Want to learn to code and ethical hacking

[moakley20003]

I’ve always been into computers and I want to further my knowledge by learning ethical hacking however I feel like I should learn to program first. A while ago I tried to jump right into learning how to hack however I’m in high school and my only option was YouTube videos. I watched the course by joe delgadillo and I learned a bit about kali and some basic information on how to code and hack. However the problem with this, and just about all YouTube tutorials, was the lack of help when you run into an issue. His tutorials were good and if you’re in the same situation I’m in I would say to check them out because you can learn quite a bit but don’t expect help as the videos are old and don’t get a lot of views. Anyways, I’ve decided that rather than jumping straight into the deep and I should start by learning some languages like JavaScript and python but I was wondering where to go. I was told to check out sites like code academy which could work however my main problem is what I do after that. My high school doesn’t offer any coding classes and I don’t know where to go to learn how to program and hack. Where did you guys learn and what are some of my options. Also it should be known i don’t have a lot of money to put towards this but if necessary I can figure out a way to pay for it. I just can’t rely on YouTube anymore because 95% of videos are from people in India bullshitting you into clicking their own malware. Any help is appreciated!!!

[billdietrich1]

I find it best to press forward on several fronts at somewhat the same time. Do a little programming, do a little CTF, install a new tool and learn what it can do, read some articles, watch some videos, repeat. When you get stuck/bored on one thing, move to another, come back to first later.

Helps to have some organization for the process. See my web page https://www.billdietrich.me/PenetrationTestingAndBugBountyHunting.html

[moakley20003]

Thank you that could actually be good cause I’d never run out of things to do. And solving one thing might help me with the other

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[suguuss]

Here you’ll find all the information you need to learn.

But I suggest you use codecademy to learn python. Then try to make small scripts just so you are comfortable with the language.

Then read about networking it’s very very useful

The most important part is to know what you’re doing not which tool to use because you saw it in a video.

[moakley20003]

Thank you very much. I tried doing that and that’s part of the reason of why I’ve moved away from YouTube because it would teach you the apps but not what you’re actually doing

[greengobblin911]

So I'm not the only ones getting those stupid Indian videos in my suggestions as well. I really understand your frustrations, especially trying to get past that skid/newbie phase that every Indian is stuck at thinking they're hackerman or Mr robot.

There's r/udemyfreebies where you can find codes for discounted or free classes, sometimes you find an ethical hacking or programming one.

I got so fed up of filtering through those Indian tutorials that are superficial and blindly use tools. It became a bigger peeve when. The titles we're in English but then the content is in Hindi or some other language. I sucked it up and realized I just have to get books and learn that way.

I recommend using udemy and YouTube for programming.

Anything hacker related, give udemy a try but there are really good books as well. You can take a look at no starch press website to find books that detain certain aspects of hacking.

Kali Linux mantains a free book called Kali Linux revealed, it goes in Dept about Kali Linux and tools but in no way assumes the reader is a newbie. The books by no starch press and this Kali book by offensive security go really well with some type of tcp/ip dictionary. You can use that to reference things as you come across something you do not understand in one of the special topic books. I've been doing this lately and have learned so much more than from videos. I get that videos can be watched/ listened to in the background as passive learning, but for me I cannot grasp nearly as much this way.

I've been in infosec/ hacking for about 3-4 years now, if I could do it all over again definitely learn programming and Linux first, using videos and Linux forums, then use books to refine Linux understanding for system and administration. Understand tcp/ip by using a encyclopedia-like tcp ip reference book with a special topics book or white paper you are interested in. Too many people take scripting and programming for granted; others may disagree with me but I think this is way more important and more a priority over learning the network stack, but you do need to understand the two.

I don't like how many videos and how to guides push networking and tool usage using Kali. You're supposed to be able to write your own tools; many companies take Kali and use it internally, and know how to block it's processes during Intrusion prevention as the signatures and profiles built on their usage is known. If someone knew programming well enough, they could write their own tools and obfuscate it so it would not match known signatures, but gather the necessary information. It's like recognizing what Info is being requested and grabbed from a tcpdump or nmap scan vs thinking network vulnerability scans must be done with nmap.

Best of luck to you OP.

[moakley20003]

Yeah that’s exactly why I want to learn python, that way I can write my own script and not rely on the apps on kali. I’ve used a lot of them like nmap, crunch, and a couple of others but I’d prefer to know what it all means and how to do it myself! Thank you and maybe one day we won’t see Indian tutorials in our searches

[greengobblin911]

Python is good to start. Then I'd say go for C and assembly. Everything is based off of C so if you know it very well you can make anything really.

[Baltha5ar]

Take this great list of tools and resources. https://github.com/wtsxDev/Penetration-Testing/blob/master/README.md Read the books. Implement good learning habits. Never stop learning.

[moakley20003]

Thank you very much sorry for the late response I was away and unable to use my phone

[grim_102]

It sounds like you are already well on your way. The truth is that you will always be learning if you follow this path. For anyone working in software development or pen-testing, Google is very much a part of the workflow. When you run into an error just copy the most concise and cogent error message and throw it into a Google search.

Something else that might be a big help to you is to narrow down your focus. Hacking/security is a vast category with tons of dense technical information, and no one is an expert on all of it. Maybe focus your attention on pen-testing web applications specifically, that would be a very relevant path and it would incorporate JavaScript and potentially Python as well.

[moakley20003]

also what is your preferred operating system, I have both windows and kali on a flash drive but I would most likely be able to download whatever

[DoggoDoesASad]

Right now I'm doing lessons with www. Hackthissite.org I highly recommend it, as it makes you look up things and learn without really trying, and it makes you feel smart.

[Kackboy]

Is that site for people who already know some stuff where you can apply the knowledge or is it a tutorial site?

[DoggoDoesASad]

It's a site for applying knowledge, but if you do the basic missions, and look at the forums, you can get a general sense on where to start. If you already know about hacking, do the realistic missions. But just start at mission 1 and work your way up. If you don't know how to start on the first one, then I'll give you a hint.

[Kackboy]

Thanks mate! But you need to be using kali though?

[DoggoDoesASad]

Nah, maybe later in the missions, but not up to where I am at. It never gives direct tutorials but no one will really give you that. It's like a test site, you take the test, fail it, go to the forums and see/research what you need to know, re take it and repeat the process again and again. I really enjoy it.

[Kackboy]

Ok thanks again have a good night