Filed under: Utilities, Linux, Open Source
BackTrack: A penetration testers toolset
by Alan Silcott Jun 17th 2008 at 9:00AM
There are few job titles as misleading as that of the "Penetration Tester." Sure, saying professional computer hacker would be more direct, but have you ever noticed how hackers seem to have a dirty mind? Why else would they want to go phreaking through backdoors? Anyway, in order for hackers to umm...maximize their penetration; they need the right tools for the job. BackTrack is a bootable Linux CD that is the swiss-army knife of computer hacking tools. Need to crack a password or break into a wifi connection? Backtrack has the tools already configured and ready to go.
As a matter of fact, with over 250 tools to choose from, your problem will be finding the right tool for the job. We recommend a quick YouTube search for common hacking scenarios.
Backtrack is open-source, as are all the included tools. The program is completely free to download and use. Unfortunately, as with most open source software, it may be hard to find support should you experience any problems.
Now that you have the tools, be sure to use them wisely. We are sure your neighbors wouldn't appreciate being brute forced. I am talking about their WiFi, sheesh!
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Geir said 11:16AM on 6-17-2008
This must be one of the most stupid comments I've ever read on this site:
"Unfortunately, as with most open source software, it may be hard to find support should you experience any problems."
It is a lot easier to get support for most open source software than pretty much any proprietary software.
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corwin sage said 7:15PM on 6-17-2008
I agree with Gier. Moreover, the Backtrack forum has a ton of users who answer questions and problem reports.
Download Squad has some of the most interesting articles, always from a perspective I enjoy, but it seems like more and more often, you guys are making assumptions that should be fact-checked first.
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Bob Lamaster said 11:03AM on 7-16-2008
Strange. I've had the completely opposite experience. While I love the users-helping-users through forums, etc., these exist for commercial programs also. So... no advantage there. It sure is nice to have a central point of contact for support (and even a warranty) when there are problems.
This is why the "total cost of ownership" for open source programs isn't as low as "free for download" would seem to make it.
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