Getting started in scripting

Perhaps the most important skill a hacker should master is programming. This is what makes the true difference between "hackers" and "script kiddies". The latter lacks the knowledge to write his own script: he rather uses programs made by others to attack his target. In contrast, a worthy hacker builds his own program tailored to his needs in order to exploit a specific vulnerability.

Does that mean that a hacker never uses material written by others? Of course not. As most of the exploits (i.e. scripts that exploit a flaw) written by/for the Linux community are open-source, hackers often reverse-engineer these programs to understand how they work and potentially modify them to suit their own needs. What's more, when building his own script, a hacker very often integrates some tool from a fellow hacker. This is precisely how malware evolves on a daily basis: a programmer uses his know-how to combine multiple exploits in an effective way.

Writing your first script

From the moment I opened a text editor and started writing my first line of shell code, I fell in love again with programming -- "again" because I already have experience in Java, having built my own projects, before getting into cybersecurity. I started with shell scripting (in bash language) because it's straightforward yet extremely powerful when in the right hands. If you search around the internet for the basics of shell scripting, I guarantee you will instantly want to learn more. The syntax used is simple and understandable from the first reading. 

A teaser of my next post

"Adopting" a text editor

Text editors are the link between human and machine: that's where you write your code. Assuming you're using Kali Linux, like I do, you have plenty of options when it comes to text editors: nano, leafpad, gedit, vi, vim... I would personally recommend two of those. 

• Leafpad: included in the Kali repository, it is easy to use and has the convenience of providing a GUI.
• Vim: arguably the most efficient text editor. While it may be complex to use at first, it will sooner or later become your best friend. Numerous script developers recommend using Vim, and I agree with them. It does not have a GUI. I am writing a guide to help you get started with it, check back soon here on Hacker Handle.

Basic script ideas

To start, you can write a simple program that automates a process: for example, a script that puts your wireless interface into monitor mode, starts networks discovery and logs the different BSSIDs found in a text file -- hint: we'll be coding a similar script in a future post.

I deeply encourage you to start writing your own scripts, even simple ones, to get out of the script kiddie bubble. Along your journey, should you have any ideas or encounter any problem, do not hesitate to post a comment here or contact me. I would be glad to help.