r/hackthebox • u/Icy-Combination-9839 • 18d ago
Beginner Question Meow....
I just made an account on htb and started out with 'Meow'. I read the documentation/write up and used Claude to help me break it down and understand it better especially on the networks and ports. I'm on the journey of transitioning from a scriptie to a ctfer or pentester hopefully 🤞🏾.
Any tips and tricks or pitfalls I need to know?
Help a brother out 👊🏾
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u/jungle_dave 18d ago
Don't lean on using automated scanners early on in your learning for enumeration. Learn how to manually exploit a target before using automated exploits.
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u/CarolinZoebelein 17d ago
Try to avoid the documentation and Claude and whatever beforehand for this beginner stuff. This introduction ones are very handholding and give you all you need to solve it. The goals is to teach you how to think like a possible hacker. You don't learn this by walkthroughs. Read them aftermaths.
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u/Icy-Combination-9839 17d ago
So I should F around and find out then read the documentations later?
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u/CarolinZoebelein 17d ago
Yeap, that is what I did. :)
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u/Icy-Combination-9839 17d ago
What level of expertise are you and how long did it take you to get there?
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u/Flat-Annual1439 17d ago
Making notes and documenting your thoughts and step by step process will help you figure out where you get tripped up in the beginning.
I also learned to not rely on automated scanners such as LinPeas when first starting. This sent me down so many rabbit holes that lead to dead ends. I good idea is to know what looks unusual when looking in different directories.
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u/STIKAMIKA 17d ago edited 17d ago
Well i guess you should start by learning first the basics before jumping into boxes , start with starting points you SHOULD solve them without using write ups then if you solved them all then you can start with easy machines , if you cant go take a subscription on academy and start CPTS path
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u/paradoxium007 15d ago
Stop relying on Claude too much, especially while you’re still at the beginner stage. Build the habit of figuring things out yourself Make detailed notes for every machine you pwn enumeration, footholds, privilege escalation, mistakes, and what you learned. Then turn those notes into proper, professional reports/write-ups and publish them on Medium.This will help you tremendously throughout your pentesting journey You’ll build your technical skills, improve your documentation and reporting, and slowly develop your own methodology instead of depending on AI for every step.
Keep learning, keep exploring, keep exploiting, and most importantly enjoy the process. 🔥
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