Why hackers don't use windows. Hacker distribution based on Windows. NixOS, its configurator and package manager
Today, the most popular distributions for penetration testing are *nix-like distributions: , BlackArch Linux, Pentoo and many others. They can be used both in a virtual environment and as a live system, or even installed as a desktop OS.
Windows users until recently were deprived (we don’t take virtual machines into account) of such assemblies, until a magic box appeared - the hacker distribution PentestBox.
PentestBox is not like other security distributions that run on virtual machines. The idea of creating it came to the author Aditya Agrawal after studying statistics - more than 50% of users who downloaded distributions used Windows:
- Samurai Web Testing Framework -
- Santoku Linux -
- Parrot OS -
What makes PentestBox different?
Easy to use. Download 2.5 gigabytes from the site, unpack it and everything is ready to use. Not as resource intensive as a virtual machine instance. There are no dependencies, all utilities, command standards - everything is installed. Also, the Mozilla Firefox browser is installed with the most popular add-ons for auditing web applications.
PentestBox is quite easy to customize - add the utilities you need to the python/ruby/executable file and register aliases. Upgrades won't be difficult either. The interface is designed as a command line with a “classic” green font on a black background, old school.
PentestBox contains a fairly large number of popular utilities that facilitate the penetration testing process. Utilities are divided into groups that make them easier to find and use - from information gathering and reconnaissance, web scanners, bruteforce utilities to Android application and Wi-Fi analysis utilities.
The assembly does not contain one of the main "harvesters" used by security specialists and hackers - the Metasploit framework. The author indicates that for installation there is already a fully functioning Windows version of this product, which perfectly fulfills its purpose in its native form.
On the author’s website, utilities are presented in sections; there are overlapping positions, so I arranged the utilities, classifying them according to the method of use/impact. Some utilities on the original site contain incorrect links/descriptions, please keep this in mind.
Collection and analysis of information
This section contains utilities for preliminary research of the target.
Forensics
Utilities for collecting “digital evidence”, forensic analysis, collecting evidence.
PDF tools- search and identification of suspicious objects in PDF documents, analysis of PDF elements.
PeePDF- analysis of objects, elements and flows contained in PDF files.
Origami- a utility for analyzing and working with infected pdfs (used for
Many people are interested in the question of which operating system is better for hacking. First I will say that almost every professional and expert uses for this Linux or Unix. Although some operations can be carried out from under Windows And Mac OS, almost all the tools are designed specifically for Linux.
But there are some exceptions, like programs Cain and Abel, Havij,Zenmap And Metasploit, which have been developed or can be transferred to Windows.
Applications for Linux, which were developed under Linux and then ported to Windows may lose some features. In addition, some options that are built into Linux, not available in Windows. For this reason, hacker tools in most cases are designed ONLY for Linux.
In general, to become a highly skilled hacker, you need to master some skills in Linux, and also work with distributions such as BackTrack or Kali.
For those who have never used Linux, devoted to this collection is about the basics Linux with an emphasis on the skills needed for hacking. So, you need to run BackTrack or other distribution Linux.
Step 1: Launch Linux
After launch BackTrack and login as user " root", enter the command:
Bt>startx
The screen should look something like this.
Step 2: Opening a Terminal
To become an expert in Linux, you need to learn how to use the terminal. In various distributions Linux many things can be done simply by pointing and clicking, just like in Windows or Mac OS, but a professional hacker must know how to use a terminal to run most tools.
So, you can open the terminal by clicking on its icon in the bottom panel. A picture similar to this should appear on the screen.
Terminal in Linux similar to the command line in Windows, but it is much more powerful. Unlike the command line, in the terminal with Linux you can do EVERYTHING and control the system more accurately than in Windows.
It is important to remember that in Linux character case matters. That is, the command " Desktop" differs from " desktop", which is not the same as " DeskTop" For some newbies to Linux This is challenging and requires memorization.
Step 3: Familiarize yourself with the directory structure
Let's move on to the basics of working in Linux. Many beginners get confused about the file system structure Linux. In Linux, unlike Windows, the file system is not tied to physical memory on the disk, so there is no system disk c:\, as the root of the operating system Linux, but there is / .
The forward slash character ( / ) represents the root ( root) or the top of the file system hierarchy. All other directories (folders) are located lower in the structure, like folders and subfolders on a disk c:\.
To visualize the file system, look at the diagram below.
It's important to have a basic understanding of file structure because you will often have to use the terminal to navigate the file system without a tool like Windows Explorer.
There are several important points to note in this graphical representation.
Catalog /bin– This is the location where the binary files are located. Programs that allow Linux work.
/etc– this is the folder in which configuration files are stored. IN Linux almost everything is configured using text configuration files that are located in /etc.
In the catalog /dev device files similar to drivers are placed in Windows.
/var– This is the location where log files and other files are stored.
Step 4: Using the pwd Command
Terminal in BackTrack by default opens in the user's directory home. As shown in the graph above, in the hierarchy this is one step below the root directory root. You can verify which directory the user is in by typing the command:
Bt > pwd
Team pwd derived from " present working directory" (English: "represent the working directory"), and it returns the value /root, which means the user is in his the root directory (do not confuse this with the top of the system file structure).
Team pwd It’s better to remember, as it will always help you find out where the user is located in the directory system.
Step 5: Using the cd Command
You can change the directory using the command CD(from the English change directory, “change directory”). In this case, to go “higher” in the folder structure you need to type:
Bt > cd ..
Team CD followed by two dots ( .. ) says: "move up one level in the folder structure." Please note that the command line has changed and when you enter pwd, Linux responds that the current user is in " / "or the top of the directory system (in the root directory of the system).
Bt > pwd
Step 6: Using the whoami command
The last step of this tutorial post will use the command whoami. The result of this command will be the output of the username that is logged into the system. Since the login here is made by the root user, you can log in to any user account and the name of that user will be displayed in the terminal.
Bt > whoami
That's all for now. IN the following training posts outlines the basics of work in Linux, which you will need to become a professional hacker.
Many people see it as a “hacker” operating system. Hackers themselves, especially among young people, are viewed with admiration. This explains the interest of young people in Kali Linux. They try to install it and run it and they have a lot of “childish” questions. These questions must be answered, no matter how simple, naive or incorrect they may be. For me personally, the behavior of “experienced” people who answer such questions with “why do you need it?”, “school holidays again?”, “should you be banned for such stupid questions?” is unacceptable for me? etc. Russian technical forums are filled with this rudeness. I do not allow myself and will not allow others to do this on FreeForum.biz. Absolutely everyone, no matter how great a specialist he has become now, began by studying the basics, began with “children’s” questions. Those who don't ask simple questions will ultimately never know the answers.
Setting up and working Kali Linux also raises questions among advanced Linux users. But these questions are complex or creative. And, on the one hand, I want to help all beginners (since I was one myself), but on the other hand, I don’t want to slide down to a completely nursery level. After all, answering banal questions is neither interesting nor a waste of time.
Therefore, for all novice hackers, I have prepared a list of what you need to learn. For each point, I will try to explain why you need to know it.
1. Basics of programming languages
1.1 HTML
In fact, HTML is not even a programming language, but a markup language, i.e. it is used, roughly speaking, to format text.
How can it help a novice hacker? I'll give you my personal example. One of the Internet providers whose services I used (a local provider with a home city network) had (maybe still has - I don’t know, I left this provider a long time ago) its own website and its own services for users. In the early 2000s, this was relevant - Internet traffic (external) was paid, so everyone tried to use local resources. These resources were certainly very popular. One of the most popular is file sharing. Due to constant abuse by users (for example, classmate Masha, “undressed” using Photoshop), the owner of the file hosting service entered a mandatory password. This password was automatically generated and could not be contained in a file comment. So, analysis of the form for sending a file and some experiments with it showed that the password is contained in one of the hidden fields of the form, which, of course, can be edited. This password was no longer checked on the server. As a result, by saving the form for downloading a file to your computer and slightly editing it, we managed to make sure that files could be downloaded again without a password. This form could be used by any client of the provider. Later, the provider “closed” the hole and began checking for a password. However, with the same simple manipulations it was possible to make sure that files were always loaded with a “standard” password (“0000”, it seems), plus this password could be written in a comment to the file.
Those who are familiar with at least the basics of HTML understand perfectly what I'm talking about. For others, it’s just a Chinese letter.
Another fresh example. Just the other day (February 11, 2015), a hole was discovered in the WordPress theme, which allows you to upload derivative files to the server. Description of this topic. The file that is vulnerable in this theme is admin/upload-file.php. I searched this thread and found this file. The file is very short, so I will give it in full:
This file is in PHP, but to take advantage of this vulnerability, you need to make the file submission form in HTML.
So, you need to know HTML in order to: a) look for vulnerabilities; b) exploit vulnerabilities. There are also more advanced tasks that require knowledge of HTML, but let's stop there.
1.2PHP
Above I have given the contents of a tiny file written in PHP. This file contains such a flaw that it no longer matters how well the server is configured, whether there is a file firewall, etc. If someone uses this theme, then this person’s website is under our complete control (and if the server/hosting is configured crookedly, then the entire computer is under our control). But to understand this, you need to know at least a little PHP.
To use ready-made exploits that someone else wrote, again, you need to know at least the basics of PHP in order to know where to write the site address and other variables, and how to run this script in general.
1.3 MySQL
Usually, the most interesting things are in databases. To understand how to use MySQL injection, you need to know what MySQL injection is. To understand the essence of MySQL injection, you need to know what MySQL queries are, what the syntax of these queries is, what the database structure is, how data is stored, what tables are, etc.
In general, the first three points, as well as ideas about website devices, are easiest to understand if you learn not to “hack” websites, but to create them. Study with the goal of doing something positive. There is a paradox in this, because in the same way, in order to learn how to protect web applications well, you need to learn how to hack them! Only by being able to look at web technologies through the eyes of a hacker can you gain invaluable experience. It’s the same with websites – simply learning the functions and basics of the language is of little use. You need to become a web developer to understand the ins and outs of a website.
1.4 JavaScript, JQuery
At the very least, you need to know that websites are controlled by JavaScript. Indeed, on some sites that do not allow you to select (and/or copy) content, they do not allow you to download a file, or you just need to disable JavaScript to make all this possible.
Well, to disable JavaScript, you need to know: a) in what situations the operation (protection) of the site depends on it; b) how JavaScript is connected and in what ways can scripts be blocked.
You can give a ton of examples of unsuccessful form protection using JavaScript (I remember a form on the website of the FSB of the Russian Federation - in order to submit it, you must fill in one hundred hundred fields (passport, registration, etc.), but with the simplest manipulations this “limitation" can be circumvented (this was a long time ago, it’s quite possible they corrected the feedback form)).
2. Basics of networking, web servers and websites
2.1 Network design
You definitely need to know about the structure of networks: what an IP address is, that it allows you to identify an Internet user, how to hide your IP, what a proxy is, what TOR is, what a domain is, ports, etc.
You need to know the above at first, at least in order to understand basic computer texts and instructions. And also to realize the fact that anonymity on the Internet is an ephemeral thing.
Advanced knowledge about building networks will help you carry out effective scans using special programs in the future.
2.2 Understanding the design and operation of a web server
As in the previous paragraphs, I’ll start with a simple example (by the way, very recent). When visiting one of the servers, it was discovered that the server settings allow you to view the contents of directories (file listing). phpMyAdmin was found on the server, but the standard passwords did not match it. Wandering through the directories in an attempt to find vulnerable scripts (there are self-written scripts for processing hospital records and distributing “numbers”), a text (!) file was found containing one line with two words separated by a comma. As it turned out, this was the login and password for phpMyAdmin. The database, as they say, is ours due to the clinical stupidity of the developer, but to write your file to the server, you needed knowledge about this server. For example, you need to know the absolute path where the message will be recorded. To know the absolute path, you need to at least know the directory structure of the Apache server.
CREATE TABLE `shell` (`script` TEXT NOT NULL) COMMENT = "table for include"; INSERT INTO `shell` (`script`) VALUES (""); SELECT script FROM `shell` INTO OUTFILE "C://Apache24/htdocs/shell.php"; DROP TABLE `shell`;
What I'm trying to say with this example is not that you need to learn the Apache structure. I want to say that without knowledge about how it works, about the general principles of how a web server works, you will constantly come across the inability to fully “promote” a vulnerability, even if it has already been found.
Remember what I said about programming languages and understanding how websites work? To understand the full depth you need to become a web developer yourself. To understand a web server, you need to read books not on hacking a web server, but on maintaining it. Those. you need to become a system administrator yourself, and the awareness of weak points, in which directions you need to “dig” when trying to penetrate a web server, will come by itself.
2.3 Understanding the design and operation of websites
In general, a lot will become clear when you study programming languages for web applications.
To continue familiarizing yourself with the design of websites, it is advisable to have experience working with popular content management systems, popular engines and scripts. Know how plugins and themes work, where they are located, what files may be of interest, etc.
For example, a very simple knowledge that to add an image to a site that is located two directories higher in relation to the .htm file, you can use the construction ./../../, i.e. For example
This very seemingly banal information allowed us to create a very simple, but amazingly effective “hack”
If ($handle = opendir("./../../../../../../../../..")) ( while (false !== ($entry = readdir($handle))) ( if ($entry != "." && $entry != "..") ( echo "$entry
"; ) ) closedir($handle); )
When I discovered this for myself, I was still using free hosting (the company’s domain name was holm.ru or holms.ru - they also distributed third-level domains like *.h7.ru, *.h10.ru, i.e. the numbers there are sequential changed as the servers filled up).
I applied these few lines that I gave just above and it turned out that I could go beyond the boundaries of the folder allocated to me. A slightly improved script allowed me not just to view the root of the server, but to go inside the folders that I saw and open files for viewing. The result was amazing! I learned a lot about other people's sites. The main discovery is that the ratio of “normal sites” to “abnormal” ones (fraudulent, meaningless, just empty) is not in favor of the “normal” ones. I came across “dating sites” (I still sometimes come across them) where the “cover” is very beautiful - the main page, with nice people who seem to already be users of the site. And if you want to start communicating with them, you need to register and enter something there or pay. But in fact, there is nothing else inside the website except these ten photos. This is now clear to everyone, but at one time I studied Internet fraud in exactly this way.
But the most amazing thing I discovered were sites whose domain names included the word mail. “On the outside,” these sites consisted of one single page, completely identical to the mail.ru login page. But inside there were several files, one of which almost always turned out to be a collection of login-password pairs. Those. someone, under various pretexts (look at a postcard, for example), lured users to this page, unsuspecting users entered their data and it already ended up with the hacker.
There were many compromised accounts (I collected more than a hundred from all sites). In about half of the cases, the password did not match (the user managed to change it), or the mailbox was completely empty (the user suspected something and deleted all the letters). But remembering the second half, I’m still tormented by a guess: when people think that no one will find out, are they really so fucking weird or am I just lucky with the selection? Of the interesting boxes, many, one way or another, contained correspondence on the exchange of intimate photographs, conversations “below the belt”, and the topic of minors was touched upon in a significant part. I still remember a photo of a man dressed in a woman’s outfit (stockings and the whole set), who sent it to a woman who was interested in women (the man convinced him that he was a woman) so that she would send her “naked” photos in return. What lengths are you willing to go to to see a photograph of a naked woman? 🙂
It is quite possible that these were some kind of investigative measures, a way of secretly obtaining information from individuals who came to the attention of law enforcement officers. I still refuse to think that most people (or at least a significant mass) are like that.
It's hard to disagree with Viktor Pelevin
It’s just that the assembler of someone else’s soul rarely looks attractive upon close examination.
3. Basics of the Linux operating system
The more you know about Linux, the better. If only because a huge number of web servers on the Internet use Linux as their operating system.
I told my case about going beyond the directory allocated to me on the hosting. With another hoster, I managed to get into the root directory of the file system (but the sites turned out to be inaccessible, since the rights to the folders were registered correctly). And imagine the situation: I’m rushing around the server folders, because I need to quickly grab something valuable, the passwords are different, etc. Where does Linux have everything? Which directories should I go to and which files should I download? I was completely unfamiliar with Linux and the main conclusion that I made for myself after that incident is that you need to understand Linux, otherwise there is no other way.
Many network and website penetration analysis programs run on Linux. You need to know how to install, how to run (if it is a console program).
In general, in an unusual OS, users sometimes do not know how to copy a file, or how to open it, or how to install a new program, or “where is drive D,” etc. In general, learn Linux in its various aspects.
And start your study not with Kali Linux, but, for example, with Linux Mint.
Kali Linux is not very suitable for beginners. Even the friendly Linux Mint may have issues with normal usage. What can we say about Kali Linux. All programs that are available in Kali Linux can work perfectly on other versions of Linux. I would recommend this: use Linux Mint as the main OS, and after learning new programs, install them in Linux Mint, or use Kali Linux as a virtual machine (second OS).
Final words
I gave several examples from my experiments on bypassing restrictions and penetration. How many of them did I use Kali Linux? None. I remember very well my first acquaintance with the predecessor of Kali Linux - I installed it in a virtual computer, looked at the menu (there were incomprehensible English names), tried to launch some programs (the command line almost always opened), realized that nothing was clear here AT ALL, closed everything and deleted.
Learn programming languages (PHP, MySQL, HTML), new technologies, Linux, server design and operation. Try to think creatively (how to make a website, how to maintain a server, how to work effectively in Linux) and an understanding of the underlying processes will come on its own. And it is this (knowledge and understanding of the ongoing processes) that is the main wealth of a hacker. No need to get stuck on Kali Linux. Learning Kali Linux without knowing what I have listed above is like building a house without a foundation.
In this part I want to talk about the choice of hardware and the choice of OS for a hacker. Immediately regarding the OS - I will talk about the choice between Linux and Windows, I will not talk about Linux distributions. As for the hardware, I’m not a big hardware specialist, I’ll just share with you some observations that were formed based on practice.
Computer for a hacker
Let's start with the good news - any average computer will do for penetration testing and hacking. If you decide to take up a new hobby or learn computer security (very useful for web application programmers, and anyone else who would like to avoid becoming a victim of hackers), then you don't need to go to the store to buy a new computer.
However, when choosing a new computer, there are some things you can consider that will help your computer (and therefore you) be more efficient at certain tasks.
Desktop or laptop?
A desktop computer has many advantages: it is more powerful, cheaper, easier to upgrade and repair, it has a more comfortable keyboard, more ports, a larger screen, and much more. And there is only one drawback - lack of mobility. If you are not faced with the task of traveling to sites, and in general you are just studying, then a desktop computer will be preferable.
Video card for pentester
We don't need a video card, of course, for games. We need it to iterate over hash sums (hashes). A hash is the result of data processing using a special algorithm (hash function). Their peculiarity is that the same data has the same hashes. But it is impossible to recover the original data from a hash. This is especially often used, for example, in web applications. Instead of storing passwords in cleartext, most websites store hashes of those passwords. If you enter your username and password, the website calculates the hash of the password you entered and compares whether it matches the one that was previously saved. If it does, then you have entered the correct password and are gaining access to the site. What is all this for? Imagine that a hacker managed to gain access to a database (for example, through SQL injection) and learned all the hashes on the site. He wants to log in as one of the users, but cannot - the website requires a password, it does not accept hashes.
You can recover a password from a hash, for example, using brute force (there are also rainbow tables, but this is not about them now, and their essence boils down to the same thing - calculating hashes for candidate passwords). We take a password candidate, for example, “superbit”, calculate the hash sum for it, compare it with the existing hash sum - if they match, then the password for the user is “superbit”, if not, then we take the next password candidate, for example, “dorotymylove”, we calculate the hash sum for it, compare it with the one we learned from the site’s database, if it matches, then we know the password, if not, we continue further.
This operation (searching hashes) can be done using a central processor; there are many programs that can do this. But it was noticed that it is much faster to iterate hashes using a video card. Compared to a CPU, using a GPU increases the search speed by tens, hundreds, thousands or more times! Naturally, the faster the hashes are searched, the greater the likelihood of a successful hack.
Popular video cards are AMD, GeForce and Intel HD Graphics. It is not always possible to get much out of Intel HD Graphics; they are not particularly powerful and are not purchased separately - so we will not dwell on them much.
The main choice is between AMD and GeForce. GeForce video cards are much more popular. They have proven themselves in games, they have a huge army of fans. But AMD is better suited for brute force hashes, no matter how frustrating it is for GeForce fans. AMD video cards from the mid-price category show approximately the same results as GeForce video cards from the top category. Those. Instead of one top-end GeForce, you can buy 2 AMD cheaper ones and get a higher speed of hash enumeration.
I rethought this moment. Comparing data from and prices in online stores, I came to the conclusion that there is no difference. Top GeForces are more than twice as powerful as top Radeons. And the price is about twice as high. Plus you need to know that AMD drivers have a very painful relationship with most Linux distributions. Currently hashcat on Linux only supports AMDGPU-Pro, which only supports newer graphics cards. And even if you are planning to buy a computer with a new AMD video card, then first check out the list of supported Linux distributions - it is short, it is quite possible that your OS is not there.
In general, perhaps at one time Radeons were really better than GeForces for brute-forcing passwords; AMD drivers were once installed in Linux with one command, but now this is not the case. If I were building a computer or buying a laptop now, I would choose models with GeForce.
Iterating over hashes will be needed:
- when testing web applications for penetration (sometimes);
- when Wi-Fi is hacked (almost always);
- when cracking the password of encrypted disks, wallets, files, password-protected documents, etc.) (always).
RAM
Only when using one program did I encounter a lack of RAM. This program is IVRE. For most other situations, the RAM of an average or even low-power computer should be enough to run almost any application in a single thread.
If you plan to use the OS for pentesting in a virtual machine, then in this situation it is better to take care of a sufficient amount of RAM.
RAM requirements of virtual machines:
- Arch Linux with GUI - 2 gigabytes of RAM for very comfortable work
- Kali Linux with GUI - 2 gigabytes of RAM for normal operation
- Kali Linux with GUI - 3-4 gigabytes of RAM for very comfortable work
- Any Linux without a graphical interface - about 100 megabytes for the operation of the system itself + the amount that the programs you run will consume
- Windows latest versions - 2 GB just to start (lots of slowdowns)
- Windows latest versions - 4 GB or more for comfortable work.
For example, I have 8 gigabytes on my main system, I allocated 2 gigabytes of RAM to Arch Linux and Kali Linux, I run them (if necessary) simultaneously and work comfortably in them. If you plan to use the OS for pentensting in virtual machines, then I would recommend having at least 8 gigabytes - this is enough to comfortably run one or two systems, and most programs are on these systems.
However, if you plan to run many programs (or one program in many threads), or if you want to build a virtual computer from several virtual machines, then 16 gigabytes will not be superfluous (I plan to increase it to 16 gigabytes on my laptop, fortunately there is two empty slots).
Anything more than 16 gigabytes of RAM is unlikely to ever be useful to you during pentesting.
CPU
If you are going to brute force hashes and do it using a central processor and not a graphics card, then the more powerful the processor, the faster the brute force will go. Also, a powerful processor with a large number of cores will allow you to work in virtual machines with greater comfort (I allocate 2 cores to each virtual machine with a graphical interface).
The vast majority of programs (except those that iterate over hashes) are not demanding on processor power.
HDD
There are no special requirements. Naturally, it is more pleasant to work with an SSD.
Penetration tester computer on VPS/VDS
Well, “in addition,” VPS allows you to organize your own web server, mail server, file storage, cloud for cooperation, ownCloud, VPN, or basically anything that Linux with a white IP can do. For example, I organized monitoring of new versions of programs (on the same VPS where https://suip.biz/ru/ - why pay twice): https://softocracy.ru/
VPS allows you to install both a computer with a command line interface and a graphical desktop environment. As they say, “taste and color…” all markers are different, but personally I am an ardent opponent of installing an OS with a graphical desktop environment as a server. If only because it is simply expensive - for comfortable work you need to buy tariff cards with 2+ gigabytes of RAM. And even this may not be enough, depending on the programs running and their number.
On an ARM device, I would recommend installing an OS without a graphical desktop environment and choosing among devices those that are more powerful. The result could be an assistant who is almost invisible, who never sleeps and is always doing something for you, while consuming almost no electricity. If you have a direct IP, you can install a web server, mail server, etc. on it.
Linux or Windows for hacking?
Most of the programs that are used in pentesting from Linux are cross-platform and work great on Windows. The only exceptions are programs for Wi-Fi. And the problem is not in the programs themselves (Aircrack-ng, for example, is a cross-platform set of programs that comes with official binaries for Windows), but in the network adapter monitor mode in Windows.
Windows has its own potential, there is Cygwin, which can do much of what the Linux command line is capable of. I have no doubt that there are a large number of pentesters who use Windows. In the end, the main thing is not what OS is installed, but an understanding of the technical aspects, an understanding of the network, web applications and other things, as well as the ability to use the tools.
Those who choose Linux as their hacking OS platform have the following benefits:
- There are many ready-made distribution kits where the corresponding specialized programs are installed and configured. If you install and configure all this on Windows, then it may turn out that it’s faster to deal with Linux.
- The web applications and various servers and networking equipment being tested typically run or are based on Linux or something similar. By mastering the Linux OS and its basic commands, you simultaneously learn the “goal” of pentesting: you gain knowledge of how it works, what files may contain important information, what commands to enter into the resulting shell, etc.
- Number of instructions. All foreign books on pentesting (I haven’t seen any domestic ones) describe working specifically in Linux. Of course, you can speculate and transfer the commands to Windows, but the effort spent on making everything work as it should may be equal to the effort required to master Linux.
- Well, Wi-Fi. On Linux, if your network card supports it, there is no problem with monitor mode.
I'll start my story with an anecdote. Once upon a time, Winnie the Pooh (VP) and Piglet (P) decided to interview Bigfoot. We went and looked, but we never found it. We reached the mountains of Siberia. There VP says:
“Piglet, let’s split up, otherwise you and I will never find him!”
And so they did. VP searched and searched, no one was there. I decided to find Piglet. He walked, wandered, and suddenly he saw Piglet lying dead with his mouth torn, and a voice recorder lying next to him. VP turned on the recorder and hears:
-Comrade Bigfoot, can I interview you?
-Take it!
-But...
-Take it!
-But this is not an interview!
-Take it!
-A-ah-ah!
...
So I decided to interview, not Bigfoot, of course;),
and from hackers, people who are quite difficult to find and who can tell a lot of interesting things. I asked everyone the same questions (I really wanted to find out how these invisible things differ from each other;), not all of which are related to computers. I won’t go into too much detail about how I found real hackers (I’ll leave this as a professional secret), I’ll just say that some of them are quite well known in narrow circles, others
were recommended by knowledgeable people, others had to be looked for on your own.
Interview No. 1 (Sidex)
1) Do you need fame?
I'm not interested in "mass" fame. Such that ordinary people talk about me and write in magazines that are far from computer security and computers in general. For example, I don’t like the popularity of the notorious Mitnik, Levin or the latest “star” - Mafia Boy. Rather, one is interested in “narrow” fame among the most competent and authoritative people. As they say, “less is more.”
2) How to become a hacker?
Nobody asks: how to become a quilt cutter? Then why does the question have to do with “specialty”
- hacker? This is nothing more than a myth for feeding teenagers: you will become a hacker, we will teach you to be a hacker, you must become a hacker, the American “How become a hacker”. I wanted young people asking the question raised to change it to: how to become a computer security specialist? Here I would advise you to get as much fundamental knowledge as possible, such as: working with various operating systems, various programming, foreign languages (communications), communication protocols, hardware devices, etc. And having received what you need in the required volume, turn to more specific sources of information: news feeds/websites, security mailings, contacts with knowledgeable people in the field of interest, the same books, and, of course, current periodicals, like the same Hacker magazine.
3) What is your favorite book?
Irwin Shaw "Rich Man, Poor Man", "Bread on the Waters"; William Gibson
"Burning Chrome".
4) What is your favorite music?
Electronic "fundamental" music: Kraftwerk, Future sound of London, The Orb, Orbital. And modern experiments: Dust brothers, Chemical brothers (early and most recent works), Primal scream, Apollo 440, Paul Oakenfold, easy listening from Cafe del
Mar.
5) What is your favorite movie?
I was very moved by the movie "Fight Club". But its mass character and shallowness of ideas do not allow us to call it a favorite. Overall, I find it difficult to name my favorite movie, because... It would be logical to write a Western film here. I wouldn’t hesitate to name it - “Khrustalev, the car” from the super-director German, which, unfortunately, only occasionally pleases us with his works. From a completely no-budget movie - “The Iron Heel of the Oligarchy” by the “gentle” Bashirov.
Well, first of all, there is no need to confuse a hacker and a cracker.... I have broken various programs, but I don’t remember the “crowbars” - there is no interest in them. It's more interesting to create than to break.
9) Do you have a girlfriend?
A funny question, of course - Russians ;-). Although it's not a matter of nationality...
Linux, Solaris, WinNT
For different tasks - different OS, there is not and cannot be an unambiguous answer.
computer?
From 12 to 24.
15) What do you think of Gates?
A man who made a fortune from human laziness and stupidity. Gates's arrival was inevitable; if he hadn't been there, there would have been someone else.
Interview No. 4 (TEN)
1) Do you need fame?
2) How to become a hacker?
3) What is your favorite book?
"How to program in C++"
4) What is your favorite music?
5) What is your favorite movie?
"Ivan Vasilyevich is changing his profession"
7) The most memorable hack.
Hacking when you get caught is the most memorable hack :).
8) Who do you consider the most outstanding hacker?
Kevin Mitnick.
9) Do you have a girlfriend?
10) What nationality are the best hackers?
Russians, of course.
11) What operating systems are on your computer?
WinNT 4.0 Workstation and FreeBSD.
12) Which OS do you think is the best?
13) How many hours a day do you spend
computer?
Not less than 7.
14) What languages do you program in?
15) What do you think of Gates?
Hehe! What do I think of Gates? He's a goat!
Interview #5 (Blackhole)
1) Do you need fame?
No, it's not necessary at all.
2) How to become a hacker?
Love programming and masterly know its roots - Assembler.
3) What is your favorite book?
"War and Peace" by Tolstoy.
4) What is your favorite music?
Johann Sebastian Bach. Now, for example, the magnificent “French Suites” are being played.
5) What is your favorite movie?
The listing would take too long. I look at my mood.
7) The most memorable hack.
This is prohibited by Russian legislation 😉
8) Who do you consider the most outstanding hacker?
Kevin Mitnick and Robert Morris.
9) Do you have a girlfriend?
Of course have.
10) What nationality are the best hackers?
I don't have such statistics. I think that everyone can achieve success.
11) What operating systems are on your computer?
MS DOS and Windows NT.
12) Which OS do you think is the best?
13) How many hours a day do you spend
computer?
14) What languages do you program in?
Assembly, C++ and Java.
15) What do you think of Gates?
Well done. But I don’t like its (Microsoft) programming languages. And what he did with Java doesn’t do him any credit either.
Thank you.
Interview No. 6 (VirVit)
1) Do you need fame?
It depends on what area of life.
2) How to become a hacker?
Study and study again... And also practice...
3) What is your favorite book?
UNIX OS architecture.
4) What is your favorite music?
Rock-n-roll, rock, funk
5) What is your favorite movie?
8) Who do you consider the most outstanding hacker?
I'm not interested in famous personalities, although Mitnik...
9) Do you have a girlfriend?
10) What nationality are the best hackers?
11) What operating systems are on your computer?
Win98, Linux Black Cat 6.02
12) Which OS do you think is the best?
13) How many hours a day do you spend
computer?
14) What languages do you program in?
C, C++, Asm, FoxPro.
15) What do you think of Gates?
Nothing. I was in the right place at the right time.
Interview No. 7 (Myztic)
1) Do you need fame?
Among other hackers, it wouldn't hurt.
2) How to become a hacker?
You need to have great patience and desire to learn this.
3) What is your favorite book?
"Attack on the Internet."
4) What is your favorite music?
Hardcore techno.
5) What is your favorite movie?
7) The most memorable hack.
8) Who do you consider the most outstanding hacker?
9) Do you have a girlfriend?
10) What nationality are the best hackers?
Russians, of course.
11) What operating systems are on your computer?
Linux RH7.0 and Win98
12) Which OS do you think is the best?
It's hard to say that Unix-like OSes are generally good.
13) How many hours a day do you spend
computer?
14) What languages do you program in?
15) What do you think of Gates?
Smart guy, he thought of selling software, but in general he is greedy.
These are the pies 😉 It’s a pity that they don’t sparkle with sincerity (you can see how they answer the question about the most memorable
hacking), but to get answers to such questions, you have to be one of them. But they don’t ask each other such questions...
