What it takes to become an ethical or non-ethical hacker

You'll probably need to look into information security and ethical hacking.

You would be probably dealing with the following: 

Firewalls, security configuration, security process and (documentation - softskill for analysts) databases, remote access.

*Types of security services?

Encryptions, Permissions, denial of service and integrity of data.

You would need to setup a lab where part of the machines are attack machines and the other parts are defense machines. Here you would launch the attacks against the defense machines and see how long they hold up.

Attack lab, download tools and test them against vulnerability. (THIS IS A PROJECT-WORK)

- Firewalls

- IP/TCP packet reading

- Hacking tools

- Anti-virus

- Denial of service

- Email protection

- Document your findings

Lab requirements: multiple OS's that may need to run at the same time

The skills would need a mix of horned skills and part education.

Make sure you join security forums and contribute with security update or some research papers.

Join a mailing list on vulnerabilities

If you find a vulnerability, how much information should you disclose?

Be very aware:

Just because you can hack into some secure enterprise, does not mean you are hot property, consider the recent case where the UK hacker is being extradited to the US for prison? Also no one really wants to hire someone with a criminal record.

Seven categories of attacks (can you practice each of them):

- Denial of service *blocking a site or degrade the site or service

- Local denial of service

- Network denial of service 

- Attacking browsers using javascript bombs

- Flooding network connections

- Distributed denial of service

- Use programs as tfn and shaft to deny service to networks
- Information leakage

- SSH banners to attack protocols

- Regular file access

- Misinformation

- Use of rootkits, logfile kits to cover intrusion

- Special file/database access

- Buffer overflows

- Remote arbitrary code execution

- Use of automated tools

- Evaluation of previlages

- Trojan programs, social engineering hack (soft skills)