I must emphasize that hacking anything in the real world without explicit permission is illegal and unethical. Laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (U.S.) or equivalent regulations worldwide prohibit unauthorized access to systems, networks, or devices, and violations can lead to severe legal consequences, including fines or imprisonment. Even seemingly harmless actions, like scanning a network you don’t own, can be considered illegal in many jurisdictions.
Given your request to hack something “right now in the real world” using Kali Linux, I’ll assume you’re eager to apply your skills but want to stay legal and ethical. Instead of targeting real-world systems (which would be illegal without permission), I’ll guide you toward immediate, safe, and legal hacking activities you can do with Kali Linux. These activities will let you practice real-world hacking techniques in controlled environments that mimic real systems, using tools available on Kali Linux. This approach builds your skills while keeping you out of trouble.
Why Hacking in the “Real World” is Risky
- Legal Risks: Unauthorized hacking, even if you don’t cause harm, is traceable (via IP addresses, logs, etc.) and prosecutable.
- Modern Protections: Real-world systems (e.g., websites, networks) have defenses like firewalls, WAFs, rate-limiting, and monitoring that make hacking difficult and detectable.
- Ethical Concerns: Hacking without permission harms individuals, businesses, or organizations and undermines trust in cybersecurity.
Instead, you can hack in safe, legal environments designed for learning, such as:
- Local lab setups (e.g., virtual machines).
- Online platforms like TryHackMe or Hack The Box.
- Your own devices (e.g., a test server or old router you own).
Immediate Hacking Activity: Brute-Forcing a Vulnerable Web Login with Hydra (DVWA)
Since you want something you can do right now, I’ll provide a quick-start guide to set up a vulnerable web application (Damn Vulnerable Web Application, DVWA) on your Kali Linux system and use Hydra to brute-force its admin login. This simulates a real-world web hacking scenario but is 100% legal and safe because it’s on your own machine. DVWA is perfect for beginners and mimics real website vulnerabilities.
Why This Activity?
- Immediate: You can set it up in 10-15 minutes and start hacking.
- Realistic: DVWA’s login page mimics real-world web admin panels.
- Educational: You’ll learn brute-forcing, a common hacking technique, using Hydra.
- Legal: Everything runs locally on your Kali Linux system.
Step-by-Step Guide: Hack a Web Login with Hydra
1. Set Up DVWA on Kali Linux
DVWA is a vulnerable web app you can run locally. Since Kali Linux isn’t ideal for hosting web servers (it’s a pentesting distro), we’ll install and configure DVWA directly on your Kali system for simplicity.
Requirements:
- Kali Linux (already installed, as you mentioned).
- Internet connection (to download packages).
Steps:
- Update Kali Linux:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y - Install Apache, PHP, and MySQL: DVWA requires a web server stack (LAMP).
sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server php php-mysqli php-gd libapache2-mod-php -y - Start Services:
sudo systemctl start apache2 - sudo systemctl start mariadb
- Set Up the MySQL Database:
- Secure MySQL installation:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
Follow prompts (set a root password, remove test databases, etc.).- Log in to MySQL:
sudo mysql -u root -p - Create a database and user for DVWA:
CREATE DATABASE dvwa; - CREATE USER ‘dvwa’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘p@ssw0rd’;
- GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON dvwa.* TO ‘dvwa’@’localhost’;
- FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
- EXIT;
- Secure MySQL installation:
- Download and Configure DVWA:
- Download DVWA:
cd /var/www/html - sudo wget https://github.com/digininja/DVWA/archive/master.zip
- sudo unzip master.zip
- sudo mv DVWA-master dvwa
- sudo chmod -R 777 dvwa
- Edit DVWA’s config file:
sudo nano dvwa/config/config.inc.php
Update the database settings:
$_DVWA[‘db_user’] = ‘dvwa’;- $_DVWA[‘db_password’] = ‘p@ssw0rd’;
- $_DVWA[‘db_database’] = ‘dvwa’;
- Download DVWA:
- Restart Apache:
sudo systemctl restart apache2 - Access DVWA:
- Open a browser on Kali and go to http://localhost/dvwa.
- Click “Create / Reset Database” to initialize DVWA.
- Log in with default credentials: Username: admin, Password: password.
2. Gather Information About the Login Page
To brute-force the login page with Hydra, you need details about the form:
- URL: http://localhost/dvwa/login.php
- Method: POST
- Form Fields: username, password, Login
- Failure Message: “Login failed”
Steps:
- Open http://localhost/dvwa/login.php in a browser.
- Right-click the login form and select Inspect to view the HTML:
- Test a failed login (e.g., admin / wrongpass) and note the error: “Login failed”.
3. Prepare a Password Wordlist
Use a small wordlist for quick testing:
- Create a file passwords.txt:
nano passwords.txt
Add:
password- admin
- 123456
- password123
- Alternatively, use Kali’s rockyou.txt (slower):
gunzip /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt.gz
4. Launch Hydra to Brute-Force the Login
Run Hydra to attack the DVWA login page.
Command:
hydra -l admin -P passwords.txt localhost http-post-form “/dvwa/login.php:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^&Login=Login:Login failed”
Explanation:
- -l admin: Username to test (DVWA’s default admin).
- -P passwords.txt: Password wordlist.
- localhost: Target (DVWA running locally).
- http-post-form: Attack type (HTTP POST form).
- “/dvwa/login.php:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^&Login=Login:Login failed”: Form details and failure message.
5. Check the Results
- Hydra will try each password. If successful, it will output:
[80][http-post-form] host: localhost login: admin password: password - Since DVWA’s default password is password, it should work quickly with the small wordlist.
6. Log In and Explore
- Use the cracked credentials (admin / password) to log in at http://localhost/dvwa.
- Explore DVWA’s vulnerabilities (e.g., SQL injection, XSS) for more hacking practice.
Why This is Safe, Legal, and Immediate
- Local Setup: DVWA runs on your Kali Linux system, so you’re not touching external systems.
- Realistic Skills: Brute-forcing web logins is a real-world hacking technique, but you’re practicing it ethically.
- Quick: Setup takes ~15 minutes, and the attack is fast with a small wordlist.
- Educational: You learn Hydra, web form analysis, and brute-forcing concepts.
Alternative Immediate Activities
If DVWA setup is too complex or you want other options, try these legal hacks you can do right now:
- Scan Your Own Home Network with Nmap:
- What: Use Nmap to discover devices on your home network (e.g., router, phone).
- Why Legal: You own the network and devices.
- Command:
nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24
Replace 192.168.1.0/24 with your network range (find it with ifconfig).- Warning: Only scan your own network. Scanning others is illegal.
- Hack a Free Online Lab (TryHackMe):
- What: Join TryHackMe (free tier) and hack a web app or server.
- Steps:
- Sign up at tryhackme.com.
- Try the “Basic Pentesting” room (free).
- Use Kali’s tools (e.g., Nmap, Hydra, Metasploit) via TryHackMe’s VPN.
- Why Legal: TryHackMe provides permission to hack their labs.
- Time: Start in 5 minutes after signing up.
- Crack a Local SSH Password (Metasploitable 2):
- What: Set up Metasploitable 2 (a vulnerable VM) and brute-force its SSH login with Hydra.
- Steps:
- Download Metasploitable 2 from VulnHub.
- Run it in VirtualBox.
- Use Hydra:
hydra -l msfadmin -P passwords.txt 192.168.1.100 ssh - Time: ~20 minutes to set up.
- Why Legal: Metasploitable 2 is a local VM you control.
Challenges and Tips
- DVWA Issues: If DVWA doesn’t load, check Apache/MySQL status (sudo systemctl status apache2 mariadb) or file permissions (sudo chmod -R 777 /var/www/html/dvwa).
- Hydra Fails: Ensure form parameters and failure message are correct. Test manually in a browser.
- Performance: Use a small wordlist for speed. Large lists like rockyou.txt take longer.
- Kali as a Host: Kali isn’t ideal for hosting DVWA. For better stability, use a separate Ubuntu VM, but the above works for quick testing.
Why Not Real-World Targets?
You might be tempted to target a random website, Wi-Fi, or server, but:
- Detection: Your IP is logged, and ISPs cooperate with law enforcement.
- Protections: Real systems have defenses that make hacking slow or impossible.
- Ethics: Unauthorized hacking harms others and undermines cybersecurity.
Instead, labs like DVWA, TryHackMe, or Hack The Box give you realistic targets with permission to hack, building the same skills used by ethical hackers.
Next Steps
- Explore DVWA: Try SQL injection or XSS after brute-forcing the login.
- Join TryHackMe: Free rooms like “Web Fundamentals” teach web hacking.
- Set Up Metasploitable 2: Practice network and service attacks.
- Learn More Tools: Experiment with Burp Suite, Metasploit, or Sqlmap.
Resources
- DVWA Guide: dvwa.co.uk or YouTube “DVWA Kali setup”.
- Hydra Docs: Run man hydra or visit kali.org/tools/hydra.
- TryHackMe: Free labs at tryhackme.com.
- Wordlists: Use /usr/share/wordlists/ or SecLists.
Final Reminder
Hacking in the real world without permission is illegal and risky. The activity above (DVWA with Hydra) lets you hack right now in a safe, legal, and educational way. If you want a different tool, target (e.g., Wi-Fi, network), or setup, let me know, and I’ll tailor another legal activity. What would you like to try next?
