Devops beginnings with automated hacking
My hacking drama came to an end when I found out that Python could be my hacking Swiss knife. By writing Python scripts I wouldn't have to memorize commands I would forget later only but I could create an automated system that could read passwords from files, log to Overthewire server, test, copy and run the python script that would hack the level, get and store the password for the next level and lastly close the connection with the server, all of that to be run with one command.
Where did the idea of making this system come from though? Well, I'm not gonna lie, it all started with being curious about Devops. Why Devops? My background in business management let me contribute to the organisational aspect of the companies I worked at, I'm a huge fan of finding the optimal way to perform a task aka efficiency, I like to find out how things can interact together to achieve a result and I love technology, all of those are basically devops skills/traits.
Back to the hacking system, I was hooked by it. In fact, I was so into it that I worked on it for hours straight without noticing it. My inspiration came from the articles I'd read about DevOps on the internet and my motivation was to see the system working. When I was done with it, it was glorious to check that the password for the next level was stored in my laptop after running a single command. Victory my friends! I called it a day.
So the system is up and running to let me focus on solving Overthewire bandit challenges with Python. Fun does not stop there though because I want to develop another system with a similar workflow for my Hack the Box studies. This time, I'll be using Selenium to have control over the platform. It's a more ambitions project of course but I'd love to take on the challenge.
Do you think I won't work on my own homelab? Well, let me dissapoint you here because one of my dreams in my newly discoverd passion is to own my data with a NixOS server. But, first things first, Hack the Box needs to be hack with DevOps principles.