Hey- 
This is my first shot at a tutorial- it's part of a series, this is just basic stuff. Feedback would be appreciated. 
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Introduction 

Many people from around the world get into hacking for various reasons. Unfortunately, many people will begin to hack 
because they want to be "m@d 1337" and cooler than their friends. The fact is, you can't be a successful or respected 
hacker if you just use other people's programs- you can't download things and expect to hack anyone without a wink of 
computer security knowledge. As such, being a hacker requires skill, motivation, creativity, and many other characteristics, 
but above all, patience. In order to be a competent hacker, you will be reading more than anything else. This reason alone 
is why so many find out that hacking really isn't for them- because they just want to mess with people's computers early 
on rather than read and figure things out for themselves. I'll warn you right now- this part of the series involves no 
hacking, but rather reading about things you'll need to know if you want to be any good. This is your first test, really- 
if you can comprehend what you read in this document (in other words, you need to read it), then you may just have what it 
takes to become a decent hacker- however, notice the word MAY. 

Bear in mind, also, that computer security knowledge comes not only through poring over volumes of documents, but through 
some experimentation- this is where some of the fun comes in.  Find yourself a family member's computer, or use your own 
computer, to try out various methods of hacking or screw around with their security. Here's a quote that rings true in 
all aspects of learning and education, including computer security: 

"Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I learn." 
-Benjamin Franklin 

I know that's rather corny, but who cares? Now hopefully you're getting the picture- you will be doing a lot of reading 
but you must do at least some experimentation to test things- especially if you're learning a programming language. The 
best thing you can do is write your own programs using what you learn. Anyway, that was a bit long, so now, since I know 
you're anxious (if you're still alive after reading that), we'll get into some actual material. 

Terms 

Before you get into reading computer security documents, you'll need to know some terms, however basic, so that computer 
experts' jargon (tech-talk; see? you just learned something) won't blow you away and you'll actually understand the 
computer aspect of what you're reading. So here are some of the more basic computer terms you'll come across (some are 
not as common, but still used.) I will discuss other terms at various points in this tutorial series. 

TCP/IP- if you've read anything about computers, you've probably heard the term IP address- IP is generally explained in 
conjunction with TCP. Respectively, TCP and IP stand for Transfer Control Protocol and Internet Protocol. When you send 
data (such as email), the data is first broken down into packets by TCP, and then the IP sends these packets to their 
destination (like a specified email address.) Upon arrival, TCP will first check the data packets for validity. If the 
packets are invalid, the data will not be displayed. If the packets are valid, TCP will re-assemble these packets into 
readable/usable data. 

HTTP- the protocol most important to the Web, HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. This protocol moves hypertext 
files across the 'Net- in other words, it controls where documents such as Web pages go to. HTTP needs a client and a 
server at two different ends, but you don't really need to know about that for now. 

FTP- stands for File Transfer Protocol. This protocol is used by servers to transmit files (such as a download site on the 
Web.) Files can be uploaded, shared, downloaded, etc. FTP servers will usually require authentication to gain access to 
the server unless it is being used by a person who does not need a password to do something (such as a person downloading 

a porn video.) 
TFTP- not as commonly seen as some other protocols, TFTP stands for Trivial File Transfer Protocol. If you know what the 
word 'trivial' means, you should be able to formulate some sort of idea as to what this is. It is a protocol again used 
by servers to transmit files, but is slightly different from FTP. It is not as capable as FTP in its ability to handle 
files, as it will never require authentication for use by anybody. These servers can sometimes be installed by viruses 
and worms- use Slarty's excellent tool to weed 'em out. 

SMTP- a protocol you might use everyday, SMTP is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. This is, quite obviously, the protocol 
used by servers to route email to its destination. Other protocols are forms of SMTP but are called something different- 
such as the POP3 protocol. However, that's not important. 

IDS- Intrusion Detection System. Self-explanatory. 

Honeypot- a server or system that seems very easy to break into, but is equipped with an IDS (see above) to bust your 
ass because you got greedy. 

Port- acts like a door between a computer and the Internet. Some ports are closed, other open (at different times, they 
can open or close, regardless of prior activity.) Different ports use different protocols, like the ones I described above, 
and some are used by programs such as AIM or Kazaa. 

Firewall- acts like a lock for doors (ports.) It blocks incoming and outgoing traffic on certain ports to keep computers
 safe or to prevent somebody from hacking. 

Those are many of the basic terms you'll need to know in order to be competent- it's not everything (and I don't pretend
 to know everything), but it will hopefully give you a solid foundation in beginning computer security. 

Ports 

I explained ports briefly in the Terms section, but since they will be an integral part of your hacking career, I am going 
to go into greater detail here with extremely bad analogies. Ports are, again, doors between anyone's computer and the 
neighborhood (Internet) that can be open or closed, and some will be locked (firewall) or have retinal scanners (passwords.) 
In the beginning, stay away from these secure doors. I'm not going to tell you how to find open doors (port scan) on 
certain houses (computers) in this part of the tutorial, but that'll be coming later- I'll give you a foundation in security 
first. Once you find an open door that is using the desirable protocol (for example, if you want to send mail, use the SMTP 
port, port 25) then all you have to do is walk in (hack the computer), but again, I won't tell you how to do that just yet. 
Stay patient, and you'll learn in time. Make sure you don't ring the doorbell (get detected), or you'll be totally screwed 
(you can figure out an analogy for that one, I assume.) 

Anyone, once you're in, do what you want. But back on the subject of ports, you need to find a desirable port for what 
you want to do- see the example above. Because of this, sometimes you won't be able to hack a certain computer because 
the port is inaccessible (people have their doors shut.) Basically, trying to find the right port (door) is like going 
on the Price is Right and selecting a door to find a prize (target) afterwards. The port scanner and its results are 
like Bob Barker, telling you annoying things that you didn't want to know, because all you want to do is get by the damn 
door. 

So, to overview this slightly more detailed section, ports can be closed or open, and they will run different protocols. 
So, if you get into a certain port with the protocol you want, have fun. Yes, I know that analogies were awful, but 
please forgive me- only one section left in this part. 

Firewalls 

The last section of this part of the tutorial will be on firewalls, because you will hear tons about them in security 
documents and when you try to hack something. Firewalls, are again (cue bad analogies) like locks on doors that will 
prevent some people from getting in. You can, once you're good, pick the lock (bypass a firewall), but as I've stated,
 stay away from a firewall in your early hacking days- trying to screw with a locked house (computer with a firewall) 
will only get you into some serious trouble. Anyway, firewalls block all traffic on certain ports so that they are 
inaccessible to people who want to get in. Because of this, firewalls can sometimes be inconvienent to hackers, but they 
are essential to securing yourself. 

Envision a house that is totally open- like having every port in the world open on one computer (I don't think that'll 
EVER happen). It'd be real easy to get in, and just mess around with anything you want, because each port will run on a 
different protocol. Now, close every door and put a lock on it. Slightly tougher to get in now, isn't it? Of course, 
there will be some ports open, but even then the firewall may still prevent any connections- like a door that locks from 
the inside so you can control it but no one from the outside can get in. Sometimes, you will be turned away by a firewall 
because it shuts off a port with a protocol you want to use. 

That's a slightly less brief description of firewalls. Though there are still many concepts to be covered, but by now, 
you should be beginning to feel more comfortable with computer security. 

Conclusion 

So now you've hopefully learned about ports, firewalls, terms, and more importantly, a hacker's mentality. Hopefully the 
bad analogies helped you understand the topics better, and in the next part we'll get into some real fun stuff, like 
Telnet hacking. But for now, make sure you understand this stuff, because the next tutorial won't always walk you through 
material you should've already learned. Good luck with your hacking career (though it's not really anything yet, so 
nevermind for now.)  

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Alright, that's about it- let me know what you think of it.

By Ice Phoenix