Hello, yesterday is when I discovered this forum. I’m not very experienced in this field but I’m aspiring to become a pen. tester. Most of the topics here are too advanced for me, and I’d just like to know where I can get started. Thank you!
3 Likes
CTF is always a great place to start. Challenging yourself is the best way to get experience
There is a CTF section here, besides lots of reading vulnhubs also help
best of luck in your travels
3 Likes
One of the big hurdles I experienced when entering this industry was that I was intimidated by all the stuff there is to learn, just like you are now. Thankfully, you don’t need to know everything. Some like reverse engineering binaries, others like tinkering, and that is fine! You’ll find your place soon enough.
If you want to get into pentesting, I recommend that you play a lot of Vulnhub virtual machines. The CTF section here is mostly aimed at reverse engineering and not pentesting. If you are really stuck on one machine, then google a part of the solution, like @salvation said. This is the best way to memorize new techniques.
Furthermore, I also recommend this book. It’s far from a complete guide, but it will give you an idea on the direction you want to take.
Remember to keep the fun in it, otherwise it is all in vain! The most important thing here is still fun.
There is a saying in prison, “get in where you fit in”. This applies to anything and not just prison. Like @anon79434934 said, you’ll find where you belong just by reading and doing.
there are websites that will help you, here is a list of CTF’s to get started with, http://captf.com/practice-ctf/
Are you familiar with Linux? I’d say that would be a good place to start. If you want to seriously get into cyber, a familiarity with Linux is a must.
If you already know how to use Linux and feel comfortable with most distros, I would start with beginner CTF challenges or find some boot2root machines on VulnHub.
Some good beginner CTFs are PicoCTF and EasyCTF. They’re aimed at middle school and high school students, great place to start. Good luck!
4 Likes
Oh lordy… I don’t mean to advertise here but check out my Wiki. Other than that… I’m outta ideas. lol.
As @johnmarston mentioned above, developing your Linux skills is probably the best start.
This could help with that:
Linux Fundamentals - Part 1
Linux Fundamentals - Part 2
Linux Fundamentals - Part 3
Linux Fundamentals - Part 4
For me, as a former Windows-only user ( ya ya i know… 
) having the possibility to quickly get the hints i need when I´m stuck, turns out to be very helpful, too.
OMG… how many times I’ve rage-quit on some driver setups or the same damn error at retry #352…
And of course always worth a look, the Wiki:
Ubuntu Wiki
Debian Wiki
openSUSE Wiki
In case you’re a Linux PRO, these links could still be useful for someone who’s not.
2 Likes
Hey,
If you want to learn how to become a Pen Tester you can try out Cybrary. It has free courses on Penetration testing.
here's the URL: cybrary.it
Hope you find it useful!
This topic was automatically closed after 30 days. New replies are no longer allowed.