System Hacking Overview
Goals of system hacking — gaining access, privilege escalation, persistence and log clearing — plus where credential hashes come from.
System hacking covers what happens after a target is discovered, scanned and enumerated: gaining access, escalating privileges, maintaining persistence and clearing tracks. Credential material is the most common path from foothold to full compromise, so this page also carries a complete educational reference on password hashing and hash analysis.
Important
Everything on this page is documentation for authorised labs, CTFs and engagements with written permission. Nothing here performs cracking, recovers passwords, or acts as an online cracking service.
System Hacking Goals
| Phase | Objective | Typical Output |
|---|---|---|
| Gaining access | Turn a vulnerability or credential into a shell | Low-privileged session |
| Privilege escalation | Move from user to root / SYSTEM | Administrative session |
| Maintaining access | Survive reboots and defender action | Persistence mechanism |
| Clearing logs | Reduce forensic footprint | Audit trail gaps |
Where Hashes Come From
- Windows — local SAM database, LSASS memory, NTDS.dit on domain controllers.
- Linux —
/etc/shadow, application databases, backup archives. - Applications — user tables in web app databases, config files, API stores.
- Network captures — NetNTLMv1 / NetNTLMv2 challenge–response material, Kerberos AS-REP / TGS tickets.
Related articles
🔐 Password Cracking
Educational guide covering password hashing, hash identification, Hashcat, John the Ripper, wordlists, attack methods, common hash formats, and the interactive hash identifier.
Credential Attacks
Credential dumping, password spraying, pass-the-hash, pass-the-ticket, token theft and the defences that stop them.
Steganography
Beginner-friendly steganography study guide: core concepts, stego vs crypto, types, tools, workflow, beginner tips and an interactive browser-only lab.
🚀 Metasploit Framework
Complete educational guide to the Metasploit Framework, including msfconsole, modules, payloads, Meterpreter, auxiliary modules, exploitation workflow, post-exploitation, pivoting, resource scripts, plugins, troubleshooting, practical labs, and OSCP-oriented usage.