Hacking Dojo week 1.

So I signed up for the Hacking Dojo recently. At $95.00 a month for 1x a week hacking class it seemed like a good deal. I figured I'd do a running review of the class on my blog. Maybe I'll write up a fancier one later.

The Hacking Dojo has several different levels. The lowest level is actually a 2 month class, that teaches the "Basics". Things like scripting, virtual labs, etc. The others are a pay by the month class.

The Class Format:
The class meets once a week at a set time. The classes meet via Skype conference call, and a web based desktop sharing program for "screen casting".

You can join the class at anytime, as long as there is an opening. Other than the Mukyu, which is ran for 2 months and can only be joined at the start of the cycle.

The Shodan Level, the one I'm in, are designed to recycle every 3 months. Basically go through three months of classes and then if the students have kept up with the home work and labs, they can test out of the class to the next level. The Shodan level classes are designed to teach students the basic frame work of Penetration testing. The exam is just as much about the ISSAF as it is about hacking the system.

First Impressions:
So I started with the Shodan class, because I have experience with Virtual Boxes and Virtual Labs, shell scripting, and some of the other topics that were covered at that level. I can't scrape a web page yet (one of the things you're expected to already know how to do in the Shodan class), but I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out when I have to. The one thing I'm more worried about is the lack of scripting / programming I've done over the last couple of years. I can do some basics but been a long time since I've had to do any real scripting.

I kind of lucked out when I signed up. I've been saying I'm going to for a while now. I was going to start with the lower class, but said meh, go big or stay on the porch. The first week's class I was lucky. It was the Review class for the last 3 weeks. It works good as an over view class too, giving the student an idea of what is to come.

The class incorporates both a Wiki and a Forum for peer level conversations. However, probably possible for a little bit of mentoring there too. But I haven't looked into it that much yet.

Moving to the next level:
To move up to the next level, you can ask to take the test at any time. It is a 2 part test. Both parts are timed. The first part is a 48 hour written exam, that must be passed before taking the second part. It's not just a bunch of answers, but includes having to prove your work with screen shots. The second test is the Practical exam. Where you have 72 hours hack the system.

After passing, you can move up to the next level, Nidan.

Stick around, my next class is in 2 days. I'll update sometime between then and next Sunday.