Hello, I'm Linuxinator! This is my first time posting on LinuxQuestions.org, and one of my first times posting on a forum. I started using Linux this August after my Windows laptop contracted a virus that I didn't feel like removing. Now, 3 months later, I'm in love with Linux and I've hopped between FreeBSD, Gentoo, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Slackware, etc. in my free time and I've settled with Fedora 17.

It's been my life's dream to land a job as a ethical hacker. How does one get certified as an ethical hacker at age 16? If I can't, then what can I do to prepare myself for the job market?

Hi,
Welcome to Linux Questions!

The best and shortest way is to learn from Gnu/Linux system directly, with some guides at hand. Download this and this, study and play with your Gnu/Linux system to learn more. If you have learned enough control only then should you think about certification.

If you can attend classes for Gnu/Linux administration then do it. It is also good to have a professional guidance; but nothing beats the habit of playing with the system and getting into the LQ.

Good luck. Hope that helps.

2 members found this post helpful.

In the real world, there is not really many job positions for professional bash developer. If you want to work using Linux, such as a Linux tech for customer support on Linux servers. Then you'd most often be using one-liners in bash. Take a look at the exam objectives for the Linux+ certification. There's also the RHSCA (not necessarily harder, but doesn't cover some topics in the Linux+), and the RHCE.

You'll need plenty of hands on experience with Linux, especially the command line. This covers a much wider array than just bash. If you're working with Linux servers, you'd need to know DNS apache config, setting up VirtualHosts, etc.

1 members found this post helpful.

Personally I'm still in the process of getting mine. I can tell from my experience that nearly all the tools you will be using come prebuilt into Backtrack Linux. I suggest getting virtualbox installed and setting up a couple of virtual machines one for the backtrack attacker and a couple of target machines for the attacks. Make sure you do this in the virtual network only and not in bridged or NAT mode, else you run the risk of attacking real computers. This is how I've learned nearly everything I know, I've not had any formal training, but I've learned a lot. The best resource I can get you would be securitytube.net , I've spent months watching the tutorials on there. Vivek, the guy who runs the site is a guru in IT security. He has two very good tutorials on wireless penetration (aircrack-ng) and metasploit, two tools you will HAVE to know inside and out! This is just the start, there are many more things you will need to know. Don't let your Linux studies slack either. Most real world attacks aren't that elaborate and typically are the result of poor administration, so be a good admin and you will be on your way to being a good candidate for CEH. I can say this as well, never feel like you've arrived and you know enough. You will never know enough, always study never stop or you will be left behind. Set time aside everyday to practice and test something new.

1 members found this post helpful.

I'm watching some videos on the site right now, and I must say that it's pretty rich with information, much like these forums. I'm also in online school this year, so I have more time to explore my GNU/Linux system. I'm trying to learn Python right now. Are there any programming languages that stand out from the rest as far as security goes?

I've got a security related irc channel if you're interested. We discuss programming, Linux, security and off topic.

server: irc.windfyre.net channel: #blackhats

or you can use the relay bot

server: irc.freenode.net channel: ##blackhats