How I learned Hacking as a teenager!
Everyone loves a refreshing coca-cola after their lunch but there is also a certain group who loves coca-cola and black hoodies. Before I go any further, this article is not sponsored by coca-cola. Of course, I know you must be wondering who are those cola addicts who never sleep at night, they are the hackers. So, how do Hackers know how to hack? Everything comes down to practice and experience. Yes, some may have been gifted with super intelligence in computer hacking naturally but that doesn’t mean you cannot hack like actors in movies. Today, I will be telling how I learned Hacking as a teenager and pretty much still learning alongside writing. (Disclaimer: I am nowhere near being a professional hacker and this article is intended to be an inspirational guide.)
My curiosity in computers and technology started since I was 11 years old after discovering an article on the internet, which is about “hacking online accounts”. This was not my initiator into learning about technology properly since I was too young and did not know anything about self-learning or where do I even learn. After some years into my mid-teenage years, I finally managed to make myself disciplined and actually start pursuing my favourite subject which is “Hacking / Cyber Security”.
How I Started Learning!
I pretty much-having lots of free time, after dropping out of high school but it was also the time when I discovered the field of cybersecurity. I came across with cybersecurity by seeing an ad online that a free training short-phase course on cybersecurity is being taught for everyone. I didn’t hesitate a single minute to enroll because I had nothing else to do except doing some push-ups in the morning. After a few days of signing up the course actually started and that was the place where I learned about basic Linux commands, setting up a VM and using basic tools to inject payload. It was very short-phased but I learnt a lot in a short time because I took extra effort into studying more after the class. The class finished after a couple of weeks and after the class, I signed up for a monthly 10 USD to Tryhackme.com to learn on my own because I also had enough confidence to challenge myself every day. Tryhackme offers cheap subscriptions for cybersecurity courses with a certificate but 70% of their contents can be accessed by anyone for free.
Basics overview of Cybersecurity
We all have this common problem when we first step into learning, got overwhelmed by varieties of topics to learn and cannot help but talk to yourself “I don’t know what I should be studying”. If I were to answer that, first of all cybersecurity is a massive field with different people specializing in a certain area of cybersecurity. Generally, there are three major specialized fields in cybersecurity: Red Team ( The group who imitates attacks like bad hackers on the network infrastructure of the company so company can prepare it´s best at mitigating real cyber attacks), Blue Team ( The group who are into defending and upgrading the security of the network infrastructure and handles attacks on a cyber incident) and Pentesters ( The group specialized in ethically breaking through a company by both physical security and network security to report about company’s physical security measures, technological vulnerabilities and network security). The roadmap of learning cybersecurity varies on the field you are interested in but every beginner pursuing cybersecurity needs to know the fundamentals which are Basic Security, Linux, Programming and Networking. Once, you have learned all of the things I have mentioned you will be getting an idea into which field you need to professionally specialize.
Learning Resources (both Free and Paid)
As I mentioned above you can learn cybersecurity for free on platforms like Tryhackme and HackTheBox. But using those platforms for free also has a major drawback for beginners which again is “ I don’t know what I should be studying”. That is why if you are really motivated to learn cybersecurity seriously with a structured learning path those platforms provided then, you need to pay the price which is 10 USD per month. But again if you cannot spend a few dollars you can still learn from youtube and google. Here are some few Youtubers who create cybersecurity contents:
- The Cyber Mentor: https://www.youtube.com/@TCMSecurityAcademy
- Networkchuck: https://www.youtube.com/c/NetworkChuck
- David Bombal: https://www.youtube.com/@davidbombal
Be sure to check playlist videos on their channels!
What you should learn before cybersecurity!
Previously, I had already mentioned learning topics briefly but you need to learn these before getting into cyber. First of all, you need to learn the IT Fundamentals which include learning about computer hardware, installing an Operating System, Troubleshooting computer errors, basic networking topologies and a general idea of networking protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, ports and VPNs. Second, you need to learn Linux because Kali Linux is the Linux distro you need to use on a daily basis as a hacker, all of the hacking tools and softwares you need are pre-configured inside Kali Linux. Lastly, you need to learn programming and a general idea of computer science because trust me, you will be needing to do programming as you advance into hacking. To wrap this all up, you need to learn IT Fundamentals, Linux and programming. To learn about IT Fundamentals you can just learn from youtube or go sign up an account on this website https://www.professormesser.com/ and pick Comptia A+ core 1. After completing core 1 continue with core 2 but keep in mind that if you already have experience on building a PC, installing an Operating System, Troubleshooting software errors and using a network you can just skip into learning Linux. The best way to learn Linux is by installing Linux as your operating system and use it on a daily basis. Also, you can learn basics of Linux in just a day because all you need to know to actually master Linux as a noob are a few common commands like cd, ls, cat and man. As a hacker, it is better to learn a programming language which is focused on scripting and creating hacking tools but as a beginner Python is only what you need due to 90% of hacking tools are written in Python and is a perfect scripting language. You can follow the traditional path of learning Python by 10 hours long videos on youtube or you can learn with a shorter course which is beginner-friendly and more of hacking focused than conventional Python tutorials. (Watch the video and be sure to take some good notes- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7utwZYKweho&list=WL&index=8&t=6609s.)
What to learn after finishing everything?
To answer this question again, I will be needing to go back to the same question “ I don’t know what I should be studying”. Yes, cybersecurity is the ultimate endless field with new things to learn every day since technology is always emerging and innovating. In short, I myself do not know what to learn after this and after that. The best way to know what to learn is by sitting in front of the computer and actually learning something. I’m sorry that I don’t even know myself and there is no better or more complete answer than telling you to have some self-discipline and just “Study”.
This is pretty much about a guide to starting to learn your way into cybersecurity as a beginner. I am still a teenager trying my best to become a cybersecurity professional and I also hope that this article means something to you. Also, follow my Medium and Twitter for more articles like these!
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