Search Engines | Search Tactics

So where are good places to start? Simply surf over to the Web sites listed at the end of this Guide. Not only do they carry archives of these Guides, they carry a lot of other valuable information for the newbie hacker, as well as links to other quality sites. My favorites are http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/matt/hh.html  and http://www.silitoad.org 
Warning: parental discretion advised. You'll see some other great starting points elsewhere in this Guide, too.

Next, consider one of the most common questions I get: "How do I break into a computer????? :( :("

Ask this of someone who isn't a super nice elderly lady like me and you will get a truly rude reaction. Here's why. The world is full of many kinds of computers running many kinds of software on many kinds of networks. How you break into a computer depends on all these things. So you need to thoroughly study a computer system before you an even think about planning a strategy to break into it. That's one reason breaking into computers is widely regarded as the pinnacle of hacking. So if you don't realize even this much, you need to do lots and lots of homework before you can even dream of breaking into computers.

But, OK, I'll stop hiding the secrets of universal computer breaking and entry. Check out:
Bugtraq archives: http://www.securityfocus.com/
NT Bugtraq archives: http://www.ntbugtraq.com/

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You can go to jail warning: If you want to take up the sport of breaking into computers, you should either do it with your own computer, or else get the permission of the owner if you want to break into someone else's computer. Otherwise you are violating the law. In the US, if you break into a computer that is across a state line from where you launch your attack, you are committing a Federal felony. If you cross national boundaries to hack, remember that most nations have treaties that allow them to extradite criminals from each others' countries.
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Wait just a minute, if you surf over to those site you won't instantly become an Ubercracker. Unless you already are an excellent programmer and knowledgeable in Unix or Windows NT, you will discover the information at these two sites will *NOT* instantly grant you access to any victim computer you may choose. It's not that easy. You are going to have to learn how to program. Learn at least one operating system inside and out.

Of course some people take the shortcut into hacking. They get their phriends to give them a bunch of canned break-in programs. Then they try them on one computer after another until they stumble into root and accidentally delete system files. The they get busted and run to the Electronic Freedom Foundation and whine about how the Feds are persecuting them.

So are you serious? Do you *really* want to be a hacker badly enough to learn an operating system inside and out? Do you *really* want to populate your dreaming hours with arcane communications protocol topics? The old-fashioned, and super expensive way is to buy and study lots of manuals. <Geek mode on> Look, I'm a real believer in manuals. I spend about $200 per month on them. I read them in the bathroom, while sitting in traffic jams, and while waiting for doctor's appointments. But if I'm at my desk, I prefer to read manuals and other technical documents from the Web. Besides, the Web stuff is free! <Geek mode off>

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