While hackers know and love the Raspberry Pi, many don't know of its cheaper cousin, the microcontroller. Unlike a Pi, which can be used more or less like a regular computer, microcontrollers like the Wi-Fi connected ESP8266 require some necessary programming skill to master. ...more
The convenience of storing things on the cloud can definitely make life easier, but if you're storing sensitive files, it could be a total disaster if anyone hacked your account. Some encryption services can be expensive, but if you just need it for personal use, there are som ...more
It's Black Friday time, and in 2020, that means a lot of online deals to make up for more stores closing on Thanksgiving, as well as everyone avoiding in-person shopping because of the coronavirus. But while you may wish to grab a better 65-inch 4K TV, the new PlayStation 5, o ...more
Choosing which programming language to learn next can be a truly daunting task. That's the case regardless of whether you're a Null Byter just beginning a career in development and cybersecurity or you're a seasoned ethical hacking and penetration tester with years of extensiv ...more
Welcome back my hacker apprentices! In recent weeks, the revelation that the NSA has been spying on all of us has many people up in arms. I guess I take it all in stride as I just assume that the NSA is spying on us all, all the time. Basically, the PRISM program simply look ...more
UnrealIRCd is an open-source IRC server that has been around since 1999 and is perhaps the most widely used one today. Version 3.2.8.1 was vulnerable to remote code execution due to a backdoor in the software. Today, we will be exploiting the vulnerability with Metasploit, exa ...more
As a web developer, I often read articles about hackers (from the lowly to the knowledgeable) infiltrating websites via the dreaded 'SQL Injection' method and completely taking control, changing, gaining access, or destroying the owner's data. As a fellow web developer, I'm su ...more
Many FarmVille farmers want money fast, or experience fast, or want to level up, or want to speed things up— make and earn things faster. No matter how long they play, they're not getting what they want, and that is to outshine everybody else. But you can't reach the top by si ...more
Whether it's the new iPad Killer or not, one thing's for sure—the Motorola XOOM is hackable. Just hours after its release last week, Verizon's new Android-based tablet (running Honeycomb) was rooted by hacker Koushik Dutta, which seems easy enough. "Since it’s another Google ...more
Social Profile Change the privacy settings on your social profile (Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Twitter, etc.) so that the following information can't be found by a random person who you didn't accept you as a friend: Birthdate E-mail address Hometown Pictures A hacker ca ...more
You should encrypt everything. These are what you need: BackTrack 4,0, modify IP tables, Python and ARPspoofing. Program the PC to flip to forwarding mode. Adjust the programming in the IP tables. You are convincing the host and the client that the man (PC) in the middle is th ...more
WikiLeaks. In recent weeks, it's been the hottest topic on the web. It's been attacked on a multinational level by political influence peddling. First, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman swayed Amazon's decision to stop hosting WikiLeaks. Then, Tableau Software removed graphs from th ...more
Want to hack a LAN? Well, hacking local area networks is easier than you'd think. And by watching a few short videos, you can become a master hacker, something every techie wants to achieve. And what's the best way to hack a LAN? Ettercap, a password sniffing program. The pro ...more
With FarmVille being one of the hottest Facebook games on the market, it's no wonder it's the primary target for scams and virus downloads. Anyone playing FarmVille is at risk, but the primary targets are those looking to improve their gameplay and build their farms and neighb ...more
Welcome to the fifth Community Byte for coding in Python and beating the challenges given to us from HackThisSite. These sessions are created to bring our community together, to learn from each other, and essentially grow together. Everyone is welcome, from novice programmers ...more
This is a two-part series to locking down the computer to provide maximum protection. Even though this guide will sound intrusive, we are talking about reality here. Extreme measures must be taken to protect our computers, especially when we have confidential documentation or ...more
We're aiming for this to be one of the last HTS mission announcements, at least for now. As soon as Null Byte finds a server to play with, we are going to start doing root the box competitions, which is like king of the hill, except you have to hack a server and maintain acces ...more
Welcome to the 10th Community Byte session for coding in Python and completing the challenges presented to us by HackThisSite. These sessions are created to bring our community together, to learn from each other, and grow together. Everyone is welcome, from novice programmers ...more
Null Byte is looking for forum moderators! Welcome to the ninth Community Byte for coding in Python and completing the challenges presented to us by HackThisSite. These sessions are created to bring our community together, to learn from each other, and grow together. Everyone ...more
Welcome to the eighth Community Byte for coding in Python and completing the challenges presented to us by HackThisSite. These sessions are created to bring our community together, to learn from each other, and grow together. Everyone is welcome, from novice programmers to asp ...more
Welcome to the seventh Community Byte for coding in Python and completing the challenges presented to us by HackThisSite. These sessions are created to bring our community together, to learn from each other, and grow together. Everyone is welcome, from novice programmers to as ...more
Last Friday's mission was to accomplish solving HackThisSite, basic mission 8. This meant that we had to learn some more basic Unix commands. These missions are for everyone here, and you can join at any time. Your experience level doesn't matter. HackThisSite is a free, lega ...more
With the rather large success of the Community Byte activities, both programming and HackThisSite, I have decided to continue to do both activities every session! With that said, when programming sessions occur, they will be lead by Sol Gates in Gobby. Also, the programming mi ...more
Welcome to the sixth Community Byte for coding in Python and beating the challenges presented to us by HackThisSite. These sessions are created to bring our community together, to learn from each other, and essentially grow together. Everyone is welcome, from novice programmer ...more
Today's post is a small go-to guide for beginner programmers in Null Byte. With many of our community members picking up programming from our Community Bytes, it only makes sense to lay out a one-stop guide for your reference. Hopefully this guide will help you make an educate ...more
Hacking can't be that hard, can it? At least, that's what it seems like thanks to movies like Hackers, The Net and that last Die Hard flick. Even the Jurassic Park girl's got some game. They all look like they're typing 20wpm, yet can generate a screen full of code in the blin ...more
In this article, I'll be explaining the basics of how microcontrollers work, physically and virtually. First off, microcontrollers are no simple thing, so don't be discouraged if you find it mind-boggling! The world of microcontrollers is fascinating, engaging, and an awesome ...more
There is a vast amount of knowledge out there on computers! In fact, it is so vast that no single person could ever possibly ever learn everything there is to learn about hacking or computers in general. People usually specialize in a certain field: cryptography, computer secu ...more
Eventually, we plan on doing some root the box competitions here at Null Byte, but we're still looking for a server to play on. Anyone want to donate one? You won't regret it. Root the box is like 'king of the hill', except you have to hack a server and maintain access. Each s ...more
We'd like this to be one of the last HTS mission announcements, at least for now. As soon as Null Byte finds a server to play with (anyone want to donate one?), we are going to start doing root the box competitions, which is like king of the hill, except you have to hack a ser ...more
The community tore up the first realistic mission last week. You've applied the techniques learned in the basic missions to a real scenario, so I'm pretty content. The realistic missions are where the learning gets intense and where we can apply real knowledge to extremely rea ...more
Community byters, it's time to get serious. We are finally moving on to the realistic missions in HackThisSite. This is where the learning gets intense and where we can apply real knowledge to extremely realistic situations. We will also be continuing the normal Python coding ...more
In this how to video, you will learn how to keep your Windows operating system secure by look for and closing open ports. First, you will need to run the program called Net State. Once this is open, type in netstat -a. This will list main connections. Next, type in netstat -an ...more
Believe it or not, people are still using Friendster. Which is great news for all you hackers because that means there are accounts to hack! With this video you'll find out how to exploit a programming loop hole in order to hack into someone's Friendster account. We can't prom ...more
Another Community Byte announcement from Null Byte! The Community Byte projects serve to teach people in a co-operative, hands-on manner. Learning from experience and immersing yourself in a subject is the best way to learn something foreign to you. In our sessions, we have st ...more
STANDP'S WINDOWS 7 "ASTON-2" CUSTOMIZED DESKTOP IT ROCKS COMPLETELY!. DEC 07 Computer Backup If you have taken good care of your computer then you know what you have to do to keep it running smoothly. It has to be cleaned regularly so there isn't any dirt and dust on it. It ...more
There are so many hackers around these days, and they are becoming very smart. So smart that they have successfully taken down many government websites. The most recent attack was on the Department of Justice (DOJ). To read about the history of these hackers, check out Wikiped ...more
Certain aspects of Windows User Interface are not customizable like the text of the start button in Windows XP. However you can use certain tools and follow a procedure to change the default text of the start button. To do this you have to use a tool called Resource Hacker. No ...more
Feeling ambitious in the hack department? Try taking on the DIY Pong Clock. Via Core77, "Hardware hacker Ladyada has released an open source retro arcade style table tennis for two clock called the MONOCHRON. According to MONCHRON project page they 'wanted to make a clock th ...more
You want to put out a live web server, but you don't want to be owned in the process. An expert eye for security is not needed if you take a few basic steps in locking down the hatches. Most successful attacks today are not the complex, time-consuming tasks you might think, bu ...more
Our mission for this week's Community Byte was to create a Python program to crack web-based passwords, like the ones you would see on an email or router login. I wanted it to be universal in the sense that it could be easily modified and adapted to another website just by cha ...more
I've seen numerous tutorials on how to create a "strong" password. This makes me laugh. These titles imply "one" password, which is wrong in and of itself. A person should have many passwords, all different, and all extremely long. People may ask how they're supposed to rememb ...more
Since its inception in 2007, the Pwn2Own computer hacking contest has been challenging the vulnerability of mobile phones and web-related software. In 2010, the fruit of two full days of hacking came down to the exploitation of the following web browsers: Safari 4 on Mac OS X, ...more
Merry Christmas all! I hope you are all having a very wonderful day! Today we will be talking about further measures you can take to secure your Windows 7 logon screen. To see my previous post on how to add a username and password to your logon screen, see here. Introductio ...more
It's remarkable that a gaming device (from Microsoft, no less) designed for geeky gamers has incited broad innovation in medicine and robotics. But that Kinect has captured the imagination of hackers-with-MBAs-in-mind is downright amazing. Below, six videos demonstrating a va ...more
This video shows how to program a password and user protected application in AppleScript. set sampass to "1234"set x to text returned of (display dialog "Enter your username here" default answer "EG:JOHN" buttons {"continue"} default button 1)ignoring case ignoring white spac ...more
Friday's Community Byte was weird. The intent was to do a HackThisSite mission, but upon time to begin, everyone in there was programming without my assistance, with the help of Sol Gates. This is great! It's really awesome that everyone enjoys programming that much and will m ...more
We're officially seeking Null Byters on a weekly basis who are willing to take the time to educate the community. Contributors will write tutorials, which will be featured on the Null Byte blog, as well as the front page of WonderHowTo (IF up to par, of course). There is no ne ...more
Hello and welcome to another InfoSecurity World tutorial. The intent of this article is to teach one how to encrypt sensitive files. When set up correctly with a strong password, it would be almost impossible to hack. Even the FBI have had issues decrypting this software. I'm ...more
We're officially seeking Null Byters on a weekly basis who are willing to take the time to educate the community. Contributors will write tutorials, which will be featured on the Null Byte blog, as well as the front page of WonderHowTo (IF up to par, of course). There is no ne ...more
This is Part II in the Lockdown: The InfoSecurity Guide To Securing Your Computer series. Before beginning, check out Part I. This article will cover using alternate software to increase your security and will provide you with some information about websites and programs that ...more
Null Byte is looking for moderators. More threats to computers exist every day. Not only do we have computer viruses and malware, but we have rootkits and other nasty pieces of code that can log your keyboard strokes or even add your computer to a botnet to attack other websi ...more
Another great Community Byte in the bag! This week was really cool, especially with programming going on twice a week. We transitioned to the new times very smoothly with no one left behind, from what I can tell. Friday's mission was to accomplish solving HackThisSite, basic ...more
Cheers to another completed Community Byte project! Things went well regarding timeliness and being friendly to the other coders and students. If you've got ideas for our next mission, or an idea for a tutorial, submit them to me. Friday, our mission was to take out HackThisSi ...more
Welcome to another Community Byte announcement from Null Byte! The goal of the Community Bytes is to teach people in a co-operative, hands-on manner. Learning from experience and immersing yourself in a subject is the best way to learn something foreign to you, so that is exac ...more
Welcome to the closing of the second HackThisSite and programming Community Byte. First and foremost, I would like to ask that people start showing up on time to the Community Bytes. If you need help converting your time zone to PST, go to Time Zone Converter. When users do no ...more
Welcome to another Community Byte announcement! For the past few Community Bytes, we coded an IRC bot, and hacked it. Then, we created a web-based login bruteforcer! This week we are going to start something a bit different. We are going to start going through the missions at ...more
Welcome to the second Goonight Byte! Our second coding session was kindly hosted by th3m, so props to him for letting this happen. Our task this time was to hack the bot that we made the week prior, which was only capable of connecting to the channel and then printing message ...more
People sometimes ask me about the IT industry here in the states. These folks are usually either trying to get into a certain field, or looking to switch or move into another one. Right now, you may currently be a Computer Science major that will be graduating shortly and are ...more
When you first become interested in learning how to program, it can be difficult to find a place to start. A lot of questions come up, especially if you're new to the idea of programming entirely. After you pick which language you want to learn, you have to worry about how you ...more