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Zanti: Introduction

I've been doing tutorials on Rasberry Pi and I would like to thank everyone that have both read the tutorials and gave me feedback on how well I'm doing. But now I've decided to take a small break and start a mini series that I'm hoping to be at least five tutorials. This doesn't mean I'm gonna stop posting Raspberry Pi tutorials, but since I'm learning so much at the same time I've decided to share some of that knowledge. Hence this tutorial. Please sit back, relax and read on.

How To: Audit Web Applications & Servers with Tishna

Penetration-testing frameworks can be incredibly useful since they often streamline certain processes and save time by having a lot of tools available in one place. Of course, the most popular pentesting framework is undoubtedly Metasploit, but there are many others out there that cater to particular needs. For auditing web applications and servers, Tishna comes in handy.

How To: Make a DIY Battery-Powered USB Charger

With portable devices being a necessity in modern everyday life, they may be subject to overuse, improper charging, or normal wear and tear. For those people who carry around their smartphone or iPod with them all of the time, how many times have you been out and about just to have your portable device die on you?

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: 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.

How To: The Best-Selling VPN Is Now on Sale

The ability to browse the web in coffee shops, libraries, airports, and practically anywhere else you can imagine is more than convenient, but convenience has risks. Using public Wi-Fi allows others to spy on you easily. Even your own internet service provider can see every website you've ever visited. Don't fall into the trap of protecting your identity, data, and devices after it's too late.

Hack Like a Pro: Digital Forensics Using Kali, Part 1 (The Tools of a Forensic Investigator)

Welcome back, my greenhorn hackers! Lately, much of the discussion here on Null Byte has revolved around evading detection and not getting caught hacking. Several of you have written me asking for a series on evading detection and forensics, and while I began a series 5 months ago on just that, we have changed hacking platforms from BackTrack to Kali, which has a much more highly developed forensic toolset.

Advice from a Real Hacker: How I Would Build the God's Eye of Furious 7

In the recent hit movie Furious 7, the storyline revolves around the acquisition of a hacking system known as "God's Eye" that is capable of finding and tracking anyone in real time. Both the U.S. spy agencies and an adversarial spy agency (it's not clear who the adversary is, but the location is "beyond the Caucasus mountains," which could imply Russia?) desperately want their hands on this system.

How To: Build a Stealth Port Scanner with Scapy and Python

As we're all aware, recon is vital to a successful hack. We need to know everything we can about the target in order to perform the best possible attack. Port scanning is a basic recon concept that is introduced very early in learning proper reconnoissance. The issue with port scanning is that is makes a lot of noise. Every connection to every port will be logged. This is where stealth scanning comes in. Also known as SYN or half-open scanning, stealth port scanning is a bit quieter, and is l...

How To: Scan Websites for Interesting Directories & Files with Gobuster

One of the first steps in attacking a web application is enumerating hidden directories and files. Doing so can often yield valuable information that makes it easier to execute a precise attack, leaving less room for errors and wasted time. There are many tools available to do this, but not all of them are created equally. Gobuster, a directory scanner written in Go, is definitely worth exploring.

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.

How To: Get Started Writing Your Own NSE Scripts for Nmap

The road to becoming a skilled white hat is paved with many milestones, one of those being learning how to perform a simple Nmap scan. A little further down that road lies more advanced scanning, along with utilizing a powerful feature of Nmap called the Nmap Scripting Engine. Even further down the road is learning how to modify and write scripts for NSE, which is what we'll be doing today.

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: Use Private Encrypted Messaging Over Tor

Tor is an excellent obfuscation network for web traffic, and while instant messaging over the network is very useful, it can be relatively difficult to configure. In this guide, we'll look at two synchronous communications platforms (instant messengers) which can be routed over the Tor network, Ricochet and XMPP.

How To: Identify Missing Windows Patches for Easier Exploitation

No operating system is stricken with as many vulnerabilities as Windows, and it's often a race to release the latest patches to fix things. From an attacker's point of view, knowing which patches are present on a Windows machine can make or break successful exploitation. Today, we will be covering three methods of patch enumeration, using Metasploit, WMIC, and Windows Exploit Suggester.

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.