Lesson 1 Introduction to Ethical Hacking

What is Ethical Hacking?

Ethical hacking, also known as penetration testing or white-hat hacking, is the practice of intentionally probing systems, networks, and applications for security vulnerabilities in a legal and authorized manner.

Key Concepts

The Ethical Hacking Process

1. Planning and Reconnaissance

   Gather information about the target system and define the scope of testing.

2. Scanning

   Use tools to discover live systems, open ports, and services.

3. Gaining Access

   Exploit vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to systems.

4. Maintaining Access

   Establish persistent access to demonstrate the impact of vulnerabilities.

5. Analysis and Reporting

   Document findings and provide recommendations for remediation.

Essential Skills for Ethical Hackers

Sample Code: Simple Port Scanner

Here's a basic example of a port scanner written in Python:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import socket
import sys
from datetime import datetime

def scan_port(target, port):
    """
    Scan a specific port on the target host
    """
    try:
        # Create a socket object
        sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
        sock.settimeout(1)  # 1 second timeout
        
        # Attempt to connect to the target and port
        result = sock.connect_ex((target, port))
        sock.close()
        
        # Port is open if result is 0
        return result == 0
    except socket.gaierror:
        # Hostname could not be resolved
        return False
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error scanning port {port}: {e}")
        return False

def main():
    """
    Simple port scanner example
    """
    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
        print("Usage: python3 port_scanner.py ")
        sys.exit(1)
    
    target = sys.argv[1]
    print(f"Starting port scan on {target}")
    print(f"Time started: {datetime.now()}")
    print("-" * 50)
    
    # Common ports to scan
    common_ports = [22, 23, 53, 80, 110, 443, 993, 995]
    
    open_ports = []
    for port in common_ports:
        if scan_port(target, port):
            print(f"Port {port}: Open")
            open_ports.append(port)
        else:
            print(f"Port {port}: Closed")
    
    print("-" * 50)
    print(f"Scan completed. Open ports: {open_ports}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Exercise