Picked The Red Pill
Tags: linux, ethicalhacking, pentesting, cybersecurity
Published: 2024-02-10 21:37:15

Greetings,

Organizing notes and determining the roadmap going forward in cybersecurity. Mastery within a set of tools within the field is quite important, but what's the ultimate goal. I've lately been on the Red Team of things learning more about how to do great Reconn and deploying exploits. Then again, my passion is also shared in protecting others and making sure awareness is there. Currently, I found there is great urgency in finding this path or I will be learning forever. We all know how tutorial hell can be. It's time for me to get connected with the right people in the cybersecurity realm.

They say don't ever doubt yourself. Dream Big! Never think you cannot make a goal if you create a plan. After careful study, I think my plan is to become a great red team pentester because it's a way of hacking on the good side. To wear a hoodie in front of a large monitor coding at times make me feel like Eliot (Mr. Robot character). Learning more and more about exploits and how they are deployed have me thrilled. So much you can do to help secure good people digital goods has also became a passion of mine. Being a fan of the great movie series "The Matrix" I thought of this as myself deciding which pill. You can take the blue which in this case is the defensive side of things. Another option is the red in which is the offensive side of things. Now it's time to make a roadmap for the red pill revealed many things once researched.





**[Try Hack Me](https://tryhackme.com/)**

A great platform to learn and practice on is TryHackMe. They offer amazing content in depth with photo examples. The goal of each lesson is to 'capture a flag' which gives access to the next lesson. Some questions provided after lessons have hints, but if you read well you can learn. THM also includes attack boxes that simulate the linux distro while completing the projects. They also use OpenVPN for a local connection to their servers which is great as well for protection. With much offered if going with the Paid tier, there is so much they provide you for free. It feels gamified so I've been collecting badges while going through the lessons. Yep, they are visited daily for the studies so I recommend them highly to all.





**[Nielsen Networking](https://www.youtube.com/@NNAdmin)**

There are many YT videos out there with great content, however Nielsen really sticks out to me. With in depth descriptions provided without the 'blah blah blah', they are truly a goto in my book for the red team pentesting. Examples of tools such as NMap, Metasploit, Hydra and many more are provided not letting me down at all. Yep, they are also on the roadmap of the red pill consumption. I will be diving deeper in their content to grasp info as much as possible. 






**Watching Hacking Movies / Shows**

They say in order to beat them you have to learn how to think like them. That is the truth because if you don't know the mind of the hacker, how can you beat them at the game?! Lately, I've been diving in full of watching hacking movies and shows that will answer the questions that may arise. How does an hacker operate daily? What are some notorious hacks that have occurred in history? This led me to watching more than the recommended hacking movies such as Mr. Robot, Hackers, Swordfish and etc. Now I am diving deeper into documentaries and getting a bigger picture of hacks affect millions of security isn't applied properly. An large view of things bring a better understanding in my opinion. Yall, I am over here even thinking of a Hacker handle for DEFCON32. Yep, that's a post for another time. LOL.






**Gaining Certification**

Not sure of the certification that I want to take on going forward. Should it be CCNA or what about Network +? How about I choose the Pentest + after I get the Security + cert? Yea, I can see how that can be a rabbit hole in itself for explaining it made me think of the countless Udemy courses I've not complete. I think the better thing to do is to build, connect and grow. Build because the projects will allow me my knowledge to be seen as proof. Connect because when you have a network of ones in the field you desire anything is possible. Grow because it's only the option provided if the first two steps are placed consistent. Wow! That's coming from a guy who just stopped smoking and started focusing on changing his lifestyle. LOL. Don't let me confuse you, I think anyone taking on a certification is awesome because they do hold much weight. In my journey, I am just focusing on the pen-testing and as knowledge is gained hopefully it fills a bucket of a cert I can commit to at later time. All listed prior are great and I will provide more info in the resource section of the blog so you don't have any confusion. 



**Maximize The Mind, Body, Soul **

Wealth without health is... well... what is wealth defined? Lately I've been learning that you can't spend a dollar on what you desire if it's all going to the hospital. Workouts daily and spending much time outside is the focus now. Eating correct foods and making sure I keep on the direction of greater health is key to a true 'wealth plan'. Nah, money comes and goes, but when you need a heart... you just can't ask for another you know?! Today I started detoxing my lungs from toxins prior by drinking Mullen tea. It helps with cleansing of lungs and if you've been smoking like I have it's a must to have. Watching inspirational videos and listening to podcast that provide great motivational tips allow me to keep the energy active on the road in hacking also. At times one can get discouraged, so keeping aware of whats consumed such as music, conversations, and etc must be in tact. No distractions for now the GPS is set and I'm ready to travel the studies to succeed. A schedule for workouts and more has been created with a martial arts focus. Strength training and applying mediation techniques will be researched. I want not only to be a smart ethical hacker, but also a healthy one.



Peace and Light.






**Resources:**


[Red Team x Blue Team](https://www.springboard.com/blog/cybersecurity/red-teaming-blue-teaming-cybersecurity/)


[What is PenTest +](https://www.comptia.org/certifications/pentest)


[What is Security +](https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security)


[PenTesting Certifications for 2023](https://networkassured.com/security/best-penetration-testing-certifications/)