Questions of curiosity...

[Grayn0de]

We all know the main reason why everyone in this group joined HoH, but my questions are this:

What (or how much) do you already know?
What all do you hope to learn and/or gain, here? From this group and HoH, in general?
How will you apply that knowledge?
Are there any career goals that drive you? If so, what are they?

With the questions having been asked, I feel that it is only fair that I answer them, myself. I do not exactly fit the description for this group, but I have joined it to see if I could help those here, either by giving insight and tips or by helping to guide them on the start of whatever path they may wish to choose. That being said, I would like to state that I am, by no means, an expert and do not have timeless wisdom and knowledge to share. Alright, on with my answers...

I am working in the IT industry and have about 2.5 years of theoretic/practical experience and 6 months of applied work experience. I am also a programmer who dabbles in many languages and have been programming (on and off) since a very early age. Over the last 8 months or so, I have been getting heavily into Information Security and am already more skilled than one may think (but, I believe that this is because of my lack of both sleep and a life ;) )...

I joined HoH to gain a bit more knowledge and learn things that I may not otherwise find out. I am also looking for resources and networking opportunities. The knowledge and skills that I gain, both from HoH and my own studies, I plan to use to enter the InfoSec field, for which I believe that I am already on the right path to do so. My career goals are actually stated in my profile, so I will not write them all out again.

That's pretty much it. Simple.

[Paddington Bear]

Hm. I would say I fit perfectly into this group. I'm currently a student majoring in comp science with only about 6 months of classes under my belt (although I've probably done more independent study). I know (very limited of course) Java, Javascript, PHP, C++, VB, SQL, (x)html and css (no shit on the last 2).

I have no real expectations on what I will learn here or any specific plans on how to use it. I just love learning and love the hacker/IT community.

Hopefully the future will see me writing code for a living, and if I'm lucky with a nice, small software company.

[webmylife]

I'm like Paddington Bear.

I'm a student in a college, studying in computer science (it's called Informatique in french) and 1 year left before I obtain my certificate (DEC, Diplôme d'études collégiales) , and I just know how to think when hacking. I don't know really how to do exploits, I never do one of course, and I just want to learn how we do this.

I expecting learn the most things that i can to apply security in networks that i will work later.

I just want to have friends that they know how to hack, and chat with them on MSN for example. I believe that it's to talks to these friends taht we learn, 'cause these freiends act like a mentor, and i believe also that each new hacker or each noob must have a mentor to progress.

I know the bases of Delphi, C, C++, Java, (x)html, css 1, php, sql.

[Anorien]

I know everything that possible to know about OS, Internet and Security!

[Grayn0de]

While I agree that it is beneficial for anyone starting out in Infosec or hacking (or anything else, for that matter) to have a mentor, I do not believe that it is required. In fact, I believe that the one who learns (mostly) on his own will, in the end, have better understanding and skill than one who is taught. I also believe that learning in groups can be very helpful, as well. Contradictory? Just a tad...

Learning from others is great, but when you are able to learn without help and find the solutions to problems that you run into, you will develop the creative thinking and problem-solving skills that help hackers stand apart from you average IT professional/programmer/whatever. I, myself, am mostly self-taught and I feel that it has helped me to realize that the mindset and attitude is just as important (if not more so, in the long run) as any technical skills or knowledge of programs.



@Anorien: Do you, now? Forgive me if I sound like a jerk, but I dislike those with big egos. Can I ask why you felt the need to join a group made for those who are new to hacking and security? Bragging rights? Also, I'm sorry... but, I don't believe you. I doubt that there is anyone in the HoH (or the world) who knows all there is to know about everything.

Just a little saying that I was told, once, and never forgot: "The moment that you think that you are the best at something, someone will come along and prove to you that you are not." ... Basically, one can never know all there is to know about something... even if they are the ones that created it. Hence the reason why hackers exist....

[nish]

I know pretty much, of everything. Now talking class in some collage. I believe it's waste of time for me, because i know whatever they trying to teach me already =].. but still want to get that diploma soon. I love to share my view and ideas of what i know, so please post your doubts and we all can share it.
Happy Hacking.
P.S thank you Grayn0de for your contribution. Your post makes doubt clear to everyone.

[Grayn0de]

@nish: I am happy to help. :) ...and getting that piece of paper is an excellent idea. Even if you already know all or most of what you are being taught, it shows prospective employers that you have the ability to put up with a lot of crap and did it for x years, without giving up.

[phread]

10 CLS(0)
15 GET Out Of BED
20 IF PANTS=ON THEN GOTO 100 ELSE GOTO 10
100 WORK
110 REM I'm old, I use line numbers still.
200 END

[camilo]

What (or how much) do you already know?
Hum, I started around one year ago, at that time I had no idea about anything internet-related. I didn't new how to write a website, but I wasn't studying at the moment, so i started to surf the net...I started a blog, I wanted to improve it, that's how I learned Html, Css, javascript and finally Php. At that moment I had developed a fascination for computers, so I decided to learn another programming language, I started learning C, C++, and some VBS. And right now, I am interested in game programming, I think I have some -cool- ideas for Shmup games, and I'd try and code my own games...on the future ;)

What all do you hope to learn and/or gain, here? From this group and HoH, in general?
Well, outside I don't have much friends, in fact I don't have any friend. I spent 5-6 hours a day (and sometimes more) on the Internet, talking with people, reading forums, programming, etc. So I just want to get in touch with people with similar attitudes, similar tastes, and learn from them anything I can.

How will you apply that knowledge?
Well, bad to say this but, if I was given the opportunity to use my skills for evil purposes, I won't hesitate, as long as they pay me enough money...like, a black hat hacker...and it would be cool to live outside of the law ...but for the more realistic options, I'd like to work as a web programmer, game programmer or even as an assistant in tech support or something with networks.

[script kiddie]

So your a loooser? In the most blunt terms. Get some friends. In RL

[misunderstood]

...and you´re an idiot. "In the most blunt terms".

[Scorpio]

I have been in the IT field for about 20yrs now. 1st as a network engineer (novell), then MS, and then as a developer. I'm now doing a course in Digital Forensics, and where better to learn, than from guys like you.

[[\]3+625]

I know alot about hardware and how it works. I like to take things appart. I also understand most things that are presented to me such as networkings or most mechanical devices. I want to learn to code in java or python for web development. It would be cool to learn c16 for robotics at school. It might also be fun to get to the networed security cams at our school. I kinda want to do some web developement or atleast figure out how to put together a half decent web page that you can't do with a simple web development app. I may or may not be interested in devloping a google android app or two considering that all the applicatios for cell phones that are out there and none of them are any good. I want to be an architect, so I will eventualy need to know how to do renderings of buildings and how to touch up said renderings in Photo Shop.