How to Become a Professional Hacker: 10 Simple Tips

Hello everyone, this is Pavlu! Here’s my adapted translation of an article from darkwebnews.com. I think it will be interesting for anyone curious about hacking. I’ve tailored it to fit our reality.

Anyone can come up with a flashy cyberpunk username and pretend to be a hacker. These days, there are plenty of wannabe hackers everywhere: on underground forums, in Telegram, and even on social media.

However, to truly call yourself a professional hacker, you need to have certain skills and knowledge—and even that’s not enough. You also need a particular mindset.

To become a hacker, you must have extensive knowledge of various hacking methods and vulnerabilities, a creative way of thinking, and be involved in communication with your “colleagues in the field.” Reputation in the hacker community is highly valuable.

There are two types of hacking: ethical and unethical. While unethical hackers use their skills for dishonest purposes (including, as a side note, full-on social engineering), ethical hackers use their skills to find vulnerabilities in computer security and network systems.

So, here are the tips:

1) Think Creatively

Hacking is a set of creative solutions aimed at solving a particular problem (in this case, security). It’s easy to say “think creatively,” but you really do need to approach things from a different angle—one that an average person wouldn’t even consider. This skill is hard to develop, but it’s possible.

It’s important to “think ahead” of other hackers—otherwise, who gets all the glory? If you struggle with this, the best thing to do is communicate with professional hackers and coders, learn about vulnerabilities, and exchange ideas and experiences. Of course, you should read a lot—news, books (for example, on information security or cryptography).

Subscribe to various geek portals and keep up with the news. You might want to check out the magazine “Hacker.” You can find unique ideas everywhere that could be useful.

2) Learn C Programming

This is one of the most important steps. You can read about it on Wikipedia.

Learning C allows you to break down tasks into small parts that can be expressed as a sequence of commands to evaluate logic. To understand the importance of this language, start reading books and articles about C programming. This is the foundation!

3) Learn Several Programming Languages

While C is a great starting point, it’s also important to learn modern programming languages like Python, Java, PHP, and Perl.

Most clients prefer modern languages, especially for complex automation, because they tend to be very secure.

Get some code samples and try to analyze them. Try to understand what they’re for and how they work. What’s their output? What happens if you change something?

It’s important to understand how each programming language works, as well as what security loopholes exist in each. For those who know English, you can find more information here.

4) Learn UNIX

You can’t become a hacker without learning UNIX. UNIX is a multi-user, multitasking operating system designed for enhanced security. A huge number of web servers run on UNIX.

Learn a few basic commands to understand how the system works. Practice and experiment. Over time, you’ll learn a lot, and this knowledge will give you a big boost in hacking.

5) Learn More Than One Operating System

If you use UNIX, get familiar with other traditional operating systems like Windows and Android.

Check out the super-anonymous Tails OS. What’s its secret? Find out for yourself.

It’s also worth noting that Microsoft systems are closed and have a huge number of vulnerabilities. So, learning how programs are written for Windows and how different applications behave on this OS will open up a wide range of possibilities for you.

6) Learn How Different Networks Work

Gather information about all types of networks. You should feel at home here.

Understand what kind of network you’re using. Learn how to configure it. Identify possible attack vectors.

With deep knowledge of different networks like TCP/IP, UDP protocol, subnets, local networks, global networks, and VPNs, you’ll be able to exploit various vulnerabilities.

7) Study Cryptography

Cryptography is the technology used to secure communication in the presence of third parties, such as internet communication based on SSL. This method is widely used everywhere—computer passwords, bank cards, and online marketplaces.

As a professional hacker, you need to master the art of cryptography.

Learn the methods used to crack passwords and try breaking a few yourself. Experiment with different encryption algorithms and figure out why some are easy to crack and others aren’t. Read about brute force attacks.

Take part in challenges to break “strong encryption.” A great hacker should be able to point out weaknesses in an encryption algorithm and develop a program that can demonstrate how decryption is possible without much information about the keys.

8) Keep Experimenting

Nothing beats hands-on experience. Experimentation is the most important step in becoming a skilled hacker. Getting started is as simple as downloading a virtual lab app like Oracle VirtualBox for your hacking experiments.

Some key things to remember when experimenting:

• Make a backup before you start
• Document the entire process and set checkpoints
• Automate routine and repetitive tasks

9) Write Some Open Source Software

Write useful software and make the source code public. Organizations like Mozilla are more than willing to sponsor such projects.

Contributing to open source security projects—like antivirus, anti-spam, firewalls, and data removal tools—will help you become more skilled as a hacker.

10) Document Every Step

In reality, you’ll be working for a client. To keep them satisfied, you need to document every step—proof of your work.

Notes and screenshots should be your best friends. Save everything—from output, logs, and network traffic of your tools to and from the target. While it may seem like a lot of work, it’s a smart move that will help you review your hard work later and prove that you’ve already completed part of the job.

Final Thoughts

Remember, being a hacker doesn’t mean being a gifted prodigy who breaks everything in sight. Being a hacker means constantly learning, experimenting, and growing. Try different programming languages, find “colleagues in the field,” and never stand still.

You can also check out our article on the different types of trojans. That won’t hurt either.