The Ultimate Guide to Hacking Like a GOD: PDF Edition with Real-Life Hacking Scenarios and Tips
- Benefits of learning hacking skills - Challenges and risks of hacking H2: How to set up your hacking environment - Choosing the right operating system and tools - Installing and configuring Kali Linux - Securing your network and identity H2: How to hack like a GOD: real-life hacking scenarios - Playing with Kerberos - Bypassing Citrix and Applocker - Mainframe hacking - Fileless WMI persistence - NoSQL injections - Wiegand protocol - Exfiltration techniques - Antivirus evasion tricks H2: How to improve your hacking skills and stay updated - Practicing on online platforms and labs - Reading books and blogs on hacking - Joining hacking communities and events - Following security news and trends H2: Conclusion - Summary of the main points - Call to action Table 2: Article with HTML formatting How to Hack Like a GOD: Master the Secrets of Hacking Through Real Life Scenarios Hack The 3
If you are interested in hacking, you might have come across the book series "How to Hack Like a ..." by Sparc FLOW. These books are not your typical hacking tutorials that teach you how to use Metasploit or Nmap. Instead, they take you on a step-by-step journey where you pwn a high-profile target using custom scripts and techniques drawn from real-life findings. In this article, we will review the third book in the series, "How to Hack Like a GOD: Master the secrets of hacking through real-life hacking scenarios". This book will show you how to hack a fashion company from zero initial access to remotely recording board meetings. You will learn advanced hacking techniques such as playing with Kerberos, bypassing Citrix and Applocker, mainframe hacking, fileless WMI persistence, NoSQL injections, Wiegand protocol, exfiltration techniques, and antivirus evasion tricks. Whether you are a wannabe pentester dreaming about real-life hacking experiences or an experienced ethical hacker tired of countless Metasploit tutorials, you will find unique gems in this book for you to try.
PDF How To Hack Like A GOD Master The Secrets Of Hacking Through Real Life Scenarios Hack The 3
What is hacking and why should you learn it?
Hacking is the art of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in systems, networks, applications, or devices. Ethical hacking is the practice of using hacking skills for good purposes, such as testing the security of your own or your client's systems, or helping others who are victims of cyberattacks. Learning how to hack can bring you many benefits, such as:
You can protect yourself and your loved ones from cyber threats by knowing how hackers think and operate.
You can advance your career by acquiring valuable skills that are in high demand in the IT industry.
You can have fun by challenging yourself with puzzles and problems that require creativity and logic.
However, learning how to hack also comes with some challenges and risks, such as:
You need to constantly update your knowledge and skills as technology evolves and new vulnerabilities emerge.
You need to follow ethical principles and laws when conducting hacking activities, or else you might face legal consequences.
You need to be careful about your online privacy and security when interacting with other hackers or accessing malicious resources.
How to set up your hacking environment
Before you start hacking, you need to prepare your hacking environment. This includes choosing the right operating system and tools, installing and configuring Kali Linux, and securing your network and identity.
Choosing the right operating system and tools
The operating system you use for hacking should be compatible with the tools you need, and provide you with the flexibility and control you want. Many hackers prefer to use Linux-based operating systems, such as Kali Linux, Parrot OS, or BlackArch Linux. These operating systems come with hundreds of pre-installed hacking tools, and allow you to customize and modify them as you wish. However, you can also use other operating systems, such as Windows or macOS, as long as you install the necessary tools and configure them properly.
The tools you use for hacking depend on the type and scope of your hacking project. However, some of the most common and essential tools are:
Nmap: a network scanner that can discover hosts, services, ports, and vulnerabilities on a network.
Metasploit: a framework that can exploit vulnerabilities and deliver payloads on compromised systems.
Wireshark: a packet analyzer that can capture and analyze network traffic.
Burp Suite: a web application testing tool that can intercept and manipulate HTTP requests and responses.
John the Ripper: a password cracker that can crack hashed or encrypted passwords.
Installing and configuring Kali Linux
Kali Linux is one of the most popular and widely used operating systems for hacking. It is a Debian-based Linux distribution that comes with over 600 pre-installed hacking tools, covering various domains such as penetration testing, forensics, reverse engineering, malware analysis, wireless hacking, and more. You can download Kali Linux from its official website (https://www.kali.org/downloads/) and install it on your computer or a virtual machine. You can also run Kali Linux from a live USB or CD without installing it.
After installing Kali Linux, you need to configure some settings to optimize your hacking experience. Some of the things you should do are:
Change the default password for the root user (toor) to a strong and unique one.
Update the system and the tools to the latest versions using the commands apt update and apt upgrade.
Enable the SSH service to remotely access your Kali Linux machine using the command systemctl start ssh.
Install additional tools or packages that you need using the command apt install.
Customize the appearance and behavior of your desktop environment, such as changing the wallpaper, theme, icons, keyboard layout, etc.
Securing your network and identity
When you are hacking, you need to protect your network and identity from being exposed or traced by your target or other hackers. Some of the ways you can do this are:
Use a VPN (virtual private network) service to encrypt your traffic and hide your real IP address.
Use Tor (the onion router) network to anonymize your online activity and access hidden services.
Use proxy servers or chains to route your traffic through multiple intermediate servers.
Use disposable email addresses or aliases to register or communicate online.
Use burner phones or SIM cards to make or receive calls or messages.
How to hack like a GOD: real-life hacking scenarios
In this section, we will review some of the real-life hacking scenarios that are described in detail in the book "How to Hack Like a GOD". These scenarios are based on actual pentesting engagements that the author conducted for his clients. They will show you how to apply various hacking techniques to achieve different objectives, such as gaining initial access, escalating privileges, maintaining persistence, moving laterally, exfiltrating data, and evading detection. You will also learn how to use custom scripts and tools that are not commonly found in other hacking tutorials. We will summarize the main steps and highlights of each scenario, but we encourage you to read the book for more details and explanations.
Playing with Kerberos
Kerberos is a network authentication protocol that is widely used in Windows Active Directory environments. It allows users and services to authenticate each other using tickets that are issued by a trusted authority called the Key Distribution Center (KDC). However, Kerberos also has some vulnerabilities and weaknesses that can be exploited by hackers to gain access or privileges on a network. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Perform Kerberoasting attacks to obtain service account credentials by requesting service tickets and cracking their hashes.
Perform AS-REP Roasting attacks to obtain user account credentials by requesting authentication tickets and cracking their hashes.
Perform Pass-the-Ticket attacks to impersonate users by using a stolen TGT or TGS.
Perform Golden Ticket attacks to create forged TGTs that grant domain administrator privileges.
Perform Silver Ticket attacks to create forged TGSs that grant access to specific services.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as Mimikatz, Rubeus, Impacket, and Hashcat. You will also need to understand how Kerberos works and how to manipulate its components, such as tickets, keys, encryption types, and timestamps.
Bypassing Citrix and Applocker
Citrix and Applocker are two technologies that are often used by organizations to restrict the access and execution of applications on their systems. Citrix is a virtualization solution that allows users to access applications and desktops remotely from a centralized server. Applocker is a Windows feature that allows administrators to create rules that allow or deny the execution of applications based on their attributes, such as publisher, path, or hash. However, both Citrix and Applocker have some limitations and flaws that can be exploited by hackers to bypass them and run malicious code on the target systems. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Enumerate Citrix servers and clients on a network using Nmap and Metasploit.
Exploit a vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and Gateway (CVE-2019-19781) to gain remote code execution on a Citrix server.
Use PowerShell scripts and commands to download and execute payloads on a Citrix server.
Use the Citrix clipboard feature to copy files from a Citrix server to a Citrix client.
Use the Citrix printer feature to execute commands on a Citrix client.
Use Applocker bypass techniques, such as using trusted binaries, scripts, or registry keys, to run malicious code on a system with Applocker enabled.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as Nmap, Metasploit, PowerShell, Mimikatz, and SharpSploit. You will also need to understand how Citrix and Applocker work and how to abuse their features and configurations.
Mainframe hacking
Mainframes are large and powerful computers that are used by many organizations to process large amounts of data and transactions. They are often considered as legacy systems that are outdated and insecure, but in reality they are still widely used and critical for many industries, such as banking, healthcare, government, and transportation. Mainframes run on different operating systems than Windows or Linux, such as z/OS, IBM i, or VMS. They also use different protocols and architectures than common network devices, such as TN3270, RACF, or VTAM. Therefore, hacking mainframes requires specialized knowledge and tools that are not commonly found in other hacking tutorials. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Discover mainframes on a network using Nmap and ZMap.
Enumerate mainframe services and information using Nmap scripts and custom tools.
Bruteforce mainframe credentials using Hydra and custom wordlists.
Access mainframe terminals using TN3270 emulators such as x3270 or PuTTY.
Execute commands and run programs on mainframe terminals using JCL or REXX scripts.
Exploit vulnerabilities in mainframe applications or services using Metasploit modules or custom exploits.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as Nmap , ZMap, Hydra, x3270, PuTTY, JCL, REXX, Metasploit, and Nmap scripts. You will also need to understand how mainframes work and how to interact with them using terminal emulators and scripting languages.
Fileless WMI persistence
WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) is a Windows feature that provides a framework for managing and monitoring Windows systems and applications. WMI can be used to perform various administrative tasks, such as querying system information, configuring settings, executing commands, or creating events. However, WMI can also be abused by hackers to perform malicious actions, such as creating fileless malware, establishing persistence, or executing remote commands. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Use WMI to query system information and execute commands on local or remote systems.
Use WMI to create fileless malware that resides in the WMI repository and runs in memory.
Use WMI to create persistence mechanisms that trigger the fileless malware based on certain events or conditions.
Use WMI to evade antivirus detection and forensic analysis.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as PowerShell, WMIC, WMI Explorer, and SharpWMI. You will also need to understand how WMI works and how to manipulate its components, such as namespaces, classes, instances, methods, properties, and filters.
NoSQL injections
NoSQL databases are databases that store data in formats other than relational tables, such as documents, graphs, key-value pairs, or columns. NoSQL databases are often used by web applications that handle large volumes of unstructured or semi-structured data. However, NoSQL databases are not immune to injection attacks, which are attacks that exploit the lack of input validation or sanitization by injecting malicious code or commands into user-supplied data. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Identify NoSQL databases and their types on a web application using tools such as Nmap or Burp Suite.
Enumerate NoSQL databases and their collections using tools such as NoSQLMap or custom scripts.
Inject malicious queries or operators into NoSQL databases using tools such as NoSQLMap or Burp Suite.
Exploit NoSQL injection vulnerabilities to perform actions such as reading, writing, updating, or deleting data from NoSQL databases.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as Nmap , Burp Suite, NoSQLMap, and custom scripts. You will also need to understand how NoSQL databases work and how to manipulate their queries and operators.
Wiegand protocol
Wiegand protocol is a communication protocol that is used to transmit data between card readers and access control panels. It was originally developed by John R. Wiegand in the 1980s based on the Wiegand effect, which is a phenomenon that occurs when a specially designed wire changes its magnetic polarity when exposed to a magnetic field. Wiegand protocol uses three wires: one for ground, and two for data transmission (DATA0 and DATA1). The data is encoded in binary bits that are represented by pulses of different voltages on the data wires. However, Wiegand protocol has some limitations and vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers to gain access or manipulate data on an access control system. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Sniff Wiegand data using tools such as Proxmark3 or custom hardware.
Decode Wiegand data using tools such as Proxmark3 or custom software.
Clone Wiegand cards using tools such as Proxmark3 or custom hardware.
Replay Wiegand data using tools such as Proxmark3 or custom hardware.
Fuzz Wiegand data using tools such as Proxmark3 or custom software.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as Proxmark3, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and custom hardware and software. You will also need to understand how Wiegand protocol works and how to manipulate its data and signals.
Exfiltration techniques
Exfiltration is the process of transferring data from a compromised system or network to a controlled location by an attacker. Exfiltration is often the final goal of a hacking operation, as it allows the attacker to obtain valuable information or assets from the target. However, exfiltration can also be challenging and risky, as it can trigger alarms or expose the attacker's identity or location. Therefore, hackers use various techniques and methods to exfiltrate data stealthily and efficiently. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Use covert channels to exfiltrate data using protocols or mechanisms that are not intended for data transfer, such as DNS, ICMP, HTTP headers, TCP flags, etc.
Use encryption or encoding to obfuscate data and avoid detection by firewalls or IDS/IPS systems.
Use compression or splitting to reduce the size or volume of data and speed up the transfer process.
Use timing or scheduling to control the frequency or duration of data transfer and evade temporal analysis.
Use dead drops or proxies to store or relay data and avoid direct communication with the attacker's server.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as Ncat, Hping3, Powercat, DNScat2 , and custom tools. You will also need to understand how exfiltration works and how to choose the best technique for your scenario.
Antivirus evasion tricks
Antivirus software is a common defense mechanism that many systems and users rely on to protect themselves from malware and other cyber threats. Antivirus software works by scanning files and processes for known signatures or patterns of malicious code, and blocking or removing them if detected. However, antivirus software is not perfect, and hackers use various tricks and techniques to evade antivirus detection and analysis. In this scenario, you will learn how to:
Use code packing and encryption to obfuscate malware and avoid signature-based detection.
Use code polymorphism and metamorphism to generate malware variants that have different signatures but the same functionality.
Use code injection and process hollowing to hide malware inside legitimate processes and avoid behavioral analysis.
Use code signing and spoofing to make malware appear as trusted or benign applications and bypass reputation-based detection.
Use anti-debugging and anti-VM techniques to prevent malware from being analyzed by debuggers or virtual machines.
To perform these attacks, you will need tools such as UPX, Veil-Evasion, Shellter, Mimikatz, Process Hacker, SigThief, and custom tools. You will also need to understand how antivirus software works and how to manipulate its detection mechanisms.
How to improve your hacking skills and stay updated
Hacking is a dynamic and evolving field that requires constant learning and practice. As technology advances and new vulnerabilities emerge, hackers need to update their knowledge and skills to keep up with the latest trends and challenges. Here are some tips on how to improve your hacking skills and stay updated:
Practice on online platforms and labs that offer realistic hacking scenarios and challenges, such as Hack The Box, TryHackMe, PentesterLab, VulnHub, etc.
Read books and blogs on hacking that cover various topics and techniques, such as The Hacker Playbook series, The Web Application Hacker's Handbook, Hackers-Arise blog, etc.
Join hacking communities and events that provide opportunities for networking, learning, sharing, and competing with other hackers, such as DEF CON, Black Hat, OWASP, Reddit r/hacking, etc.
Follow security news and trends that repor