"Feelings go up and down all the time"
Meet Anders who enjoyed the Capture the Flag competition in the online course in ethical hacking.
Hi Anders, can you please share your background?
– Of course. Since 2012 I have been working with IT security at Volvo Cars, where I mainly focus on technical aspects of security. Much is about advice, review and security testing of different systems and I collaborate a lot with the engineers responsible for IT security in our cars.
What are your thoughts about this course?
– I highly recommend it. If you are interested in starting to work with, or just understanding, penetration testing and technical IT security, it is a very challenging, developing and rewarding course. The course leaders are helpful and answer questions quickly. There are no traditional lectures with subsequent laboratory exercises. The main part of the course is instead designed as a major Capture the Flag competition where students find and break into different computers to get some files. You do not compete against others, you complete the course in your own pace. Students are responsible for their own learning and searching for their own information which was good. I never felt bored.
How can you benefit from the course in your daily work?
– I really use my new knowledge, both for penetration testing and reviewing of solutions, as well as for giviing correct advice to system architects and to developers.
Anything else you wish to add about this course?
– Yes, feelings go up and down all the time. First frustration before finding your goal, then excitement when you start trying to hack it, disappointment when failing and satisfaction when you succeed. But you learn something all the time, as long as you try. This kind of practical safety work and learning is very fun. I also believe that this kind of learning experience is better than a traditional set up with reading and writing. And you are never perfect. There is always more to learn in the area.
Any advice for those who are interested in ethical hacking?
Learn as much as you can about operating systems (both Windows and Linux), TCP / IP networks, and web applications. Learn the program. Practice your skills and learn different tools by hacking vulnerable designed machines from, for example, vulnhub.com, hackthebox.eu, pentesterlab.com and other similar sites. There are lots of good and free resources online. Read books about security and read about vulnerabilities in different systems on blogs. Participate in CTF competitions. And of course, if you have the opportunity, talk to your employer and take the KTH course in ethical hacking.