The Fundamental Skills
These are the basics that every hacker should know before even trying to hack. Once you have a good grasp on everything in this section, you can move into the intermediary leveBasic Computer Skills
It probably goes without saying that to become a hacker you need some basic computer skills. These skills go beyond the ability to create a Word document or cruise the Internet. You need to be able to use the command line in Windows, edit the registry, and set up your networking parameters.Many of these basic skills can be acquired in a basic computer skills course like A+.
Networking Skills
You need to understand the basics of networking, such as the following.- DHCP
- NAT
- Subnetting
- IPv4
- IPv6
- Public v Private IP
- DNS
- Routers and switches
- VLANs
- OSI model
- MAC addressing
- ARP
Linux Skills
It is extremely critical to develop Linux skills to become a hacker. Nearly all the tools we use as a hacker are developed for Linux and Linux gives us capabilities that we don’t have using Windows.
If you need to improve your Linux skills, or you’re just getting started with Linux
Cryptography
Although one doesn’t need to be a cryptographer to be a good hacker, the more you understand the strengths and weaknesses of each cryptographic algorithm, the better the chances of defeating it. In addition, cryptography can used by the hacker to hide their activities and evade detection.
Advanced TCP/IP
The beginner hacker must understand TCP/IP basics, but to rise to the intermediate level, you must understand in intimate details the TCP/IP protocol stack and fields. These include how each of the fields (flags, window, df, tos, seq, ack, etc.) in both the TCP and IP packet can be manipulated and used against the victim system to enable MitM attacks, among other things.Web Applications
Web applications are probably the most fertile ground for hackers in recent years. The more you understand about how web applications work and the databases behind them, the more successful you will be. In addition, you will likely need to build your own website for phishing and other nefarious purposesThink Creatively
There is ALWAYS a way to hack a system and many ways to accomplish it. A good hacker can think creatively of multiple approaches to the same hack.Problem-Solving Skills
A hacker is always coming up against seemingly unsolvable problems. This requires that the hacker be accustomed to thinking analytically and solving problems. This often demands that the hacker diagnose accurately what is wrong and then break the problem down into separate components. This is one of those abilities that comes with many hours of practice.Scripting
Without scripting skills, the hacker will be relegated to using other hackers’ tools. This limits your effectiveness. Every day a new tool is in existence loses effectiveness as security admins come up with defenses.To develop your own unique tools, you will need to become proficient at least in one of the scripting languages including the BASH shell. These should include one of Perl, Python, or Ruby.
Wireshark or Tcpdump
Wireshark is the most widely used sniffer/protocol analyzer, while tcpdump is a command line sniffer/protocol analyzer. Both can be extraordinarily useful in analyzing TCP/IP traffic and attacksPersistence
A hacker must be persistent. If you fail at first, try again. If that fails, come up with a new approach and try again. It is only with a persistence that you will be able to hack the most secured systems.I hope this gives you some guidelines as to what one needs to study and master to ascend to the intermediate level of hacking. In a future article, I’ll discuss what you need to master to ascend into the advanced or master hacker level, so keep coming back, my novice hackers!
thnkx