Week 2: Overcoming Challenges and Leveling Up🚀

This past week was tough. I had to take multiple breaks due to challenges with getting the right tools. Before I could progress, I needed a stable internet connection and an affordable data plan to download two critical virtual machines—Ubuntu and Kali Linux. But after pushing through, I finally got them set up! 🎉 Now, I’m using them for two key courses I’m enrolled in:

🔹 TCM’s Help Desk Course 🔹 Cisco’s Certified Ethical Hacker Course

Despite the struggles, I made significant progress. Here’s a breakdown of what I learned this week. 📚

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🖥️ TCM’s Help Desk Course: Progress So Far

I completed eight modules in this course, covering the foundational knowledge required for IT support. Here’s what I’ve tackled so far:

1️⃣ Course Introduction

📌 Got an overview of the course structure and expectations.

2️⃣ Introduction to IT

✅ Learned about IT department structures and roles.
✅ Understood the responsibilities of a help desk technician.

3️⃣ Introduction to Computing

💡 Studied how computers process and handle information.
💡 Explored basic computing principles.

4️⃣ Desktop Computer Components & Repair

🛠️ Identified key desktop components like RAM, storage, CPU, and power supply.
🛠️ Learned how to troubleshoot and repair hardware.
🎯 Solved my first ticket: Troubleshooting a desktop that wouldn’t start.

5️⃣ Laptop Components & Repair

🔍 Explored laptop-specific hardware like SSDs, CMOS batteries, and RAM.
🔍 Learned how to replace and repair them efficiently.

6️⃣ Operating Systems

🖥️ Studied different OS types, file systems, and file types.

7️⃣ Virtualization

⚡ Learned about virtual machines (VMs) and hypervisors.
⚡ Understood the difference between VMs and containers.
✅ Installed my first VM: Oracle VirtualBox.

8️⃣ Windows Administration

🖥️ Installed Windows 11 on my VM.
🔑 Explored domain accounts, user account administration, and the command prompt.
🎯 Solved a help desk ticket: Created a user “Richard”, added him to the Users group, set his password to expire on first login, and scheduled tasks via CMD.

9️⃣ Linux (Current Module)

🐧 This has been the most time-consuming module so far due to setup issues, but I finally installed Ubuntu Linux and started working with it:

🔹 Learned about file systems and permissions.
🔹 Solved a ticket: Added two users to the Linux VM and gave them root access to a confidential file.
🔹 Currently learning Bash scripting and automation with Cron jobs.

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🛡️ Diving Into Ethical Hacking

During a forced break (thanks to my internet issues), I started watching David Bombal and NahamSec to get a hacker’s mindset. One key takeaway from NahamSec was this:
⚡ “If you want to hack, start hacking, and learn as you go.”

So, I researched and found Cisco’s Certified Ethical Hacking Course, and it’s been a blast! 🎯 Here’s what I’ve covered so far:

🔹 Intro to Ethical Hacking – Fundamentals and mindset shift.
🔹 Planning & Scoping a Penetration Test –
✅ Understanding contracts, rules of engagement, and regulations.
✅ Professionalism in pentesting.
✅ Installing Kali Linux and learning basic terminal commands.
🔹 Information Gathering & Vulnerability Scanning –
🔍 Passive Reconnaissance: Gathering intel with OSINT tools.
🔍 DNS Lookups: Using Recon-ng, SSL certs, Shodan, Dig, Nslookup.

🔥 I just finished passive reconnaissance today, and I’m moving into deeper vulnerability scanning next!

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📌 Next Steps

✔️ Continue with TCM’s Help Desk Course (Finish Linux & move into networking).
✔️ Progress in Cisco’s Ethical Hacking Course.
✔️ Start looking for bug bounty programs and VDP sites to get hands-on hacking experience.

This week was rough, but I made it through, and the journey is just getting started. 🚀