Wednesday, 14 April 2010
HACKING FAQ - Solution to the ultimate beginners problems
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Eric S. Raymond throw some light on the most asked questions asked by amateurs and answers them in the most appropriate way. This is the ultimate hacking FAQ to go with if you are beggining to learn the art. This FAQ focuses on hacking ethics and right way to start and pursue your passion for it if you are really serious.
Interested ? Read on..
HACKING - Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will you teach me how to hack?
Since first publishing this page, I've gotten several requests a week (often several a day) from people to "teach me all about hacking". Unfortunately, I don't have the time or energy to do this; my own hacking projects take up 110% of my time.
Even if I did, hacking is an attitude and skill you basically have to teach yourself. You'll find that while real hackers want to help you, they won't respect you if you beg to be spoon-fed everything they know.
Learn a few things first. Show that you're trying, that you're capable of learning on your own. Then go to the hackers you meet with specific questions.
Q: How can I get started, then?
The best way for you to get started would probably be to go to a LUG (Linux user group) meeting. You can find such groups on the LDP General Linux Information Page; there is probably one near you, possibly associated with a college or university. LUG members will probably give you a Linux if you ask, and will certainly help you install one and get started.
Q: When do you have to start? Is it too late for me to learn?
Any age at which you are motivated to start is a good age. Most people seem to get interested between ages 15 and 20, but I know of exceptions in both directions.
Q: How long will it take me to learn to hack?
That depends on how talented you are and how hard you work at it. Most people can acquire a respectable skill set in eighteen months to two years, if they concentrate. Don't think it ends there, though; if you are a real hacker, you will spend the rest of your life learning and perfecting your craft.
Q: Are Visual Basic or Delphi good languages to start with?
No, because they're not portable. There are no open-source implementations of these languages, so you'd be locked into only those platforms the vendor chooses to support. Accepting that kind of monopoly situation is not the hacker way.
Visual Basic is especially awful. The fact that it's a proprietary Microsoft language is enough to disqualify it, and like other Basics it's a poorly-designed language that will teach you bad programming habits.
One of those bad habits is becoming dependent on a single vendor's libraries, widgets, and development tools. In general, any language that isn't supported under at least three different vendors' operating systems is a poor one to learn to hack in.
Q: Would you help me to crack a system, or teach me how to crack?
No. Anyone who can still ask such a question after reading this FAQ is too stupid to be educable even if I had the time for tutoring. Any emailed requests of this kind that I get will be ignored or answered with extreme rudeness.
Q: I've been cracked. Will you help me fend off further attacks?
No. Every time I've been asked this question so far, it's been from somebody running Windows. It is not possible to effectively secure Windows systems against crack attacks; the code and architecture simply have too many flaws, it's like trying to bail out a boat with a sieve. The only reliable prevention is to switch to Linux or some other operating system with real security.
Q: I'm having problems with my Windows software. Will you help me?
Yes. Go to a DOS prompt and type "format c:". The problems you are experiencing will cease within a few minutes.
Q: Where can I find some real hackers to talk with?
The best way is to find a Unix or Linux user's group local to you and go to their meetings (you can find links to several lists of user groups on the LDP site at Metalab).
(I used to say here that you wouldn't find any real hackers on IRC, but I'm given to understand this is changing. Apparently some real hacker communities, attached to things like GIMP and Perl, have IRC channels now.)
Q: Can you recommend useful books about hacking-related subjects?
I maintain a Linux Reading List HOWTO that you may find helpful.
Q: What language should I learn first?
HTML, if you don't already know it. There are a lot of glossy, hype-intensive bad HTML books out there, and distressingly few good ones. The one I like best is HTML: The Definitive Guide.
But HTML is not a full programming language. When you're ready to start programming, I would recommend starting with Python. You will hear a lot of people recommending Perl, and Perl is still more popular than Python, but it's harder to learn and (in my opinion) less well designed. There are resources for programming beginners using Python in the Web.
C is really important, but it's also much more difficult than either Python or Perl. Don't try to learn it first.
Windows users, do not settle for Visual Basic. It will teach you bad habits, and it's not portable off Windows. Avoid.
Q: Do I need to hate and bash Microsoft?
No, you don't. Not that Microsoft isn't loathsome, but there was a hacker culture long before Microsoft and there will still be one when Microsoft is history. Any energy you spend hating Microsoft would be better spent on loving your craft. Write good code -- that will bash Microsoft quite sufficiently without polluting your karma.
Q: But won't open-source software leave programmers unable to make a living?
This seems unlikely -- so far, the open-source software industry seems to be creating jobs rather than taking them away. If having a program written is a net economic gain over not having it written, a programmer will get paid whether or not the program is going to be free after it's done. And, no matter how much "free" software gets written, there always seems to be more demand for new and customized applications. I've written more about this at the Open Source pages.
Q: How can I get started? Where can I get a free Unix?
Elsewhere on this page I include pointers to where to get the most commonly used free Unix. To be a hacker you need motivation and initiative and the ability to educate yourself. Start now...
Eric S. Raymond & Elf Qrin . UNKNOWN COMPILATION . X.E.R.O
This post was written by: Rishabh Dangwal
Rishabh Dangwal is a no-nonsense network geek who likes to play retro games and emulators in free time. Follow him on Twitter
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