Hey I recently was looking around at my family's old computer parts Inventory and I have been able to re-build a old p3 machine . I have been playing around with computers since I was a kid ( mostly building and repairing ) . I took a programing class in high school but I found it pretty dull and pretty easy , but note all i was allowed to make had to be according to the course outline . Ive started reading about networking and stuff and was thinking of building a network not attached to the internet at all just to play around with .

Ill admit I have been doing a bit of kiddie scripting using backtrack and messing around with wifi networks and whatnot , but reading more and more into things so I truly understand what is being done by the individual programs I am using .

So my thoughts so far for my network set up is getting a wireless router ( probably a wrt54g , and flashing the firmware ) maybe add and directly connect it to the old p3 machine , i also have a old standard router that is a dlink something i could throw into the mix some how . For OS i thought i would install windows xp at first on the old computer .

As lame as it sounds I want to know how to do stuff like once im in the network how can I "backup " files onto my own machine if the computer has a password to connect to it individually .

Ill admit im a noob with this stuff but i am willing to learn , I am handy with the hardware setup of computers mostly , its the cracking of security that im trying to understand better so any advice on my offline network setup or good books to read would be awesome.


TL/DL : I am a noob and im setting up a network that I own that I can use to learn about network security and how it can be overcome .

by old router: you mean it just isnt wireless? it still has a couple of ports on the back?

first, see if there is any installation Cd's and use them.

otherwise,
plug computer into one of the router's ports using ethernet cable. go to your internet browser, type in 192.168.1.1 which is the default IP address of the router.

it will ask for a password. if it is linksys default is admin, unless you flashed the firware yet.

proceed to hack your router or whatever.

Try installing the tomato firmware one your linksys router.
http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato

You could use one of the machines as a webserver, create a site, then pentest it? Maybe even share the IP for all of us to enjoy :)

I suppose you could try to disable the machines antivirus remotely, then infect it with a rootkit.

If you install XP before any patches, then you would be able to run old exploits. Based on what you've said you want to do, you might want to try exploits like an RPC DCOM attack.

If you're interested in sniffing out network traffic, then you could try out a MITM(man in the middle) attack.

List is endless really. Once you've secured the box, post the IP, see what NiS make of it ;)

I know how to set up a router , and by a old one I did mean non wireless , Im pretty confident in my firmware flashing , but thanks none the less.

I was watching systm the other day and tomato firmware I think is what im going to go with.

I was watching systm the other day

Systm's not a bad show, but hak5 is so much better. Especially for what you're wanting to do. Go to www.hak5.org, and start watching them from episode one. Great show.

192.168.1.1 which is the default IP address of the router.


Don't assume every fucking *router* use the same ip address.

I propose www.FreeBSD.org + The FreeBSD Handbook, which can be found at the same address.
FreeBSD is well documented, has tons of ported applications, excellent network performance and general performance, is the optimal system if you are actually planning on learning something about computers.

Systm's not a bad show, but hak5 is so much better. Especially for what you're wanting to do. Go to www.hak5.org, and start watching them from episode one. Great show.

Ive been watching Hak5 Since the first episode , lots of things I dont fully understand ,but the more i look into it the more it starts to come together . I also have been reading 2600 since volume 22 or so .

Thanks for the BSD link ill read into it

Don't assume every fucking *router* use the same ip address.



You are right. But, most home use routers (sorry: integrated router/switch/access point) would have a class C private IP address.