Welcome to Section three in this section, we're going to cover how to set up your hacking lab so you
can get started actually practicing your hacking.
So some of the things that we're going to cover in this particular section is really going to allow
you to get the understanding of how exactly we go about hacking into different systems, how exactly
the black hats actually work when they're looking to gain access or to do something that is malicious.
Right.
Some sort of malicious attack.
And so what we're always looking to do is step into the mindset of the black individual.
How are they thinking?
What are they perceiving?
How are they going about their plan of attack?
And so with us setting up a hacking lab, we're going to be able to step into exactly how a black hat
individual would be looking to gain access or provide some type of attack on a network.
So let's go right ahead and jump in here.
So in Section three, just like I mentioned, what we're going to be doing here is learning how to set
up our own hacking lab so that we can work through our desktop computer or laptop or whatever device
that you have.
Most likely you want to have some sort of laptop or some sort of desktop computer.
You don't really want to set this up through like some type of mobile device or some sort of tablet.
You want to make sure that you have an actual computer, right.
Either desktop or laptop to work with this type of lab.
So the first thing that we're going to be covering here is what exactly are virtual machines and what
are the recommended hardware specs to run them on your actual machine?
So virtual machines is something that we're going to dive in deep into.
I want you to really get an understanding of how we're going to use them in our hacking lab and why
they are so important and essential when we are actually doing our hacking.
And then we're going to also learn how to download and install highly Linux into our virtual machine
so we can use this for hacking.
This is very, very important as well.
Kaldi Linux is essentially a must for us when we're setting up our hacking lab so that we can do a lot
of the different commands.
We can get access to a bunch of different files and do a bunch of other stuff that we're going to walk
through in this section.
And then also you're going to learn how and where to download and install vulnerable virtual machines
to hack.
So we're going to walk through quite a bit here.
And what I really want to get into now is what exactly is a hacking lab?
So to give you an overview here at Hacking Lab is a network that you create that lets you practice your
skills in a controlled environment.
What you're really doing here is you looking to reduce the risk that actually come from actually hacking
real systems.
Right?
Real networks.
If you look at the image to the right, you see that there's an individual.
He's practicing chemistry.
He's in his lab working with different formulas and whatnot.
That's exactly what we're going to be doing.
Right.
However, we're going to be using different programs, different scripting languages, CALEIGH, Linux.
Right.
And then different components and strategies within our hacking lab.
So what essentially a virtual lab allows you to do is allows you to practice pretty much any time that
you want 24/7.
And you don't have to put your data in danger of getting wiped out or getting some sort of virus or
malware infection.
Right.
Because that's one of the biggest things that you want to keep in mind when you're doing your hacking
and you're looking to practice.
Right.
Stepping into the mind of the black hattar, you want to make sure that you're always protected in your
information and identities.
Always protected.
Right.
And so you're also saved from legal troubles that may result from testing on a real website that you
don't perhaps do not own.
And you may be a little bit curious.
You may be stepping into the gray hat area where you're curious about something.
I would recommend that you don't get into that type of area where, you know, even though you're not
looking to cause any kind of malicious harm, that you just make sure you're staying on the white hat
side of things so that you can remain protected and you're not crossing over any lines.
And then also, obviously, you get the freedom to be able to experiment and tweak around within your
own lab.
Right.
You don't have to worry about using somebody else's tools, somebody else's VPN or virtual private machines.
Everything is going to be on your computer for you to be able to play with.
And so when we're talking about virtual machines, virtual private networks, all these different things
that have the virtual right in the very beginning and all these different types of mechanisms and systems
that are, quote unquote virtual, what exactly this mean?
Well, what this all really comes down to is the concept of virtualization.
And according to VMware, which I believe there is one of the first companies that.
Ali started the virtualization industry, and according to them, virtualization is a process of creating
a software based or virtual representation of something such as a virtual application server storage
and or networks.
Right.
Look at the right hand side here, this image.
So what you have is you have a client, you have, let's say, a computer, and then you have, let's
say a program, a virtual desktop like Kelly Linux or maybe some other type of application.
And then you have servers.
And so what this is allowing you to do, let's say you have one server and let's say you have 10 gigs.
OK, this is just a simple example here.
You got one server with 10 gigs.
And typically, for the most part, without virtualization, you can only have one operating system
on there, let's say Microsoft server or whatever kind of server software, maybe Linux or whatever
that may be right on that one server.
If you have virtualization, you can actually break down that 10 gig of space and break it down into,
let's say, four different groups or three different groups.
And let's say if you had three, you can break it down three point five, three point five and three
point five.
Right.
As far as space, and then be able to install, let's say, Microsoft Enterprise, Microsoft server
on one of the three point fives as far as the operating system and let's say on the other three point
five gigs of space, you want to maybe install Linux and then on the other three point five gigs of
space, maybe you want to install another software, maybe Microsoft Windows or whatever that may be.
Right.
I'm just trying to give you an example here.
So what you've done with virtualization is instead of only being able to install, let's say, Linux
and to that one 10 gig server, you're now able to have three different types of operating systems on
that server through the power of virtualization.
Right.
So virtualization relies on software to simulate hardware functionality and create a virtual computer
system.
Right.
Just like I mentioned, those three point five gigs of space are all broken down to simulate hardware
functionality.
And so you have three different operating systems on that one server through that virtualization.
And just like I mentioned, this allows the ability to run more than one virtual system and multiple
operating systems and applications on a single server.
And so this is really something that a lot of organizations, a lot of companies out there use to increase
their efficiency, increase their ability to use more of their systems storage and just greater overall
functionality.
And so for us, we're able to also utilize this to our advantage and have different types of virtual
machines, you know, networks and machines on one device when in reality we only have one computer.
However, within that computer or that laptop, whatever device we're using, we're able to go undetected
and we're able to use several different operating systems and applications within that one.
Machines are very, very powerful.
I really wanted you to get an understanding here of what virtualization is and how important of a concept
it is for you to understand as an ethical hacker in the next following lectures, Anthony is going to
walk you through a little bit more in-depth explanation and overview of what exactly virtual machines
are and how we're going to use them to our advantage in our hacking lab and then also how to install
Caleigh Linux so you can get started working with your actual hacking lab.
So that's going to be here for this one.
And we'll see you on the next one.