Data can be injected into images quickly without the use of metadata tools. Attackers may use this knowledge to exfiltrate sensitive information from a MacBook by sending the pictures to ordinary file-sharing websites. Continuing on the topics of DPI evasion, payload obfuscation, and utilizing popular websites to bypass firewalls, we'll be looking at an alternative way of embedding data into images. Unlike using metadata tags to store payloads inside a picture, this method involves injecting text directly into the footer of the image file. Understanding the Attack A simple Bash script was... more

Penetration testing, or pentesting, is the process of probing a network or system by simulating an attack, which is used to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited by a malicious actor. The main goal of a pentest is to identify security holes and weaknesses so that the organization being tested can fix any potential issues. In a professional penetration test, there are six phases you should know. Pentesting Lingo Like many industries, and especially within IT, certain terms can cause initial confusion for people not familiar with them. Penetration testing can get pretty technical, but... more

We're living in a world that runs on Big Data. As the driving force behind everything from self-driving cars and Google algorithms to the latest medical technology and financial platforms, massive sets of increasingly complex data lie at the heart of today's most exciting and important innovations. That means that if you want to be successful in virtually any field, you'll want to have more than just a baseline understanding of how to work with numbers and information. The 2020 Master Microsoft Excel & Power BI Certification Bundle will teach you how to harness the power of two ubiquitous... more

3D printers allow hackers and makers alike to create something from nothing. They're an incredible technology that lets you build protective cases and covers for gear such as a wardriving phone and Raspberry Pi-Hole. 3D printers can even help you out in a bind when something breaks, and it's impossible to get the part, since you can just print one out yourself. And with 3D printers being relatively cheap these days, there's little reason not to get one if you think you'd have many uses for it. Anyone with $200 to $300 can get started 3D printing simple or sophisticated plastic objects at home... more

The life of a busy entrepreneur isn't easy. In addition to coming up with original business ideas and marketing strategies, you also need to be continually thinking about investors, overhead, the competition, and expanding your customer base — often with a limited budget. So why not make your life a bit easier by treating yourself to a suite of tools that can help you drastically streamline your entire workflow? The multifaceted Zuitte 50+ Tools for Entrepreneurs package offers over 50 robust solutions that can help everyday modern entrepreneurs run and grow a business. The cost of a lifetime... more

Determining the antivirus and firewall software installed on a Windows computer is crucial to an attacker preparing to create a targeted stager or payload. With covert deep packet inspection, that information is easily identified. This attack assumes the Wi-Fi password to the target network is already known. With the password, an attacker can observer data traversing the network and enumerate installed security software. Popular antivirus and firewall solutions become easily identifiable when benign web traffic is filtered out. We'll learn how to capture and decrypt Wi-Fi traffic without... more

Post-exploitation is often not quite as exciting as popping the initial shell, but it's a crucial phase for gathering data and further privilege escalation. Once a target is compromised, there's a lot of information to find and sift through. Luckily, there are tools available that can make the process easy. One such tool is Postenum. To show everything Postenum has to offer for post-exploitation, we're using Kali Linux as our local machine. As for the target, if you want to follow along and try the tool out as a white hat or penetration tester, Metasploitable 2 is a good intentionally... more

In today's data-driven world, being well-versed in Big Data and analytics can help land an exciting and high-paying career. Whether you're interested in working for a major tech company or pursuing freelance work in development, you need to have a thorough understanding of the latest and greatest platforms in analytics if you want to succeed. The Complete 2020 Big Data and Machine Learning Bundle comes with ten courses and over 600 lessons that will get you up to speed with the world's most popular and powerful data and machine learning methodologies and tools, and it's currently available... more

A lot of time can be wasted performing trivial tasks over and over again, and it's especially true when it comes to hacking and penetration testing. Trying different shells to own a target, and testing out privilege escalation commands afterward, can eat up a lot of time. Fortunately, there is a tool called One-Lin3r that can quickly generate shells, privesc commands, and more. One-Lin3r is a Python tool that acts as a framework to automate the generation of one-liners commonly used in pentesting and hacking. Its usage is very similar to Metasploit, so it's natural and simple to pick up for... more

The increasingly important world of white hat or "ethical" hacking is getting competitive. Thanks to growing salaries and opportunities for talented and trained coding pros who can infiltrate servers and safeguard networks against digital threats, demand for intrepid cyber warriors is through the roof, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. That means that if you want to stand out from the crowd and land the best positions in the field, you need to find a niche or specialization — something that shows current and future employers that you have what it takes to be an expert in a... more

Choosing which programming language to learn next can seem like a nearly impossible task, regardless of whether you're a novice developer or a seasoned coding pro with years of experience creating apps and websites. But if you haven't already learned Python, look no further. We've already established why Python is an excellent programming language for penetration testers, white-hat hackers, and those in cybersecurity, so we won't repeat ourselves. Instead, check out our post on the benefits of Python for hacking to read more about why you need to hone your Python skills. In general, Python... more

The only thing better than programming MicroPython is programming MicroPython over Wi-Fi. So once you set up MicroPython on a microcontroller and have it on its own power source, you won't need to use a data cable to connect to it whenever you need to interact with it, program it, upload files, or grab data. The MicroPython REPL interface is very simple, which makes it an attractive option for an ESP8266 or EP32 board, and the WebREPL interface is even more convenient. After setting everything up initially, you can connect and control the board over its Wi-Fi access point, then program or... more

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. Step 1: Start the Script To get started, create a Bash script and name it whatever you like. I'll call mine recon.sh. Using your favorite text editor, make the first line look like this: [code] This is... more

The Pi-hole project is a popular DNS-level ad blocker, but it can be much more than that. Its DNS-level filtering can also be used as a firewall of sorts to prevent malicious websites from resolving, as well as to keep privacy-killing trackers such as Google Analytics from ever loading in the browser. Let's take a look at setting a Pi-hole up and customizing a blacklist to suit your needs. If you're not familiar with what DNS is, let's start there. A domain name server, or DNS, is the equivalent of the internet's address book. It's what translates between human-readable websites such as... more

More and more tech-savvy leaders are flocking to the lucrative and exciting world of project management thanks to the high-pay, analytical environment, and nearly unparalleled flexibility. But this means that competition for the best positions in this dynamic field is fierce. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you're going to need to have more than a few base-level certifications on your résumé. The Accredited Agile Project Management Bundle by SPOCE will help you earn some of project management's most powerful and coveted certifications so you can outpace the competition, and it's... more

Knowing just one or two programming languages is no longer sufficient if you want to make serious money in the lucrative world of web design and development. But the good news is that you don't need to spend an excessive amount of time or money on a traditional coding education to get the skills you need to thrive. The Ultimate 2020 Web Designer & Developer Bundle will teach you everything you need to know about the world's most popular and powerful web development tools and platforms, and it's currently available for over 95% off at $29. While it has courses on becoming a programmer and... more

PirateBox is a great way to communicate with others nearby when cellular and Wi-Fi networks aren't available. With it, you can anonymously share any kind of media or document and even talk to one another by voice — without being online. However, it needs a Raspberry Pi, which is more expensive than ESP32 boards, and if you only need a text-based chat, there's a much simpler option. With a cheap ESP32 microcontroller and the ChatterBox sketch for Arduino, you can create an offline anonymous chat server for communicating with others via text. As long as they can connect to the ESP32's network... more

When you don't have a steady cellular signal or immediate Wi-Fi access but need to communicate with others around you, you can set up an off-the-grid voice communications network using a Raspberry Pi and an Android app. There are apps such as Bridgefy that will create a mesh network to communicate with other devices over Bluetooth. Still, when you're traveling in a convoy and want to message people in other vehicles, all the metal will make that nearly impossible. Even in situations where you're outside, but there are a lot of obstructions to block a Bluetooth signal, you're better off using... more

Python is commonly touted as one of the best programming languages for beginners to learn, and its straightforward syntax and functionality makes that hard to argue with. But a lot of tutorials still use Python 2, which is outdated now. Python 3 introduces many new features, and it's important to be aware of them going forward, as well as the key differences between Python 3 and its predecessor. Python 2 was first released in 2000. It improved upon earlier versions of the language and introduced features common to other programming languages such as garbage collection, list comprehension, and... more

There are countless ways in which a talented and trained programmer and tech pro can earn a lucrative living in an increasingly data-driven age — from writing and creating apps and games to working for a cybersecurity firm or even the federal government. But you can also opt for a stable and high-paying career in the world of IT, where avid tech enthusiasts are being employed to perform a wide range of lucrative jobs ranging from server installation and maintenance to white-hat hacking and security implementation. If you want to be competitive in this demanding field, you're going to need to... more