How to Hack

Part1

Before You Hack

1. 
   1
   Learn a programming language. You shouldn't limit yourself to any particular language, but there are a few guidelines.
2. 
   2
   Know your target. The process of gathering information about your target is known as enumeration. The more you know in advance, the fewer surprises you'll have.

Part2

Hacking

1. 
   1
   Use a *nix terminal for commands. Cygwin will help emulate a *nix for Windows users. 
2. 
   2
   Secure your machine first.
3. 
   3
   Test the target. Can you reach the remote system? 
4. 
   4
   Determine the operating system (OS). Run a scan of the ports, and try pOf, or nmap to run a port scan.
5. 
   5
   Find a path or open port in the system. Common ports such as FTP (21) and HTTP (80) are often well protected, and possibly only vulnerable to exploits yet to be discovered.
6. 
   6
   Crack the password or authentication process. There are several methods for cracking a password, including brute force. Using brute force on a password is an effort to try every possible password contained within a pre-defined dictionary of brute force software
7. 
   7
   Get super-user privileges. Try to get root privileges if targeting a *nix machine, or administrator privileges if taking on Windows systems.
8. 
   8
   Use various tricks. Often, to gain super-user status you have to use tactics such as creating a buffer overflow, which causes the memory to dump and that allows you to inject a code or perform a task at a higher level than you're normally authorized.
9. 
   9
   Create a backdoor. Once you have gained full control over a machine, it's a good idea to make sure you can come back again. 
10. 
    10
    Cover your tracks. Don't let the administrator know that the system is compromised. Don't change the website (if any), and don't create more files than you really need.