Security Fundamentals
The bedrock. Skip this and you'll plateau.
Master the terminal and the network - the two foundations every other security skill is built on. This is where every aspiring hacker should start.
Linux Fundamentals
Live in the terminal like a hacker. From the filesystem to permissions, processes, bash scripting, and the privilege-escalation tricks that win real engagements.
Why Linux for Hackers
Why offensive tooling is Linux-first, the distros that matter (Kali, Parrot), and how to think in a shell.
The Filesystem Hierarchy
The Linux directory tree (FHS): where configs, binaries, logs, and secrets live - and where attackers look first.
Files & Navigation
Move and manipulate the filesystem: ls, cd, cp, mv, rm, mkdir, find, and locate - fast.
Viewing & Editing Files
cat, less, head, tail, nano, and just-enough vim to survive on a target box.
Permissions & Ownership
rwx, octal modes, chmod/chown, and the SUID/SGID/sticky bits that are a goldmine for privilege escalation.
Users, Groups & sudo
/etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, groups, and how sudo is configured - and misconfigured.
Processes & Services
ps, top, kill, jobs, and systemd/systemctl - see and control what's running.
Package Management
apt, dpkg, and installing your toolkit - plus how packages become attack surface.
Streams, Redirection & Pipes
stdin/stdout/stderr, |, >, >>, 2>&1, tee - the plumbing that makes the shell a superpower.
Text Processing: grep, sed & awk
The data-mining trio for parsing logs, scraping output, and finding the one line that matters.
Networking from the CLI
ip, ss, netcat, curl, wget, ssh, scp - recon, transfer files, and catch shells.
Bash Scripting for Hackers
Variables, conditionals, loops, and functions - automate recon and build your own tools.
Linux Privilege Escalation
The payoff: sudo misconfigs, SUID binaries, cron jobs, PATH hijacking, and GTFOBins - going from user to root.
Logs & System Investigation
/var/log, journalctl, who/last/history - covering both the attacker's and defender's view.
Networking Foundations
You can't attack what you don't understand. IP, TCP/UDP, the handshake, ports, DNS, and HTTP - the plumbing every exploit travels over.
Models, IP & NAT
OSI vs TCP/IP, IPv4/IPv6, public vs private addresses, and what NAT really does.
TCP, UDP & the Handshake
Reliable vs fire-and-forget, the SYN/SYN-ACK/ACK handshake, and why nmap exploits it.
Ports, DNS & HTTP
The ports hackers memorize, how DNS resolves, and the anatomy of an HTTP request.