>>12758090crossposting from
>>>/g/really depends on what you want to accomplish, but the most important thing is computing fundamentals. first step is to install Linux (or BSD, or mac OS if you want baby's first Unix) and learn to use a package manager. then,
learn to program:
>pick up a scripting language like Python>make a little game>write some simple algorithms & data structures (sorts, heaps, binary trees, and graph traversal)learn how computers and operating systems work at a low level:
>what is C, and what are its design flaws?>what is a compiler? how does it work? what recent security enhancements have compilers added?>what is assembly language?>how does it get translated into ones and zeros?>what is "the stack," and how can you tamper with it?>why is it so much harder to tamper with the stack now than it was in the 90s?learn networking:
>what is a protocol?>what protocols do you use every day, without realizing it?>how do IP, TCP, UDP, HTTP/S, and SSH work?>which of the data structures i mentioned earlier does a network most resemble?>what is a firewall, how do you set one up, and what mistakes do people usually make when they do?learn cryptography:
>what is a block cipher? a stream cipher? a public-key cipher?>why would you use one or the other?>what is a hash? a MAC? a digital signature?>why would you use one or the other?then it's just a matter of using your programming, OS, and networking skills to get in places you don't belong.
if you want to be a pentester (i.e. get paid to hack without breaking the law), you should also learn the basics of computer law in whatever country you'll be working in.
if you want to practice without breaking the law, you're legally allowed to "hack" your own data/devices in the US. this is how i got started --- i locked myself out of a .rar file, and had to guess the password. i remembered a few possible keywords, but didn't know how they were put together. a Python script did the trick.
