Looking for feedback and advice in regards to network security and Python knowledge. In my journey into network security I’ve come across utilization of Python.
Would it be a good use of time to become strong with Python and become knowledgeable on tools like Scapy?
You dont need to be an expert, but a little knowledge in any scripting language will be useful no matter what path you take.
The reason I ask - rumor is "Python is the still the dominant language in the world of information security...". Just wondering if there is any truth in that statement.
@Eden- Thanks for the response. So would JS familiarity work? Or is that not going to cut it? Should I look into something else like Python or PHP?
Python 2.7 seems to be a go to language for pentesting due to the sheer amount of modules available .
Python 3.4 is slowly catching up , the only other high level language that I have seen being used for pentesting is Ruby ( metasploit is written in Ruby on Rails )
Better to learn the language and familiarise yourself with the core features before moving onto the modules , each module is written by a different author so other than being pythonic in style they tend to be quite unique when it comes to use , some modules take priority eg ( threading , os , sys etc ) which have become included in the python 3.4 default modules due to their importance and usefulness .
A word of advice , focus on the core features and default included modules , then learn how to use modules based on requiring them for your projects .
To boil it down to a single point , learn the essentials and then learn how to use specific modules when you need their functionality .
So, if I understand correctly -
there are Python Modules which allow me to quickly script instructions for interacting with the OS or assist with threading. Are modules kind of like library's in C++? You include them and then you can use as "shortcuts" to do common things?
Also, do programmers often use Python as a tool to prototype programs before banging them out in C++?
Python makes it very easy to perform penetration testing with a lot of its built in modules, and given its compatibility with C, there's not much you can't do.