Umbrella Thief

A while ago, when I was just looking into hacking, I came across a hack that allowed you to bypass the Windows XP log on page and access a user's account.  I figure this would be a fun and easy thing to attempt as a first proper hack. I couldn't actually find the exact tutorial I'd originally found, but I did find this: http://doublexhacking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/hacking-windows-xp-login-password.html

The article gives three ways to hack Windows XP and change user passwords. I successfully managed them all.  Even though it's pretty straightforward, it did feel pretty good when I managed the first method.  The second method, was so shockingly easy it took away any sense of accomplishment. Literally hitting Ctrl+Alt+Delete twice, typing 'admin' and hitting enter.... crazy simple. 

The third method was once again pretty simple, but requires you to already have an account on the system. 

Even though all three of these hacks are shockingly easy and straightforward, this is the first time I've really found the process fun. Up until this point all i've been doing is learning HTML & CSS, learning how to work Linux and reading Network+.

So to actually get a result is quite satisfying!  I feel a lot more 'ready' to try the tactics from 'The Basics of Hacking And Penetration Testing', so I think i'll give it another try soon. 

Currently I'm using the Pomodoro technique. This involves working in 25 minute blocks. Each Pomodoro (25 minute block) is an intense work session, no distractions etc.  I'm finding this very helpful. I think of my time in terms of Pomodoro's and when I'm planning my day I think of how many coding/hacking poms I want to get done.  I'm currently aiming to do 5 coding poms and 5 hacking poms each day. I.e 4 hours and 10 minutes of work per day. On top of this, I'll often read a hacking/coding book as well. I don't time this.

I say 'hacking', but in reality I mean anything that I feel is helping me improve at hacking. So right now I'm not doing any hacking, but I'm learning how to use Linux, which is useful in relation to hacking.  So, in the interest of sharing how I'm getting on. Here's my work diary so far in Pomodoro's: 30/3/14 - 3 Coding Pom's.

31/3/14 - 5 Coding Pom's. 

1/4/14 - 6 Coding Pom's. 

2/4/14 - 1 Coding Pom.

7/4/14 - 1 Coding Pom.

10/4/14 - 5 Coding Pom's & 5 Hacking Pom's.

11/4/14 - 5 Coding Pom's & 5 Hacking Pom's. 

12/4/14 - 5 Coding Pom's & 1 Hacking Pom. 

13/4/14 - 5 Coding Pom's & 5 Hacking Pom's. 

14/4/14 - 3 Hacking Pom's. 

15/4/14 - 3 Coding Pom's. 

My general computer knowledge before learning to hack was/is pretty low. I'm by no means computer illiterate but I don't understand entirely how computers work.  Because of this lack in initial knowledge, i'm finding that learning to hack is a bit like learning to run before I can walk. 

I installed Kali Linux (which is built for hackers) but I find it a bit confusing, and to be honest I'm a little concerned i'm going to break the law by just experimenting with it.  I found a hacker on Reddit and asked him for his advice (He's a more experienced hacker and was recommending The Basics Of Computer Hacking so I thought he'd be good to ask).

He advised me to download some other versions of Linux and mess around with them so I get used to how the OS works. He also recommended that I learn how computer networks work. 

Sounds good to me. So I purchased Network+ and despite the fact it's a 700+ page book (which looks a little daunting), it's actually written in really easy to understand English. So i'm pretty happy with that. Reading it whilst making notes. I already think that's helping massively.  Regarding Linux, I've downloaded Ubuntu and after watching a couple of basic tutorials on Youtube, I've come across Eli The Computer Guy. He gives detailed tutorials on just about everything. I'm watching his Linux tutorials and once again they're really helpful. I'm understanding the command line more now etc. I highly recommend those if you're also new to Linux. 

So I decided to learn to hack about a year ago, and i've only really got started in the past half year. After doing a little research (Thanks /r/learntohack) I found that if you want to learn to hack, you should really learn at least a little bit of code.  I randomly came across the website http://www.codecademy.com/ and started learning basic HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It's an awesome website, although I didn't really dive in. Just did an hour or so every now and again.  Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, and I decided to dive in.  A friend of mine highly recommended www.teamtreehouse.com. I've been using that and it's amazing. Not that I don't still like codecademy, I suspect i'll use it as well, but the videos on TTH make things so simple. So if anyone else is in a similar position to me, if you can afford to spend a little cash, start learning to code on Team Tree House. If you can't, then use Codecademy. 

Goal: Learn to hack.