Linux for Ethical Hackers Course

Instructor Introduction

Heath Adams

• Ethical hacker by trade
• Business owner and CEO at TCM Security
• Background:
  • Penetration testing, ethical hacking
  • Security academy (TCM Security Academy)
  • Over 300,000 YouTube subscribers, taught over a million people
• Social Media: Available to connect
• Certifications: Various hacking-related certifications

Course Overview

• Purpose: Understand Linux as an ethical hacker
• Audience: Those with no prior Linux experience
• Topics:
  • Installing and running Kali Linux
  • Navigating the file system
  • Using common network commands
  • Creating, viewing, and editing files
  • Managing services
  • Installing tools
  • Bash scripting

Key Differentiators

• Updates: Updated from the original course taught on YouTube 2 years ago
• Latest Version: Using Kali Linux 2022.2
• Part of Larger Course: Part of the Practical Ethical Hacking 25-hour course on TCM Security Academy

Virtual Machines (VMs)

• Importance: Essential for building labs without additional hardware
• Resources: Recommend at least 16GB RAM for smooth performance during active directory portion
• Software: VMware Workstation Player (Windows/Linux) or Oracle VirtualBox (Mac)
• Setup:
  • Download from respective official websites
  • Installation steps covered

Linux Installation (Kali Linux)

• Kali Linux: Debian-based distribution geared towards ethical hacking and penetration testing
• Steps:
  • Download from the official Kali Linux website (virtual machine option)
  • Extract and open the VMX file
  • VM settings adjustment (RAM, network adapter)
  • Install and log in (username: kali, password: kali)

Exploring Kali Linux

• Overview: In-built tools for ethical hacking
• Applications: Categorized for different hacking stages (Information gathering, wireless attacks, etc.)
• Use of Terminal: Primarily working in the terminal for commands

Sudo Feature

• Importance: Run commands with elevated privileges (sudo)
• Usage: Regular user vs. Root user
• Commands: Examples (cat, sudo cat, etc.)
• Switch Users: sudo su (switch to root)
• Sudoers File: Control who can run commands as root

Navigating File System

• Commands: cd (change directory), ls (list contents), pwd (print working directory)
• Directory Commands: Make (mkdir), remove (rmdir), copy (cp), move (mv)
• File Commands: echo, touch, cat
• Permissions: ls -la to view permissions, chmod to change permissions
• Hidden Files: Dot (.) prefix files visible with ls -la

Managing Services

• Commands:
  • Start a service: sudo service [service name] start
  • Stop a service: sudo service [service name] stop
  • Enable on boot: systemctl enable [service name]
  • Disable on boot: systemctl disable [service name]

Installing and Updating Tools

• Commands:
  • Update and upgrade: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  • Install tools: sudo apt install [tool name]
• Git: Cloning repositories (git clone [repository URL])
• Example: Pimp my Kali for fixing common issues with Kali tools

Bash Scripting

• Basics: Writing and running basic scripts
• For Loops: Example to ping sweep a network
• Automate Tasks: Using scripts to automate penetration testing tasks

Networking Commands

• Network Interface: ip a, ifconfig
• Wireless: iwconfig
• Routing Table: ip r, route
• ARP: ip n, arp -a
• Ping: Basic reachability test

Summary

• Further Learning: Practical Ethical Hacking 25-hour course
• Subscription: Encouraged to subscribe to TCM Security’s YouTube channel for updates and new content

Conclusion

• Instructor Note: Heath thanks viewers and encourages them to pursue further studies in ethical hacking field
• Additional Resources: TCM Security Academy for more in-depth courses