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Personal Development

How to be a Hacker – Step by Step Guide

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Lead Academy

8 Mins Read

You’ve got the world of hacking in your sights, but where do you even start? Even if you have no previous experience in technology, you can still look into a career in hacking. So now the question is, how to be a hacker in real life?

First, ask yourself: Why hacking? Before considering the learning process, I promise that the answer to this question will guide you in the right direction. The following are possible answers to this question:

  • Just curious
  • To build a career
  • To test a system

Plan your process according to the answer to this question keeping in mind that nothing happens quickly. We’ve set – up a handy, detailed guide that will help you learn how to be a hacker.
You’ll be one step closer to achieving all of your hacking dreams in just a few minutes!

What is a Hacker?

An individual who uses computers, networking, or other skills to solve a technological problem is known as a hacker. The term can also be used to describe someone who uses their skills to get into systems or networks without permission to commit crimes. The term “hacker” has a long history of causing controversy and is sometimes used to describe those who attack technical issues with great ability and originality. However, the term is also often used to refer to individuals who use this skill dishonestly or illegally.

The term “hacker” was first used in the 1960s to describe a programmer or anyone who, in a time when computers’ skills were highly restricted, could improve the performance of computer code by removing extra machine code instructions from a programme. Over time, it has changed to represent someone who profoundly understands hardware, networking, programming, or computers.

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Different Types of Hacker

Hackers can be classified into three different categories:

  • Black Hat Hacker

Black-hat hackers are also known as unethical hackers or security crackers. These people illegally break into the system to achieve their objectives or steal money. They target banks or other businesses with weak security and steal cash or credit card data from them. The data can also be changed or deleted by them, hence banned.

Many people are curious and want to know how to be a black hat hacker. The short answer is you can’t. There isn’t a single place where you can build up the technical skills, underground contacts, and black market resources and participate in the types of illegal actions related to black hat hacking.

Next, I strongly recommend against it. So please don’t do it.

A man with a black hoodie hacking into a laptop, shushing to the camera

  • White Hat Hacker

White hat hackers are also known as ethical hackers or penetration testers. White hat hackers are the good guys of the hacker world.

These people use the same method as computer attackers. They also attempt to hack the system, but they can only do so if they have been given permission to test its security. Their main goals are security and IT system protection. White hat hacking is legal.

  • Grey Hat Hacker

Grey hat hackers are a mix of white hat and black hat hackers. They can test the security of any system by hacking it, even without permission, but they will never take money or create system damage.

They usually inform the system’s administrator. However, they are illegal because they test the system’s security without permission. Grey hat hacking can often be carried out both legally and illegally.

How to Become a Hacker?

If you want to kickstart your career as a professional hacker, you can follow the guidelines below, which will give you an idea of how to be a hacker.

  • Step 1: Learn to Use LINUX/UNIX

An open-source operating system called LINUX/UNIX gives computer systems better security. Being one of the most popular operating systems for hacking and providing a range of tools, LINUX is essential for hackers. Red Hat Linux, Kali Linux, Ubuntu, BackTrack, and other popular Linux distributions are only a few examples.

  • Step 2: Master the Most Basic Programming Language

Yes, you guessed it right! Learn C programming. It is also called the mother of all programming languages.

A programmer coding in his workspace

Therefore, learning C programming is something you should do since it allows you the freedom to customise the open-source Linux operating system any way you want.

So, can you be a hacker without knowing how to program? The answer is simple programming is not required in this profession, but it is challenging to be a successful hacker without it.

  • Step 3: Learn How to be Anonymous

This is one of the essential steps that every hacker should be familiar with. You might participate in a lot of these activities. Therefore, it’s essential to understand how to remain anonymous online and how to hide one’s identity so that there won’t be any evidence of you left behind and no one can track you down.

  • Step 4: Learn Networking Concepts

Being knowledgeable about networking and having an understanding of how networks are created is another important and step to being a hacker. Since it helps in finding flaws, you should be familiar with a variety of networks and protocols. Learning various networking concepts and techniques as well as networking tools like Wireshark, Nmap, etc. will be quite helpful. Trust me; hacking is all about playing around with the Network.

  • Step 5: Become an Expert Hacker

Try learning about vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, SQL injections, and many others by diving deeply into hacking principles. Learning is never-ending in this realm because security changes daily due to system updates. As a result, you must stay updated on the newest tools and techniques or secure systems.

  • Step 6: Join the Discussion and Get to Know the Hackers

Making a community or joining forums that allow discussion with other hackers around the world is crucial for hackers. This will improve knowledge exchange, sharing, and teamwork. Join communities on different platforms, including Facebook, Telegram, Discord, and more.

Thus, following these easy steps can help you understand how to be a white hat hacker or a good hacker. The steps may be different from person to person, but the result must be the same!

What Types of Problems Does a Hacker Face?

There are different types of problems that hackers face, which are listed below:

  • Huge security risk.
  • Steal access to private information.
  • Privacy abuse.
  • Affecting how the system works.
  • Threats to a failure of service.
  • Harmful system attack.

A man showing his laptop screen that displays ‘Cyber Security’

FAQ

How much money do hackers make?

According to Northumbria University, ethical hackers make salaries that range from £30,000 to £40,000 depending on level, with an average salary of between £50,000 and £65,000. Ethical hackers with more experience can expect to make up to £70,000 yearly.

Who is the No 1 hacker in the world?

Kevin Mitnick is the number one hacker in the world.

How do hackers think?

It is challenging to identify what a person thinks. Still, whether they are a white hat (ethical hacker) or a black hat, their brains are in control, allowing them to clearly and carefully consider various actions, alternatives, and conclusions.

How long will it take to become a hacker?

Your skill at hacking properly can be fully developed between 18 months and 6 years.

Who was the youngest hacker?

The youngest hacker was five-year-old Kristoffer von Hassel.

Which type of hacker is best?

The best hackers are white hats because they are the good guys in the hacker community.

What is a red hacker?

A hacker who actively works to stop black hat hackers is known as a red hat hacker.

Do hackers use C++?

Yes. C++ allows developers to produce quick and effective hacking tools.

How many languages do hackers know?

PHP, C, C+, SQL, Python and Ruby are the primary programming languages that the hackers know.

What is Phone Hacking?

Any technique that allows unwanted access to your phone or its communications is considered a phone hack.

Conclusion

Being a hacker can make you a really good programmer because you’d be more likely to be aware of the cybersecurity risks and problems in new and updated software. Learning to hack might be a highly useful skill for you.

I hope that I was able to give you an insight into what hacking is and how to be a hacker. It will surely take some time, but with dedication and har cwd work, you can succeed in this profession. It’s never too late to start, if you take one step every day, you can become a hacker in a year.

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