Python 101 for Hackers

Name: Python 101 for Hackers
Rating: 4.7 (44 reviews)

Offensive Python 101 with a focus on concepts important for ethical hacking, penetration testing and bug bounties

Created byRiley Kidd

Last updated 7/2021

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

The difference between Python2 and Python3
How to install, setup and configure a Python environment
Fundamental Python programming concepts
Python programming concepts useful for solving hacking and automation tasks
How to leverage and extend Python using common and hacking focused modules
Practical examples demonstrating how to perform brute forcing, password cracking and SQL injections using Python
The importance of documenting and commenting your work
Recommendations to continue mastering Python moving forward as a hacker

Course content

6 sections • 38 lectures • 5h 33m total length

Welcome and course introduction5:35
Learn python from a hacker's perspective to automate tasks, debug scripts, and tackle projects on login brute-forcing, web injection, and using packages like requests.
What is Python?2:00
Why learn Python as a hacker?2:42
Discover why hackers learn Python: understand, debug, and modify scripts and proofs of concepts; build your own tools and automate tasks with a beginner-friendly, mature language.
Python2 vs Python33:05

Variables & data types10:32
Explore variables and data types in Python, including strings, integers, lists, tuples, dictionaries, booleans, ranges, and bytes, with casting, printing, and type checks.
Numbers6:48
String formatting21:29
Master python strings by defining single, double, and multiline literals, escaping quotes and newlines, and manipulating with upper, lower, strip, split, and replace, then formatting with format or f-strings.
Booleans & operators17:13
Tuples9:54
Lists12:53
Dictionaries5:40
Learn how dictionaries store data as unique key–value pairs in curly brackets, offering fast lookups in Python; create, access, update, remove, iterate keys/values/items, nest dictionaries, and build empty dicts.
Sets6:42
Conditionals14:08
Loops9:17
Reading and writing files8:05
User input4:22
Exceptions and error handling8:55
Comprehensions8:54
Master Python comprehensions to build lists from iterables with concise syntax. Utilize conditionals, range, nested structures, and the join method to compare with long form and apply ternaries.
Functions and code reuse18:25
Lambdas6:06
Explore lambda functions as anonymous one-expression tools in Python, including simple adds, even/odd checks, and breaking strings into blocks, with one-line demos and function rewrites.

The Python package manager7:09
Python virtual environments5:51
Introduction to sys12:13
Explore the sys standard library module, learning how to access version info, the interpreter executable, platform, standard in, standard out, standard error, command line arguments, and exit codes.
Introduction to requests18:38
Introduction to pwntools12:15
Learn to use the Pontus library, a capture-the-flag framework and exploit development library, to interact with local and remote processes, pack data, work with contexts and assembly, and search gadgets.

Project #1 - SSH login brute forcing7:27
If you are looking for a wordlist to use (such as a similar file to the top-100 text file used in the lesson), you can download similar lists from: https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists/tree/master/Passwords/Common-Credentials
An SSH service you are authorised to test (such as on your localhost) is required to test this script.
Note that the default Kali SSH configuration will block authentication attempts after 10 attempts (MaxStartups 10:30:10). If you want to test 100 connections + the valid password using the above wordlist, you will need to edit your sshd_config (for example, by setting MaxStartups 101) and restarting the service. Alternatively to test, use a wordlist with less than 10 invalid passwords.
Project #2 - SHA256 password cracking8:21
Project #3 - Web login form brute forcing7:33
A web application you are authorised to test is required to test this script.
Project #4 - Exploiting an SQL injection16:48
A web application you are authorised to test is required to test this script.
Project #5 - Exploiting a restricted SQL injection15:04
A web application you are authorised to test is required to test this script.
For example, you can test out your knowledge for free, by solving the “The Flag API Key” challenge hosted at https://247CTF.com in the Web category.

Requirements

Patience and a willingness to learn
A computing environment (Windows, Linux, Mac) with at least 8GB of RAM and 20GB of disk space
Prior virtualization (Virtual Box) knowledge preferred

Description

The Python 101 for Hackers course teaches an introduction to Python programming and concepts, with a focus on techniques, modules and examples which are useful for a hacker. No prior Python programming knowledge is required to be successful in this introductory course.

Students should take this Python 101 for Hackers course if they are interested in:

Understanding fundamental Python programming concepts, required to automate common hacking and bug bounty related tasks
Learning how to identify and mitigate Python programming errors which may occur when attempting to execute code snippets or proof of concept (PoC) scripts
Bridging the gap between generic programming concepts and practical hacking applications such as password cracking, web login brute forcing or exploitation of SQL injections

The following concepts will be taught in this course:

The difference between Python2 and Python3, and how to leverage both as hacking and automation tools
How to install, setup and configure a Python environment in Kali Linux with Virtual Box
Fundamental programming concepts: variables, data types, string formatting, booleans, operators, tuples, lists, dictionaries, sets conditionals, functions and loops
Python programming concepts useful for solving hacking and automation tasks: reading files, writing files, handling user input, exception and error handling, comprehensions and lambdas
How to leverage and extend Python using common and hacking focused modules
Practical examples demonstrating how to perform SSH login brute forcing, SHA256 password cracking, web login form brute forcing and SQL injection exploitation using Python
Understanding the importance of documenting and commenting your work and recommendations to continue mastering Python and programming moving forward

Who this course is for:

Information security professionals and students, looking to expand their technical skillset

Python 101 for Hackers

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction4 lectures • 13min

Setup6 lectures • 34min

Python 10116 lectures • 2hr 49min

Extending Python5 lectures • 56min

Automating with Python5 lectures • 55min

Closing2 lectures • 5min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: