Hot Null Byte How-Tos
How To: Gain SSH Access to Servers by Brute-Forcing Credentials
SSH is one of the most common protocols in use in modern IT infrastructures, and because of this, it can be a valuable attack vector for hackers. One of the most reliable ways to gain SSH access to servers is by brute-forcing credentials. There are a few methods of performing an SSH brute-force attack that will ultimately lead to the discovery of valid login credentials.
How To: Wardrive with the Kali Raspberry Pi to Map Wi-Fi Devices
Surveying a target's Wi-Fi infrastructure is the first step to understanding the wireless attack surface you have to work with.
How To: Top 10 Things to Do After Installing Kali Linux
Kali Linux, by default, probably doesn't have everything you need to get you through day-to-day penetration testing with ease. With a few tips, tricks, and applications, we can quickly get started using Kali like a professional white hat.
How to Hack Wi-Fi: Get Anyone's Wi-Fi Password Without Cracking Using Wifiphisher
While password cracking and WPS setup PIN attacks get a lot of attention, social engineering attacks are by far the fastest way of obtaining a Wi-Fi password. One of the most potent Wi-Fi social engineering attacks is Wifiphisher, a tool that blocks the internet until desperate users enter the Wi-Fi password to enable a fake router firmware update.
How To: Crack SSH Private Key Passwords with John the Ripper
Secure Shell is one of the most common network protocols, typically used to manage remote machines through an encrypted connection. However, SSH is prone to password brute-forcing. Key-based authentication is much more secure, and private keys can even be encrypted for additional security. But even that isn't bulletproof since SSH private key passwords can be cracked using John the Ripper.
How To: There Are Hidden Wi-Fi Networks All Around You — These Attacks Will Find Them
There are hidden Wi-Fi networks all around you — networks that will never show up in the list of available unlocked and password-protected hotspots that your phone or computer can see — but are they more secure than regular networks that broadcast their name to any nearby device?
How To: Use Hash-Identifier to Determine Hash Types for Password Cracking
Hashes are commonly used to store sensitive information like credentials to avoid storing them in plaintext. With tools like Hashcat, it's possible to crack these hashes, but only if we know the algorithm used to generate the hash. Using a tool called hash-identifier, we can easily fingerprint any hashes to discover the right Hashcat mode to use to retrieve a password.
How To: Use MinGW to Compile Windows Exploits on Kali Linux
Cross-compilation allows you to develop for one platform (like Kali) and compile to run on a different platform (such as Windows). For developers, it means that they can work on their platform of choice and compile their code for their target platform. For hackers, it means we can compile exploit code for Windows from Kali.
How To: Use the Buscador OSINT VM for Conducting Online Investigations
For anyone using open source information to conduct an investigation, a balance between powerful tools and privacy controls are a must. Buscador is a virtual machine packed full of useful OSINT tools and streamlined for online research. This program can easily be set up in VirtualBox, and once that's done, we'll walk you through some of the most useful tools included in it.
How To: Use Upip to Load MicroPython Libraries onto a Microcontroller Over Wi-Fi
MicroPython is an exciting language to use on ESP8266 boards and ESP32-based microcontrollers, but it doesn't always include all of the libraries you'll need for a specific project. This issue is less of a problem, thanks to the upip package manager.
Android for Hackers: How to Turn an Android Phone into a Hacking Device Without Root
With just a few taps, an Android phone can be weaponized into a covert hacking device capable of running tools such as Nmap, Nikto, and Netcat — all without rooting the device.
How To: Use Metasploit's WMAP Module to Scan Web Applications for Common Vulnerabilities
Having an efficient workflow is an integral part of any craft, but it's especially important when it comes to probing apps for vulnerabilities. While Metasploit is considered the de facto standard when it comes to exploitation, it also contains modules for other activities, such as scanning. Case in point, WMAP, a web application scanner available for use from within the Metasploit framework.
How To: Scrape Target Email Addresses with TheHarvester
Open-source data scraping is an essential reconnaissance tool for government agencies and hackers alike, with big data turning our digital fingerprints into giant neon signs. The problem is no longer whether the right data exists, it's filtering it down to the exact answer you want. TheHarvester is a Python email scraper which does just that by searching open-source data for target email addresses.
How To: Automate Wi-Fi Hacking with Wifite2
There are many ways to attack a Wi-Fi network. The type of encryption, manufacturer settings, and the number of clients connected all dictate how easy a target is to attack and what method would work best. Wifite2 is a powerful tool that automates Wi-Fi hacking, allowing you to select targets in range and let the script choose the best strategy for each network.
How To: Fix Bidirectional Copy/Paste Issues for Kali Linux Running in VirtualBox
Last week, I updated VirtualBox on my computer since I had skipped a few versions, then I could no longer copy text or paste text from my Kali virtual machine to my host OS and vice versa. Installing the Guest Additions didn't seem to do anything, and the bidirectional shared clipboard was enabled, but there was one thing that did work for me that may help you out too if you experience the issue.
How To: Fully Anonymize Kali with Tor, Whonix & PIA VPN
Hacking from a host machine without any form of proxying is reckless for a hacker, and in a penetration test, could lead to an important IP address becoming quickly blacklisted by the target. By routing all traffic over Tor and reducing the threat of malicious entrance and exit nodes with a VPN, we can configure Kali to become thoroughly private and anonymous.
How To: Hack Windows 7 (Become Admin)
Step 1: Introduction: Hello! Hackers
How To: Hack Wi-Fi Networks with Bettercap
There are many tools out there for Wi-Fi hacking, but few are as integrated and well-rounded as Bettercap. Thanks to an impressively simple interface that works even over SSH, it's easy to access many of the most powerful Wi-Fi attacks available from anywhere. To capture handshakes from both attended and unattended Wi-Fi networks, we'll use two of Bettercap's modules to help us search for weak Wi-Fi passwords.
Become an Elite Hacker Part 4: Hacking a Website. [Part 1]
Welcome back my fellow army of hackers! Today we'll be hacking a website. Hacking is technically not the right word used here. It should be defacing! So we are going to deface a website...
How To: Write Your Own Bash Script to Automate Recon
Automation has been a buzz word for quite some time now, but the principles behind it are as strong as ever. For a hacker or pentester, Bash scripting is one form of automation that cannot be ignored. Virtually any command that can be run from the terminal can be scripted — and should be, in many cases — to save valuable time and effort. And a Bash script just happens to be great for recon.
Hacking Gear: 10 Essential Gadgets Every Hacker Should Try
If you've grown bored of day-to-day hacking and need a new toy to experiment with, we've compiled a list of gadgets to help you take password cracking and wireless hacking to the next level. If you're not a white hat or pentester yourself but have one to shop for, whether for a birthday, Christmas present, or other gift-giving reason, these also make great gift ideas.
How To: An Introduction to Steganography & Its Uses
It has been a long while since I last came here to write an article. Graduate school keeps you busy. After I looked over what I had written previously, I decided that I should introduce another fun topic from cryptography. In this case, steganography.
How To: Buy the Best Wireless Network Adapter for Wi-Fi Hacking in 2019
To hack a Wi-Fi network using Kali Linux, you need your wireless card to support monitor mode and packet injection. Not all wireless cards can do this, so I've rounded up this list of 2019's best wireless network adapters for hacking on Kali Linux to get you started hacking both WEP and WPA Wi-Fi networks.
How To: Brute-Force Nearly Any Website Login with Hatch
The tactic of brute-forcing a login, i.e., trying many passwords very quickly until the correct one is discovered, can be easy for services like SSH or Telnet. For something like a website login page, we must identify different elements of the page first. Thanks to a Python tool for brute-forcing websites called Hatch, this process has been simplified to the point that even a beginner can try it.
How To: Install Kali Linux as a Portable Live USB for Pen-Testing & Hacking on Any Computer
Kali Linux is the go-to Linux distribution for penetration testing and ethical hacking. Still, it's not recommended for day-to-day use, such as responding to emails, playing games, or checking Facebook. That's why it's better to run your Kali Linux system from a bootable USB drive.
How To: Automate Brute-Force Attacks for Nmap Scans
Using Hydra, Ncrack, and other brute-forcing tools to crack passwords for the first time can be frustrating and confusing. To ease into the process, let's discuss automating and optimizing brute-force attacks for potentially vulnerable services such as SMTP, SSH, IMAP, and FTP discovered by Nmap, a popular network scanning utility.
How To: Hack WPA & WPA2 Wi-Fi Passwords with a Pixie-Dust Attack Using Airgeddon
Design flaws in many routers can allow hackers to steal Wi-Fi credentials, even if WPA or WPA2 encryption is used with a strong password. While this tactic used to take up to 8 hours, the newer WPS Pixie-Dust attack can crack networks in seconds. To do this, a modern wireless attack framework called Airgeddon is used to find vulnerable networks, and then Bully is used to crack them.
How To: Hack Web Browsers with BeEF to Control Webcams, Phish for Credentials & More
People use browsers for all types of things, and in general, we trust a lot of personal information to them. That's why browsers are a perfect attack surface for a hacker, because the target may not even know they are infected and feed you all of the information you could want.
How To: Detect Misconfigurations in 'Anonymous' Dark Web Sites with OnionScan
Configuring onion services for the first time can be tricky. A surprising number of system administrators make seemingly trivial mistakes that ultimately lead to catastrophic cases of de-anonymizing supposedly anonymous sites on the dark web. OnionScan is a tool designed to identify common misconfigurations in onion services and aid us in understanding how to fix them.
Video: How to Crack Weak Wi-Fi Passwords in Seconds with Airgeddon on Parrot OS
A weak password is one that is short, common, or easy to guess. Equally bad are secure but reused passwords that have been lost by negligent third-party companies like Equifax and Yahoo. Today, we will use Airgeddon, a wireless auditing framework, to show how anyone can crack bad passwords for WPA and WPA2 wireless networks in minutes or seconds with only a computer and network adapter.
How To: Create & Obfuscate a Virus Inside of a Microsoft Word Document
When performing something such as a mass mailer attack on a company, sending executables usually isn't the best option. That's why, in this tutorial, I'll be teaching you how to code a VBA script macro into a Word document in order to compromise a system. Combined with a little social engineering, this can be a very effective technique.
How To: Use John the Ripper in Metasploit to Quickly Crack Windows Hashes
There are many password-cracking tools out there, but one of the mainstays has always been John the Ripper. It's a powerful piece of software that can be configured and used in many different ways. Metasploit actually contains a little-known module version of JTR that can be used to quickly crack weak passwords, so let's explore it in an attempt to save precious time and effort.
How To: This Top-Rated Course Will Make You a Linux Master
Linux is a diverse and powerful operating system that virtually every IT professional must learn and know well. Whether you realize it or not, you have likely already used a Linux device, and learning to design things for it is a key step in any Data Science career path.
How To: Exploit WebDAV on a Server & Get a Shell
The internet has undoubtedly changed the way we work and communicate. With technological advances, more and more people can collaborate on the web from anywhere in the world. But this remote-friendly environment inherently brings security risks, and hackers are always finding ways to exploit systems for other uses.
Hack Like a Pro: Linux Basics for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 1 (Getting Started)
Welcome back, my hacker trainees! A number of you have written me regarding which operating system is best for hacking. I'll start by saying that nearly every professional and expert hacker uses Linux or Unix. Although some hacks can be done with Windows and Mac OS, nearly all of the hacking tools are developed specifically for Linux. There are some exceptions, though, including software like Cain and Abel, Havij, Zenmap, and Metasploit that are developed or ported for Windows.
How To: Security-Oriented C Tutorial 0x10 - Pointers and Addresses
In previous tutorials we have encountered these things called pointers and addresses but we still don't know what they really are. Let's learn a bit more to clear things up.
How To: Extract Bitcoin Wallet Addresses & Balances from Websites with SpiderFoot CLI
While there are completely legitimate reasons to use Bitcoin, it's also used by terrorists, drug dealers, and other shady people that need to be investigated. That's where SpiderFoot comes in, which has a command-line interface to search for Bitcoin wallet addresses on a website and query the balances associated with them.
How To: Use SQL Injection to Run OS Commands & Get a Shell
One of the ultimate goals in hacking is the ability to obtain shells in order to run system commands and own a target or network. SQL injection is typically only associated with databases and their data, but it can actually be used as a vector to gain a command shell. As a lesson, we'll be exploiting a simple SQL injection flaw to execute commands and ultimately get a reverse shell on the server.
How to Hack Wi-Fi: Cracking WPA2-PSK Passwords Using Aircrack-Ng
Welcome back, my greenhorn hackers. When Wi-Fi was first developed in the late 1990s, Wired Equivalent Privacy was created to give wireless communications confidentiality. WEP, as it became known, proved terribly flawed and easily cracked. You can read more about that in my beginner's guide to hacking Wi-Fi.
How To: Use MDK3 for Advanced Wi-Fi Jamming
You may have heard of a signal jammer before, which usually refers to a device that blasts out a strong enough radio signal to drown out the reception of nearby devices like cell phones. Purpose-built jammer hardware is outright illegal in many countries. Still, Wi-Fi is vulnerable to several different jamming attacks that can be done with Kali Linux and a wireless network adapter.