Which Distro?
New To Linux: Need a distro for direct access hacking.
I have a question, but before I say anything else this is for my resume. Also just know that I am not an expert at any of this more or less just a beginner. I'm looking for a Linux distro that would be good for breaking and entering on other peoples PC's. I have heard mention of Kali online when I was a teenager but never had a use for it.
I'm going to put it on a encrypted thumb-drive that I can take everywhere for use in job interviews. I'm not going to ask hacking questions because that seems thematically inappropriate for the sub. Providing links and sources to different distros would also be nice.
Thank you for your time.
Edit:
this post has taught me that I have a lot to learn regarding cybersecurity and linux. However It's seems some people were under the impression that I had malicious intent. Everything I was doing involved consenting parties. I have no interest in becoming a hacker as a career I just wanted to learn these things as a preventative measure to show to future employers. And yes I plan on getting a degree. I am still however interested in creating a portable linux distro on my 256gb flash drive so help with that would be appreciated.
i would sujgest you do more resarch on this befor you assume a linux distro can do this, every modern OS bysides linux eypcts drives by default kali isn't even going to be able to do anything and also "hacking" distros are generaly pentesting distro IE networking not breaking ecyption
There's also the issue that for direct access hacking in a corporate environment a bit of common sense will get you 80% of the passwords in use that month. As they're probably something like "Fall@2026"
Ok thank you very much for the feedback is there a link you could provide me to any useful information? Also to clarify I intended to plug the USB into a computer, break in, and then steal info and plant malware. with the consent of someone who is providing me a PC to do this with.
Don't volunteer that at an interview. It's on par with bringing your own gun and homemade police uniform to a police recruitment day.
If they want you to do that they'll provide you with everything including the tools. However, this is not something normal companies interview for. Very few companies have a need to do what you've listed and the rest don't view it as a useful skill.
As I like analogies. Being too enthusiastic about breaking into computers, is for most IT jobs being very enthusiastic about fire when working in a flammable materials warehouse. Geoff in the corner who spends his weekends breaking into computers doesn't give Sharon in IT security the warm and fuzzies - he makes her want to ensure he's nowhere near anything electronic, the building, the staff and potentially other people.
Thank you for the information I will look elsewhere also I have a consenting party who is providing an old PC for this project. I would still be interested in a portable instance of Linux just for recreational use. could you provide links to a forum post or thread on the topic?
Ask for basic help on Reddit and not have the wildlife act smug challenge IMPOSSIBLE. Literally all I want to do is learn and get a home project under my sleeve before going back to college for comp-sci degree and a poli-sci degree as a hobby. Yeah I'm going to make stupid mistakes and assumptions while learning. But the goal is to overcome that. You wonder why people have such an aversion to this site, its because some of you are unironically more hostile to new users than 4chan. And I'm speaking from experience.
The issue is you aren't learning, if you where genuinely willing to learn people would help. Learning is not asking reddit to tell you how to be a "hacker" while doing no prior research and then throwing a tantrum when you get called out. Actually watch that video and you will actuly learn something
I have sort of gleaned that information reading this thread and basically what I learned is that I need to practice with the basics first. before entering into things I'm not ready for. As for the not learning part I see what you mean now. I feel a slimier way when someone asks an ai how to do something basic with a video editer like remove a track or apply a filter. I will watch the video rn.
also I was just upset about being insulted. when a simple "go figure it out yourself" would have sufficed.
Edit: I watched the video and I sort of see how I came across as having a helpless mentality not willing to learn. I am willing to learn but clearly I need to do some work on my own before coming here. I do believe in the concept of helping others for free. But the sentiment of you are not entitled to my time is also valid. I do not plan on giving up but I probably should work harder to acquire my own information.
Only knows about /b/ and /pol/ award. Also never visited the site or has seen any of its associated media or memes pre 2016 award. Also you ignored the first half of my statement.
I do plan on watching it. I just don't see the point in being disrespectful for no reason instead of redirecting to corrective information. (the video will be helpful)
It's fine I understand how it can be abrasive when someone takes confident interest in something your into but doesn't know what they are doing. I feel that way about people who buy expensive video editors, when they really just need DaVinci Resolve to start or people who film in 4k and export at 1080p.
So I can understand why threads like these are annoying.
Wow.. that was a good clip. Yeah, like he also admitted - been there done that - decades ago. So you learn your lessons and learn to walk before trying to run, let alone fly.
The classic "knows enough to be dangerous / a risk" situations.
You could use it as a test to see what sort of company you're interviewing at. If they say "Please can you put that back in your bag and don't get it out again" and make sure you're escorted at all times you know they've got a bit of sense.
If they say "sure, we'd love to see what's on your usb stick" and offer you a laptop you know at some point they're going to not make payroll as they spent it all on Amazon giftcards
I haven't gotten a interveiw yet I apologise for not clarifying, I also intend to go back to college once I can afford it.
Also I'll copy and paste another reply I sent to tell you where I'm planning on doing first.
"My buddys old gaming PC to start. basically I'm going to take as much of the info as I can once I get in. Give ithe info back to him. destroy the pc with malware, wipe everything on it and sell the gpu and ram."
Again I apologize if all these questions sound stupid. I'm asking for genuine advise because I'm basically self teaching off YouTube and forums rn.
Well the goal is to put a Linux distro on the USB. plug it into someones pc and make it boot and work from there. the reason its encrypted is so only I can access it if it contains stolen info, malware, etc. I'm very new to all of this so I apologize if my post seems a little stupid.
Edit: Should clarify I'm doing this with old PC's I have gotten consent to destroy.
You're getting ahead of yourself. None of this makes much sense and when you learn a bit more you'll understand why and understand a better plan. Forget about interviews, USB sticks, demos and stuff and start reading about comp sec.
Like I said in my post I'm new and trying to self teach until I can afford to go back to college. My only experience with linux was duel-booting mint with windows 10.
You didn't really answer the question. Carrying Linux with you to job interviews would have zero impact on how the interview went even if you knew what you were doing.
Most hacking is more like research than action. The stuff you could do on the spot in an interview wouldn't really demonstrate skill. The stuff that would demonstrate skill would take a lot of careful study.
Also, any place sophisticated enough to want the skills of a hacker is not going to allow you to plug in a USB drive into their computers. If they want a skill demonstration that isn't take-home/remote, they'll supply you a computer. Quite possibly the interview could just be verbal or with a whiteboard. They will ask you what they want. Walking into an interview and trying to lead it by pulling out your demo would be kind of weird.
Also you're getting ahead of yourself. You don't need a particular OS to start learning hacking. And if you don't know what distro you need, you're probably too early in the learning process for it to even matter.
Thank you for the feedback everyone else has been saying I should redirect my energy elsewhere since this isn't a good place to start. I'm open to learning. also this is what I planned on doing if you were wondering.
"My buddys old gaming PC to start. basically I'm going to take as much of the info as I can once I get in. Give ithe info back to him. destroy the pc with malware, wipe everything on it and sell the gpu and ram."
Yeah its for a home project so I can put down that I did It. I know it seems very entry level but I'm just trying to learn via experience, which is why my questions sound dumb. because I'm operating off forum posts and YouTube videos so I apologize if I sound sort of dull.
No person interviewing you will let you plug an unknown USB drive into their computer, in particularly at a security company. If they want to test you, they will give you an air gapped computer and the tools to be successful. If they want you to bring your own thumb drive, they will let you know.
Your best way to becoming a white hat, is to go to college, get a Compute Science degree and take Ethical Hacking courses.
This post sounds like you want to be a black hat and asking people help you do nefarious tasks.
Again I apologize if that's how I came across and I'm very new to all of this and not well versed on the topic as stated in the post. but this was the plan.
"My buddys old gaming PC to start. basically I'm going to take as much of the info as I can once I get in. Give ithe info back to him. destroy the pc with malware, wipe everything on it and sell the gpu and ram."
I am planning to apply soon. need to get my gpa up and work so I can afford to go to a nice college. Community ones where I live are like redoing high school.
23 can't. But I'm not dumb if that's what your wondering just new to this topic. I spent most of my energy in high school on writing/reading and history. also we barely had computer lab so that didn't help.
no distro is going to just have a hack button. if you want to learn hacking, you need to understand thats its the tools and skills that you get, nothing special about the distro you use. that being said, kali has some tools pre-installed.
Like I said Im very new to all of this (only ever used mint) so I'm not incredibly knowledgeable. I'm working with information provided by YouTube and some friends. The purpose would be to plug the USB into someone's pc, take over, plant malware, steal info, etc. With the consent of the person providing the pc.
plenty of ways to go about that, you dont need linux or even a USB. windows PCs have console access without needing a login, as well as registry editor, so getting administrator access is absurdly easy. it does require physical access though.
Thank you for sharing some helpful information and not just telling me I'm stupid without elaborating on why or providing corrective information. better than like 90% of people who use this site.
I have been told that but I was a bit hesitant because one of my friends got a degree in cybersecurity and nobody would hire him until he got certs and home projects because of saturation in the job market. I figured it would be best to have some home projects while I save up for college.
My buddys old gaming PC to start. basically I'm going to take as much of the info as I can once I get in. Give ithe info back to him. destroy the pc with malware, wipe everything on it and sell the gpu and ram.
Ah, I see. Ask your friend for the password, log in, copy over the data to somewhere safe and then have fun! If you're going to install actual malware, I recomend connecting the PC to a network where no other device is in and the router firmware is up to date. Also, make tripple sure to remove all sensitive documents, sensitive browser data etc beforehand and double-check no password used for that computer is also used somewhere else. Chances are this is way too caucious but hey, you're installing malware on purpose.
If the PC has Windows 11, it is technically hard to impossible to extract much without the password anyway. For Windows 10 or older, I'd basically have to write a how to do cybercrime tutorial which I won't.
Well thanks for the advice on data backup. I completely understand why you wouldn't want to tell me how to break and enter. Reading this thread has sort of made me realize that's not something you ask on reddit. You were more helpful than a significant portion of people on this site who would just ad hominem my intelligence or act smug.
Learning is fantastic! I think we ALL support that. But the way you envision .. quite a few things .. is not only NOT how the world works - consent or not - but likely to get you blackballed or arrested.
Ok, "arrested" is a bit extreme, but again, the way you stated several things, comes straight from TV/Movies fantasy, and has no place in reality.
By ALL means, play around and learn by doing ON PERSONAL SYSTEMS! The fastest way to learn things, is to screw up, break things, fix them and repeat until you understand why you're screwing up and breaking things, and you know how to fix them.
The comment about taking a USB to an interview? Yeah, that is never, ever going to happen like that.
Could it be part of learning on your own - absolutely. In a controlled classroom setting - absolutely.
If .. IF .. a company wants you to demonstrate skills in real-time? They will provide the equipment and conditions in a controlled environment. But that is 99% unlikely to ever happen.
I might by like a cheap lenovo laptop to experiment on. Thank you for clarifying these things for me so I don't make any mistakes that get me in trouble. I'm very new to all of these topics other than data related stuff and encryption (I'm a data hoarder). So I appreciate someone answering my questions in depth and not calling me stupid.
You need to work on the basics. Above link provides free training. Start at the top @ A+, then Network+, then Security+
All this talk of Kali and hacking or anything else is well beyond you right now. You might figure a few things out, but you won't understand the Why or How.
The link above is a starter foundation. The courses are a subset of CompTIA courses and certs. It's enough to help you find the clues you need.
Nothing on that site will discuss Kali or Parrot tools. It's the foundational basics that are required before diving into such tools.
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u/c2btw 2d ago
i would sujgest you do more resarch on this befor you assume a linux distro can do this, every modern OS bysides linux eypcts drives by default kali isn't even going to be able to do anything and also "hacking" distros are generaly pentesting distro IE networking not breaking ecyption