What is Hacking?
Guide to any beginners that have no idea what they're talking about.


I'm Notorious. I'm not here to be a nice teacher, rather to make sure I don't have to see any more total skids online. This guide is made for anyone that hardly knows what they're talking about, that want to actually learn and that know they can be keen enough to follow without asking obvious questions. Because let's face it, those things irritate.
I'll be touching arguments like proxies, exploits, colored hats, payloads, OSs, SEing, etc. These are all relevant to our main subject which is hacking, the seemingly distant action that the Russians use against Hillary, right? No, hacking is everywhere, everyday. Let's start.

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What does Hacking Mean?
The term hacking is used in 2 different ways for the field that we operate in:

⚫to modify (a computer program or electronic device) or write (a program) in a skillful or clever way.
⚫to circumvent security and break into (a network, computer, file, etc.), usually with malicious intent.

So, let's think about this. You probably though hacking was only the second definition that I wrote here, the one that you can apply to criminal organizations like LizardSquad that hacked your favorite PSN servers. Well, it's not the only definition.
Hacking electronic equipment is pretty much adding functions or completely redesigning a gadget to be use differently from the original creator's purpose. For example, if I were to grab a hand buzzer and decided to add high-voltage capacitors to transform it into a full-fledged taser ready to stun a human being, that would be hardware hacking. This, therefore, is another use of the term "hacking". It's an easy concept and you should have already understood it by now so let's go on.
As you can see, I'm giving hackers a more human-like definition since this is what they are, humans. They can be your classmate, neighbor or even your sister. It's important to understand this since, if you're reading this, you'll have to know you probably won't become one of those top-class black-hat hackers that rob companies on a daily basis. I mean, if you do just remember that you started here and that you owe me something.

So? In the end, hacking is simply redesigning or deciding to look at things with different eyes, trying to find new functionalities for anything that presents itself to you. When we walk over to the darker sidewalk, hacking is also mostly illegal use of knowledge to gain information and access to networks, machines, cameras and any other thing governed by electricity without having actual permission.

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Types of Hackers
As with every animal kingdom, there are different species. For this reason there are different types of hackers and this is the part where we start talking about colored hats. There is foundation to this so calm down, it's not some idiotic sorting method.

⚫Script Kiddies (skids) - The worst of them all. They have no clue what they're doing but feel great doing it. They usually have little to no IT knowledge and hardly ever are problems to anyone that knows how to use a computer. The dude that somehow got into the party and asks Black-Hats for some weed that will strongly refuse giving it to him.
⚫White-Hats - The good guys. They are full-fledged hackers that decided to work for governments and police federations, they protect and secure systems. He won't smoke weed even if you payed him.
⚫Grey-Hats - They're in between since they occasionally help privates and/or governments even though they won't stop in front of the law. The cool guy at the party that won't bring weed but will smoke it if it pops up.
⚫Black-Hats - They use everything they know for malicious and illegal purposes and usually are acquainted with criminal organizations. They don't smoke weed at the party, they're hands down drug-lords.
⚫Suicide Hackers - They just do a really big hack once in a lifetime to prove something, for example politics. After this they are quickly forgotten about. They smoke weed at the party but then try to sell it to the cops when they get there,

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Let's get to the Nice Stuff
Now you have a general idea of what hackers are and how they're classified. I'll be continuing these arguments over time by creating specific guides on each one of these. I only grazed what hacking is and I'll probably never get to the end of it since it's such a vast subject. Here are links to any specific thing you might want to know:

Networking 101
⚫Basic Concepts - General idea of networking and simple fundamentals.
⚫Topologies, OSI Mode, TCP/IP Suite - Fundamentals of communication
⚫Connectivity Devices - Networking Hardware

Hacking Theory
⚫Footprinting - First phase of hacking, just gather info and later on use it.

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Found it interesting but have some questions? Ask me anything and I'll respond as quickly as possible if I feel like it.
Discussion is the basis of anything serious.