The Hacking Dojo

the_Grinch

So I was over at ethicalhacker.net browsing around the forums when I saw a thread and advertisements for The Hacking Dojo (hackingdojo.com). Site is run by Tom Wilhelm (author of Ninja Hacking and Professional Penetration Testing) who has been in the security industry for a number of years. At The Hacking Dojo they offer courses at various levels (like a karate dojo) and you test to get to each one. The class meets each week for an hour of live lecture/mentoring (via Skype) and you receive assignments that are to be completed. The first course is two months long (1R - Mukyu). The course will be covering the use of Backtrack, so I figure definitely a good precursor to OCSP. I'll be posting how things go each week for anyone who might be interested in taking the course the next time it starts up.

Bl8ckr0uter

Awesome. I am very interested in the hacking dojo. It looked like an interesting set of courses. Let us know how you like it!

WilliamK99

Grinch, I am signed up for the same class, look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

The course looks very interesting and am hoping the knowledge gained in this course will benefit me in the security field.

the_Grinch

Bl8ckr0uter - Will definitely keep you updated along the way!

WilliamK99 - Yeah can't wait to start!

the_Grinch

Welp, did the first class today and I felt it went well. Won't be using my sister's netbook for skype anymore though (connection dropped twice on it). I felt like a lot will be covered in the class and that it is all very interesting. Homework doesn't seem too tough as of right now, but I figure that will change!

WilliamK99

I like how he will record the sessions, so if you miss a class or have connection issues, you won't get behind... At only 25 dollars a week, I think it is well worth the price for what you are getting...

We'll see how future weeks go, but so far, so good.

SephStorm

so you are able to view the content offline, thats good. Being overseas, that was one of my concerns.

the_Grinch

Yup, Tom says he will be putting the content up incase people have to miss a week for whatever reason.

ODNation

im glad i randomly read this thread... im just a beginner in the security field and i see on hackingdojo that the instructor will be doing a class in march for novice folks like myself... im gonna sign up - sounds rewarding

ODNation

to those in the current class - how are things going? I signed up for the March-April class

has it been worth the money? are you actually learning something?

TrainingDaze

Great thread. Thanks for sharing your experience and look forward to reading about your thoughts and opinions on the class.

For those in the class, I'm curious what your current level of pentesting experience/knowledge is and how the class stacks up to your expectations.

Good Luck!

the_Grinch

As of right now, I find the class moving a little bit slow. Tom had to cancel last week and this week, so the class is extended, but that's a huge deal for me. I think right now he is getting everyone on the same foundation and then building off of it. So far, it has been review for me, but by the end I am pretty sure I will have learned a lot. I can happily that I have enjoyed it and being able to contact Tom when you need to is a great resource.

ODNation

the_Grinch wrote: »

As of right now, I find the class moving a little bit slow

that will actually benefit me since im very new to security... thanks for your insight

WilliamK99

the_Grinch wrote: »

As of right now, I find the class moving a little bit slow. Tom had to cancel last week and this week, so the class is extended, but that's a huge deal for me. I think right now he is getting everyone on the same foundation and then building off of it. So far, it has been review for me, but by the end I am pretty sure I will have learned a lot. I can happily that I have enjoyed it and being able to contact Tom when you need to is a great resource.

The classes being canceled were a Godsend for me, as I had 3 10 page papers to write for college...

Hopefully these "delays" don't happen too often though.

the_Grinch

Ha, well I am glad they were cancelled so you can finish those papers! Yeah, I don't think it will happen too often. Life/work does get in the way sometimes...

SephStorm

FYI, there is a review of the class posted over at EH.net

The Ethical Hacker Network - Course Review: Hacking Dojo - Shodan Foundational Class

I've had my eyes on HD for a while, I may look into it in the future.

nicklauscombs

just finished moving and now have the free time to sign up for this. looking forward to joining the class.

nicklauscombs

since the open classes are on monday night (i can attend the live one every other week) it is nice to have the recorded option not to miss anything.

nicklauscombs

first class for me is tomorrow night. i'll start posting more in depth reviews after i get in there and get a feel for how it all is going to work.

SephStorm

looking forward to it.

nicklauscombs

first class down - we focused on password attacks this week using the herot.net de-ice discs. i really enjoy the class structure and how they lay out the learning for the hour (slides, hands on, question and answer section). plenty of time for questions (and not just questions on the weeks topic) from both tom as well as another guy who was leading the class so we had two experts on hand to give their opinions. this would be an excellent learning experience for someone who doesn't necessarily need hand holding but just a good kick in the ass to get focused from week to week. more to come after next week's class.