Skills allow you to achieve your desired goals within the available time and resources. As a hacker, you will need to develop skills that will help you get the job done. These skills include learning how to program, use the internet, good at solving problems, and taking advantage of existing security tools.
In this article, we will introduce you to the common programming languages and skills that you must know as a hacker. We will also look at tools that you can use to identify and exploit security weaknesses in computer systems
What is a programming language?
A programming language is a language that is used to develop computer programs. The programs developed can range from operating systems; data based applications through to networking solutions.
Why you should learn how to program?
- Hackers are problem solver and tool builders, learning how to program will help you implement solutions to problems. It also differentiates you from script kiddies.
- Writing programs as a hacker, will help you to automat many taskswhich would usually take lots of time to complete.
- Writing programs can also help you identify and exploit programming errors in applicationsthat you will be targeting.
- You don’t have to reinvent the wheel all the time, there are a number of open source programs that are readily usable. You can customize the already existing applications and adding your own methods to suit your needs.
What languages should I learn?
The answer to this question depends on your target computer systems and platforms. Some programming languages are used to develop for only specific platforms. As an example, Visual Basic Classic (3, 4, 5, and 6.0) is used to write applications that run on windows operating system. It would therefore be illogical for you to learn how to program in Visual Basic 6.0 when your target is hacking Linux based systems.
Programming languages that are useful to hackers
| SR NO. | COMPUTER LANGUAGES | DESCRIPTION | PLATFORM | PURPOSE |
| 1 | HTML | Language used to write web pages. | *Cross platform | Web hacking Login forms and other data entry methods on the web use HTML forms to get data. Been able to write and interpret HTML, makes it easy for you to identify and exploit weaknesses in the code. |
| 2 | JavaScript | Client side scripting language | *Cross platform | Web Hacking JavaScript code is executed on the client browse. You can use it to read saved cookies and perform cross site scripting etc. |
| 3 | PHP | Server side scripting language | *Cross platform | Web Hacking PHP is one of the most used web programming languages. It is used to process HTML forms and perform other custom tasks. You could write a custom application in PHP that modifies settings on a web server and makes the server vulnerable to attacks. |
| 4 | SQL | Language used to communicate with database | *Cross platform | Web Hacking Using SQL injection, to by-pass web application login algorithms that are weak, delete data from the database etc. |
| 5 | Python Ruby Bash Perl | High level programming languages | *Cross platform | Building tools & scripts They come in handy when you need to develop automation tools and scripts. The knowledge gained can also be used in understand and customization the already available tools. |
| 6 | C & C++ | High level programming | *Cross platform | Writing exploits, shell codes etc. They come in handy when you need to write your own shell codes, exploits, root kits or understanding and expanding on existing ones. |
| 7 | Java CSharp Visual Basic VBScript | Other languages | Java & CSharp are *cross platform. Visual Basic is specific to windows | Other uses The usefulness of these languages depends on your scenario. |
* Cross platform means programs developed using the particular language can be deployed on different operating systems such as Windows, Linuxed based, MAC etc.
Other skills
In addition to programming skills, a good hacker should also have the following skills:
- Know how to use the internet and search engines effectivelyto gather information.
- Get a Linux based operating system and the know the basics commands that every Linux user should know.
- Practicemakes perfect, a good hacker should be hard working and positively contribute to the hacker community. He/she can contribute by developing open source programs, answering questions in hacking forums etc.
What are hacking tools?
They are computer programs and scripts that helps you find and exploit weaknesses in computer systems. Some of these tools are open source while others are commercial.
Commonly Used Hacking Tools
The following table lists some of the most commonly used tools.
| SR NO. | TOOLS | DESCRIPTION | URL Link |
| 1 | Nmap | Network mapper. This tool is used to explore networks and perform security audits. | http://nmap.org/ |
| 2 | Nessus | This tool can be used to perform;
| http://www.tenable.com/products/nessus |
| 3 | John The Ripper | Password cracking utility. It is cross platform. | http://www.openwall.com/john/ |
| 4 | Cain & Abel | Microsoft Operating System passwords recovery tool. It is used to;
| http://www.oxid.it/cain.html |
| 5 | NetStumbler | Used to detect wireless networks on the windows platform. It can be used for the following tasks;
| http://www.stumbler.net/ |
| 6 | SQLMap | Automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL Injection weaknesses. It is open source and cross platform. It supports the following database engines.
| http://sqlmap.org/ |
Summary
- Programming skills are essential to become an effective hacker.
- Network skills are essential to become an effective hacker
- SQL skills are essential to become an effective hacker.
- Hacking tools are programs that simplify the process of identifying and exploiting weaknesses in computer systems
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