Hot Null Byte How-Tos

How To: Security-Oriented C Tutorial 0x0B - User Input

Hey readers! This tutorial will be the entry point for the introduction of buffer overflows. Something like requesting user input is a very common place for vulnerabilities to pop up and we will definitely have fun while trying to make programs crash. But for now, let's start with how we can get input from a user.

How To: Take Pictures Through a Victim's Webcam with BeEF

Recently, I've been experimenting with BeEF (Browser Exploitation Framework), and to say the least, I'm hooked. When using BeEF, you must "hook" the victims browser. This means that you must run the script provided by BeEF, which is titled "hook.js", in the victims browser. Once you've done that, you can run commands against the victims browser and cause all kinds of mayhem. Among these commands, there is an option to use the victims webcam. This is what we'll be doing here today, so, let's g...

How To: Upload a Shell to a Web Server and Get Root (RFI): Part 2

If you remember last time, we successfully uploaded picture with a small hidden PHP command executer embedded in it onto a server. Now, our goal is to take this a step further and get an interactive shell. To do this, we need to upload another file that either binds a port for us, or connects back. For this tutorial, we will use a Python reverse Meterpreter shell.

SEToolkit: Metasploit's Best Friend

If you read my last tutorial on using SEToolkit, you probably know that SEToolkit is an effective way to make malicious actions look legitimate. But, that was only the beginning... the truth is, Metasploit and SEToolkit belong together, and help each other very well.

How To: Crack WPA/WPA2 with Wifite

Hi there again, aspiring hackers (and veterans as well)! I'm going to explain how to perform a dictionary attack on a WPA/WPA2 protected network with Wifite. Please note that this doesn't work with WPA Enterprise For that end, you'd have to use an Evil Twin to get the "Enterprise" auth attempt, and then crack it.

Hack Like a Pro: How to Compile a New Hacking Tool in Kali

Welcome back, my newbie hackers! Recently, I "upgraded" to Kali as my hacking platform, despite my preference for BackTrack. I did this reluctantly, primarily because new readers here could no longer download BackTrack from their site. I want to point out here that we all must keep in mind that with any software—or for that matter, any product—that is newer is not necessarily better.

Hack Like a Pro: How to Hack into Your Suspicious, Creepy Neighbor's Computer & Spy on Him

Welcome back, my neophyte hackers! Have you ever had a neighbor that you're certain is up to no good? Maybe you've seen him moving packages in and out at all hours of the night? Maybe you've seen people go into his home and never come out? He seems like a creep and sometimes you hear strange sounds coming from his home? You know he's up to no good, but you aren't sure what it is exactly.

Hack Like a Pro: How to Exploit SNMP for Reconnaissance

Welcome back, my rookie hackers! The more we know about a system or network, the better our chances of owning it and not leaving a trace for investigators to follow. One of the often overlooked sources for information is the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). Many rookie hackers are not even aware of it, but it can prove to be a treasure trove of information, if you understand how it works and how to hack it.

Hack Like a Pro: How to Change the Signature of Metasploit Payloads to Evade Antivirus Detection

Welcome back, my budding hackers! I've written several listener guides on creating a malicious PDF or malicious Word document that would carry in it a payload with the Meterpreter, or reverse shell enabling you to own the system. One of the hurdles to using these techniques is the antivirus (AV) software on the target system. For instance, if you try to email a malicious PDF or Word doc, it's likely that the victim system will alert the victim that it contains a virus or other malware.

How to Hack Databases: Cracking SQL Server Passwords & Owning the Server

Welcome back, my rookie hackers! A short while back, I began a new series on database hacking, and now it's time to continue and extend your education in that field. As you know, the database contains all of the most valuable info for the hacker, including personally identifiable information, credit card numbers, intellectual property, etc. So, it's the ultimate goal of cybercrime and the APT hacker.

How To: Introduction to Modern Cryptography

Cryptography is the science of keeping secrets, or more specifically, the science of disguising them. As a point of fact, cryptography has progressed quite a bit farther and now encompasses file and message integrity, sender authentication, and pseudo-random number generators.

Hack Like a Pro: How to Conduct OS Fingerprinting with Xprobe2

Welcome back, my novice hackers! I've written a couple of articles on reconnaissance and its importance, and as I've said before, a good hacker will spend 3 to 4 more times doing reconnaissance than actually exploiting the system. If your recon isn't good, you'll likely fail, or worse—end up serving time and becoming Bubba's wife for a couple years. I can't say it enough—recon is critical.

Hack Like a Pro: Linux Basics for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 2 (Creating Directories & Files)

In my first tutorial on Linux basics, I discussed the importance of hackers using Linux and the structure of the directory system. We also looked briefly at the cd command. In this second Linux guide, I'll spend a bit more time with changing directories, listing directories, creating files and directories, and finally, getting help. Let's open up BackTrack and getting started learning more Linux for the aspiring hacker.

Hacking Reconnaissance: Finding Vulnerabilities in Your Target Using Nmap

Remember that scene in The Matrix when Trinity uses a realistic Nmap port scan, followed by an actual SSH exploit (long since patched) to break into a power company? Well, believe it or not, but that scene is not far fetched at all. If you want to exploit vulnerabilities and root boxes, you'll need to learn how to perform the necessary reconnaissance first. In fact, you will spend far more time researching your target then you will exploiting it. In this article, I am going to show you the fi...

How To: Scan for Viruses in Windows Using a Linux Live CD/USB

Many windows users, if not all, run into a virus infection once in a while. This is unavoidable when using Microsoft's operating system. Without digressing too much, the fact that Windows is such a popular OS with no controlled software sources makes it easy for viruses and malware to spread. And while there's a plethora of antivirus tools for Windows, sometimes infections (such as certain scareware) can disable the install and/or use of antivirus systems and render your OS unusable until cle...

How To: Make a Gmail Notifier in Python

In this article, I'll show you how to make a simple Gmail notifier. Python can do various things in terms of notifications; sending commands to an Arduino unit, playing sounds, opening windows, etc. The code below simply plays some music, but the possibilities of notification methods are endless. If you aren't familiar with python, there are many sites with tutorials like this one, or this one.