For those coming and wanting to "Hack"

There are so many howtos if you just google

Start by learning assembly, c and python, get good with ida pro, immunity debugger and windbg/gdb

Learn tcp/ip and routing protocols, implement them in c and python

Learn os internals and drivers, implement them in c with inline assembly

Study the security bug classes that plague c and learn to exploit them, learn to bypass memory protection schemes

Get good at crash dump analysis, code flow analysis and fuzzing, python really helps with ida/immdbg/scapy/sulley

Read as many papers as you can, start with phrack, usenix, blackhat, defcon and anything else you can find

Practice in virtual machines/networks before you ever experiment on live systems, focus on stealth and leaving little forensic footprint

Learn defensive technologies like ids, firewalls, hids, av and siem, try to learn ways around these

It will take 5 years of dedicated practice to get the basics down and by then you will know how to google stuff.

I am not a cracker, nor do I intend peoples to become one. Use this for.. Anything else legal. 

If you really want to speed up a cracking session, GPU is the way to go. :P.

 

ALSO. Catching your friends facebook page open and writing a status is NOT hacking. Pisses me off.

 

"O.M.G. I JUST HAXXED YER FACEBOOK LOLOLZZZZ"

No.

 

OMG, just hacked your post! lol :p

-ztrain

Thank you so much, I'm getting into this to learn how it all works, so I can better defend myself and hopefully stress test systems one day amongst system defense as a career.
I guess its just networking and the basic system fixes for now though. 

Well, actually it is a form of hacking, even though it's beyond lameness, since in computers, hacking means unauthorized access and manipulation of computer resource.

I don't necessarily want to 'hack' but I am interested in learning more c, and assembly language. I can't find a good easy read resource or the programs to learn it though. I know c, but I never was in practice due to lack of linux and already forgot how to make make files from scratch.

Lol Ztrain... plz Don't hack me

Look of AoA (Art of Assembler) and LFS (Linux From Scratch) if you want to learn ASM and C for X86.

As said above I don't really wanna hack across networks as much as I want to learn to make windows my B. I've learned little things along the way but it'a more I've followed instructions rather than know what I'm doing. Obviously learning C+ or other programming languages would be a start. Any good resources online? 

I really resent the notion that hacking in synonimous with computer security.

You can definately be a security buff and a hacker, but being a hacker is just cultivating a mindset of curriosity and your own natural cleverness. While I can understand the dismissal of the usual suspects I really feel that telling someone off by advising them to study ASM and C is giving them the wrong idea about the hacking subculture.

People should also learn the difference between a HACKER and a CRACKER. Not all Hackers are crackers.

1337 H4xor is the only name you need its universal

Our teacher once said that if you want to be good, you have to start from programming microcontrollers. After that when you have mastered the arts of avr you can continue to computer side. When there he suggested Linux embedded c programming for me. Don't learn to hack, Hack to learn.