white-hat-hacker-simulator

What is this?

🎯 Simulator Tips

📚 Glossary

Penetration Testing (Pentesting)

A simulated cyberattack against a system performed with authorization to evaluate its security and identify exploitable vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability

A weakness in a system's design, implementation, or configuration that could be exploited to compromise security.

Exploit

A piece of code, technique, or sequence of commands that takes advantage of a vulnerability to cause unintended behavior in a system.

SQL Injection

An attack technique that inserts malicious SQL code into application queries through user input fields, potentially accessing, modifying, or deleting database contents.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

A vulnerability where attackers inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users, potentially stealing session cookies or redirecting users.

Buffer Overflow

A vulnerability where a program writes data beyond the allocated memory buffer, potentially allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code or crash the system.

CTF (Capture The Flag)

A cybersecurity competition where participants solve security challenges to find hidden 'flags' (secret strings), used for training and skill assessment.

OWASP Top 10

The Open Web Application Security Project's list of the ten most critical web application security risks, updated regularly as a standard awareness document.

Port Scanning

The process of probing a server's ports to identify open services and potential entry points, commonly performed using tools like Nmap.

Social Engineering

Manipulating people into revealing confidential information or performing actions that compromise security, often the first step in a real-world attack.

Bug Bounty

A program where organizations offer monetary rewards to individuals who discover and responsibly report security vulnerabilities.

Zero-Day Vulnerability

A security flaw unknown to the software vendor and for which no patch exists, making it extremely valuable and dangerous.

Nmap

Network Mapper -- a free, open-source tool for network discovery and security auditing, one of the most essential tools for ethical hackers.

Metasploit

An open-source penetration testing framework that provides tools for developing and executing exploit code against target systems.

Hash Cracking

The process of recovering plaintext passwords from their cryptographic hash values, using techniques like dictionary attacks, brute force, or rainbow tables.

Privilege Escalation

Gaining higher-level access permissions than originally granted, a critical step in many attack scenarios.

Reverse Engineering

Analyzing software or hardware to understand its internal workings, often used to discover vulnerabilities in compiled programs.

Responsible Disclosure

The practice of privately reporting discovered vulnerabilities to the affected vendor, giving them time to create a patch before public disclosure.

🏆 Key Figures

Kevin Mitnick (1990s-2023)

Once the FBI's most-wanted hacker, later became the world's most famous white hat consultant, demonstrating that hacking skills can be redirected for good

Tsutomu Shimomura (1995)

Computer security expert who helped track and capture Kevin Mitnick in 1995, highlighting the role of defensive security expertise

Dan Kaminsky (2008)

Discovered a fundamental DNS vulnerability in 2008 that could have allowed mass internet hijacking, coordinated a global secret patching effort before disclosure

Katie Moussouris (2010s)

Created Microsoft's first bug bounty program and co-authored the ISO standard for vulnerability disclosure, shaping modern responsible disclosure practices

HD Moore (2003)

Creator of Metasploit Framework, the world's most widely used penetration testing tool, which democratized security testing

Gordon Lyon (Fyodor) (1997)

Creator of Nmap, the essential network scanning tool used by virtually every security professional worldwide

Charlie Miller & Chris Valasek (2015)

Demonstrated remote hacking of a Jeep Cherokee (2015), leading to a 1.4 million vehicle recall and transforming automotive cybersecurity

💬 Message to Learners

The word 'hacker' originally meant someone who explores systems with curiosity and creativity -- and that's exactly what ethical hackers do. Every time you hear about a company patching a security vulnerability, there's likely a white hat hacker behind it who found the problem first. Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing career fields in the world, with millions of unfilled positions. By learning ethical hacking, you're not just building technical skills -- you're becoming a digital defender who protects people's privacy, finances, and safety. Remember: the same knowledge can be used to attack or defend. Choose to defend.