Before I start my primary focus of this post, I want to briefly update my certification goals. With the release of the two new exams (220-901 & 220-902) for the CompTIA A+ certification, I plan to take both of those sometime in January or February. I’ll follow that up with the CompTIA Server+ exam (SK0-004) before turning my sights to the (ISC)2 CCFP exam that I need to complete by the end of June in order to take advantage of the free exam voucher the organization provides to faculty.

My new focus, in part driven by my desire to improve content for my College’s CIS 152 Ethical Hacking course, is to try and “master” the HackNet game available through Steam. This simulated hacking exercise has received a large number of favorable reviews, and I’m thinking as I continue to play it that it may prove to be a valuable tool, providing students with “hands on” experiences in a safe environment to practice their investigative skills. I’d encourage you to give it a try. At a cost of less than ten dollars ($10), it certainly makes sense if you are interested in learning how hackers operate.

To help you in your efforts, I prepared, based upon game content, a list of commands that are utilized in HackNet. The list of commands can be accessed HERE.

Steve