New hacker

[Trapr]

Alright, so I'm 35 years old, I like working with computers and I'm in school to get my 2nd B.S., this time in computer information systems. I've always liked the idea of hacking, but have never known anyone who could teach me nor know where to look to learn.

What do you suggest for places to look for me to learn about hacking? I'm not looking to take over the world or to mess with some company, just something to play around with to learn more about how computers work and stuff.

[Seph]

I'm not looking to take over the world or to mess with some company.

Mhm...Suuuure, I believe you ;D

I take you mean breaking into a system? "Hack" is a pretty board definition. You can try sites like Milw0rm.com insecure.org and offensive-security.com just to name a few. Also go through the Hak5 archives, quiet a few episodes on hacking.

[Trapr]

Cool, I'll try that! Still open to lots of other ideas. I'll learn everything I can about the subject.

And you are right, I guess the better explanation is that I'm not looking to do harm to anyone. Just a hobby and to learn more.

[metatron]

Depends what you want to learn and where you want to take it. I guess if pen testing/money is why you are learning, SANS would be the right place to learn. Most people now a days seem to not learn for the love of learning but to accomplish an end goal of making money.

[Ingo]

In home computing, a hacker is a person who heavily modifies the software or hardware of their computer system. It includes building, rebuilding, modifying and creating software (software cracking, demo scene) and electronic hardware (hardware hacking, modding) either to make it better, faster, give added features or to make it do something it was never intended to do.

There are a lot in the whole "hacking" scene, but if you want to get into hacking computers as in breaking into systems and finding how exploits etc work I suggest creating your own test environment, just grab an old PC you don't use anymore and instal VirtualBox/VMWare, make few servers with known flaws and try to get in - this is as educational as you can get, but again there is so much more than just trying to break into systems, I specialy like hardware hacking be it making just case mods for visual effect or more hardcore actually modifying how components work or making something completely new from (basicly) scratch.

All I can say is that "hacking" is fun and creative, but you shouldn't pidgeon hole on one area.

[dingoatemybaby]

Actually I was thinking of posting a new thread with almost the same OP. I am almost 35 as well. I have a background in maths not that that seems to help with anything in computers!

Anyway, about two years ago I first got into computers seriously. And by seriously I mean:

I am prepared to spend any amount of time or effort to learn something. If I have to wreck something in the learning process, fine. If I have to fiddle around with conf files then, fine. Nothing is too painstaking.

I am studying a mixture of .NET, web programming and graphics design. So, ultimately I am heading towards a convergence - probably web design for a living. Thus, I would like to learn what I call "defensive web hacking". That is, I learn how to bolt down the weaknesses of a web site so it's hard to hack. I know that it's never a perfect world; if someone wants badly enough to hack into your website then there's nothing that you can do. But that does not mean that you don't try. I have no desire whatsoever to actually hack into anyone else's system. If you choose to scoff at that, then you are too cynical for your own good.

My main web technology is Ruby on Rails. I have a dual-booted Win 7/ubuntu PC and have put rails on both. So far I haven't created an actual website/production environment.

Here in Australia it is very hard to find any "defensive web hacking" courses. Mainly I learn from Google and tutorials.

Any thoughts on any of the above would be appreciated.

[VaKo]

The best thing you can do to be a "hacker" is just play around with computers and software. Don't bother trying to be a white hat hacker or any of that crap, just learn how things work, and how you can make them work outside of the defined limits. If you want to learn how to secure your web sites, learn how to hack them.

Here in Australia it is very hard to find any "defensive web hacking" courses.

Because there is no such thing has "defensive web hacking", only web server/site design security considerations which is far less sexy.

[Deags]

i suggest watching hackers 1 2 and 3. Also putting LED fans in your case. The following are must haves. Linux, BitTorrent and firefox! As for hardware. You can't have a plain case, you'll get laughed at while hacking at LAN's. Also pick a side either AMD or Intel and stick with it. Because much like religion once your in you've gotta go with what you now believe no matter what anyone says.

This guys videos are priceless in continuing your hacking career. http://www.youtube.com/user/catchyanow

Etiquette:

When referring to windows or microsoft either replace the s with $ or use microshaft. Act like the world owes you everything. Also never be responsible for your own actions. Also a good hatred of capitalism goes along way. Support anarchy while supporting fascism. All software should be free.

Final notes.

I swear computers are for the teens. People like me and VaKo we are just weirdo's or "outliers". A fuck why have I re-enrolled into IT.

[shonen]

roflmfao Deags that was your best post by far *tips hat* Well played sir!

[VaKo]

+1 to Deags

[h3%5kr3w]

another +1 to Deags. Also, you forgot not just led's but blacklights too! ooooh.

[moonlit]

The best thing you can do to be a "hacker" is just play around with computers and software. Don't bother trying to be a white hat hacker or any of that crap, just learn how things work, and how you can make them work outside of the defined limits.

This. A million times this. Computer security is a fraction of "hacking" and is by no means all of it. Get screwdrivers, get emulators, get old crap to take apart (and fix, broken stuff is often free or cheap and can be mae useful again), put things together, stick electronic bits together and make things, experiment, make computers do things you've never made them do before, maybe learn to write your own software, there's so many possibilities that to limit yourself to "heh, heh, white hat hacking, heh" would be a mistake.

The process of learning anything is important, it can be transferred to anything else you need to learn, and once you're used to learning things you can do it day in and day out, whatever your end goal.

[Trapr]

This is HUGE for me! Tonight I now have Ubuntu running on a VB! I'm so proud of myself. Working on learning about programs for hacking/snooping and how to install/run programs from command prompt which is new to me.

[gcninja]

well now taht you have that running on a VM, bust into it, now i know what moonlit said, but since you got this going, run with that. then from there find a FUCKTON of scrap parts and BUILD your own box to run VMs and go with that.

[psydT0ne]

What am I?

I immerse myself in computers, technology, gadgets....pulling shit apart, rebuilding it.

I game like a madman...i read as much as i can...i absorb all that i can, i never stop being inquisitive...i get excited when i learn something new.

I war drive, war walk and walk chalk....heh...

I never miss a documentary or a movie or an hak5 episode that has something new and cool to offer.

Hell i even go dumpster diving and can spend hours at a waste transfer station scavaging 2nd hand hardware, i still get a thrill bolting a PII pc togther with a 2 gig quantum fireball hdd running linux or some such and putting it to good use.

If i had the money and the means i'd love to come to the states for DefCon and would love to attend the meetups that hak5 has occasionally.....i only ever dream of being part of something like that.

I love hanging out with my very few like minded friends that don't roll their eyes when the discussion shifts to tcp/ip...I've travelled 4hrs 30mins to LAN with one mate, just so i can leech off his TB Drive....

If i could afford it i'd rewire my whole house for rfid and home automation and build an epic central server with storage space that would rival google...but that will never happen..

I'm 38 yrs old....and thats no shit...i'm not a hacker and don't think i'd ever call myself one...i reckon i just wouldn't do the term justice.

[metatron]

What am I?

I immerse myself in computers, technology, gadgets....pulling shit apart, rebuilding it.

I game like a madman...i read as much as i can...i absorb all that i can, i never stop being inquisitive...i get excited when i learn something new.

I war drive, war walk and walk chalk....heh...

I never miss a documentary or a movie or an hak5 episode that has something new and cool to offer.

Hell i even go dumpster diving and can spend hours at a waste transfer station scavaging 2nd hand hardware, i still get a thrill bolting a PII pc togther with a 2 gig quantum fireball hdd running linux or some such and putting it to good use.

If i had the money and the means i'd love to come to the states for DefCon and would love to attend the meetups that hak5 has occasionally.....i only ever dream of being part of something like that.

I love hanging out with my very few like minded friends that don't roll their eyes when the discussion shifts to tcp/ip...I've travelled 4hrs 30mins to LAN with one mate, just so i can leech off his TB Drive....

If i could afford it i'd rewire my whole house for rfid and home automation and build an epic central server with storage space that would rival google...but that will never happen..

I'm 38 yrs old....and thats no shit...i'm not a hacker and don't think i'd ever call myself one...i reckon i just wouldn't do the term justice.

After that list of things I'd say the inspiration to The 40 Year Old Virgin, they just round the age up as Hollywood likes a snappy title.

There needs to be more to life than tech and tech people, otherwise you wake up one day, put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.

[psydT0ne]

After that list of things I'd say the inspiration to The 40 Year Old Virgin, they just round the age up as Hollywood likes a snappy title.

There needs to be more to life than tech and tech people, otherwise you wake up one day, put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.

....and you completely missed my point...

at what specific point in time should you start calling yourself a hacker?

why do you need to?

there's prolly a lot of people here who would admit to a lot of the same things as my previous post...but don't call themselves hackers..

as for the inspiration for an assclown of a movie like the one you mentioned?.....puhlease.

i'm also a husband, a father to three kids, a martial arts instructor, a neighbour and a friend of many who don't share the same passion for tech that i do.

please don't think to lecture me on how important and precious life, friends and family are.....i'm living it. pfft.

[Rkiver]

Well said Mnemonic.

I'm 28 years of age, happily married currently unemployed however due to the economic mess that is Ireland. I love technology. Always have. I take things apart, put them back together, try new things. I am the resident techie of my circle of friends, and always the one called when something needs to be wired up, networked, built etc.

I love it. I love that my friends know they can count on me for that. And I love that I can count on them for other things that I cannot do (I cannot sew to save my life, and when it comes to making larping gear that's a handicap. However my friends can, so win).

Am I a hacker? Depends on your definition of hacker. I'm a techie, I love tinkering with technology. If that makes me a hacker then I guess I am. But I wont call myself one.

[barry99705]

I war drive, war walk and walk chalk....heh...

I thought that was a myth...... I've been wardriving forever and have never seen a chalk.

[metatron]

I thought that was a myth...... I've been wardriving forever and have never seen a chalk.

I think it was only done in a few areas with in the US. Does anyone still wardrive, its a little pointless now a days, I can turn my laptop on and see 16 AP and 3 of them are open from my living room. I was walking around Belfast last month and picked up over 6500 in about 4 hours and that was on my little N810 running Kismet on the internal wireless (I was testing a new build + new drivers).

[psydT0ne]

I still like to travel around to wardrive...i don't need to i suppose...i picked up 3 open networks in my street alone the other night when walking with my ipod touch...but i kinda have a rule about shitting where you eat so to speak.

Rkiver: I'm sorry to hear you're still without work dude....hang in there. It's great that you're the go to guy for tech stuff amongst your community and friends....maybe you outta look into that buddy..maybe you could run a small operation for yourself, servicing, installing, tutition etc for all things computers and tech.

There might be an opportunity there?

[CoderLaureate]

There's no big trick to being a hacker. We're just people who have a natural understanding, and curiosity, of how things work. We get the most out of a thing by learning everything we can about it. Use it to it's full extent, and try to make it better than it's original design. Sometimes we cause a little mischief, just to let the world know we're here. There are those of us who cause damage, and steel in the name of hacking. We look down on them. Because they make us all look bad.

If you're serious about learning more about hacking. Go to Eric S. Raymond's web site. He's an author, one of the original hackers, and a heck of a nice guy. I met him at last years Penguicon.

[Zimmer]

Also a good hatred of capitalism goes along way.

That explains it. As to what "that" is I will leave you to figure out.

[VaKo]

That explains it. As to what "that" is I will leave you to figure out.

I don't get this either, captialism has been the most successful method of social advancement and wealth creation the human race has invented to date. Look at computers, the desire to out do each other in terms of performance and cost has lead to the creation of high power computers everyone can afford.

[shonen]

+1 to Vako on above comment.

I think that comment was more on the taking the piss side of how open source Linux users are a likened to a bunch of communist pigs that are against paying for capitalist Microsoft products.