How To Be a Hacker

by Stephen Fluin 2012.12.30

There are several things I do when I sit down at someone else's computer for the first time. I start by loading up a web browser, finding and downloading Putty, and remotely I log into my systems. I typically need to do this to dig a DNS server, to port scan a computer, to SSH into another server, or just to look at a file or two on my computer. The most common reaction when I do something like this is one of awe.

People look at this type of terminal connections as the playground of hackers. In reality, using an SSH terminal as the basis for connecting to the world of computing is a very natural extension of many of the advanced computing principles used by most people in the world.  I'm thinking about putting together a step by step guide to getting access to a meaningful shell server, and starting to live a life that to the majority of the public, resembles that of an elite hacker. Let me know what you think.


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