Linux Basics In order to become a good ethical hacker or penetration tester, you need to be conversant with Linux, which is by far one of the most powerful operating systems. Linux is really good for ethical hacking and penetration testing because it is compatible with a wide variety of related tools and software, whereas other operating systems such as Mac and Windows support fewer of these software and tools. In this chapter, I will teach you some of the very basics of operating a Linux OS. If you are already familiar with Linux basics, you can skip this chapter. One of the most common questions asked in many forums is “Which Linux distro should I use?” As there are tons of Linux distros such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Knoppix, and BackTrack you can use any Linux distro you want as all work in a similar manner. However, I suggest you use BackTrack if you really wish to dig deeper into this subject because it is all encompassing from a penetration tester’s perspective. Major...