interests.
Pick an area that you’re interested in or a goal that you’d like to accomplish and find a way to do it. If your interest is becoming an all around “computer hacker” in the stereotypical sense, learn everything you can about computer architecture, operating systems and pick up a programming language. I recommend Python, C++ or Java. Linux is pretty much “the” operating system of the hacker as it’s open source and very powerful. It’s definitely something you should learn about.
If you wanted to get into Phone Hacking (commonly referred to as Phreaking), I would recommend learning electronics and circuitry. There’s a vast and interesting history of telecommunications and the association with the hacking community. Since the 80’s phreaking has been a popular interest among the hacker community. You can still find old issues of TAP, Phrack Magazine and 2600 Magazine (the last 2 of which are still around, 2600 in print even).
I would highly recommend that you associate with other “hackers” with similar interests. You might want to check out 2600 Magazine. They hold local meetings monthly all over the world. See if they have a local meeting near you. You’ll meet a variety of people with similar interests who could possibly motivate or introduce you to new things you wouldn’t have thought you would be into.
There’s quite a few Hacker Conventions as well. 2600 hosts one called HOPE every 2 years in New York. There’s others around the US and in other countries as well such as Defcon, Chaos Communications Congress, Black Hat, ShmooCON, PhreakNIC, ToorCon and so many others. They are great places to get motivated and network with people from other beginners like yourself to industry professionals willing to share their knowledge and experiences.
The strength of the hacking community is it’s diversity. So many people with so many different skill sets, ideas and interests willing to share their knowledge openly. No one thing will make you a good hacker. Just do what you do best, help others understand what you do, and learn a thing or two while your at it.
I hope I was some help.
May 25th, 2009 at 2:05 am
First of all, remember the responsability of what your doing here.
Do the following:
1. Get a decent AntiVirus Suite, alot of tools are binded with viruses.
2. Signup on forums etc, you can learn tons from there.
3. Experiment with tools etc.
Most exploits or scripts/tools are either:
Visual Basic
or
Delphi
Web tools are PHP or JavaScript.
Im a avid hacker myself, and its fun, but you have to remember:
COVER YOUR TRACKS
DONT GO OUT OF YOUR DEPTH.
BE PATIENT.
Also, expect abuse, most new people in the “scene” are known as turks or skids, and you will be annoyed etc. Just buccle down and learn.
Hacking isnt all taking down google or w.e, its got a deeper meaning.
May 25th, 2009 at 3:13 am
This might sound like a bad idea, and this might be a bad idea, but you should probably ask this in a more technically savvy area of the Internet; Yahoo Answers isn’t exactly a hot spot for hackers. I’d recommend going on IRC or a forum, and trying to find someone who sincerely wants to help you. Watch out, most of them won’t want to, and you’ll likely be ridiculed as saying “how do i hack?”
But yeah, good luck!