my friend and I decided to have a hacking contest against each other. we are going to get some old computers and wipe them with a unix/linux terminal of our choice. we then get three days to prepare it and build/download our tools. then we see who can hack the other person first. what should i get. im not looking for illegal tools we just want to see whos the better/ more creative security and tools to break the other persons terminal.

Sure-fire way to tie:

1) Unplug Ethernet cable.

haha luc.....
get backtrack linux or create some kind of troajon horse type thing with c++ that sends vital info that can allow to ssh him. Are you going to be on the same network? If your not theres not much you can do unless you port foward ssh or telnet services.

*cracking contest ;)

Yeah it will just be us on a private network and we can't turn either os off how would i get the trojan horse to activate at login?

Figure out which ports he is using (nmap) and find a fault in a program... crash the program and send salt code along with the crashing data to open the shell to a telnet connection on your own... cracking is so easy, isn't it? ;)

btw use openBSD for security

EDIT:

You should really study more before going into a crack war (no pun intended ^_^)

EDIT 2:

You could also use a brute force TCP attack to stall his computing power and give yourself more time..

@Aramil here is a better question... how would you get him to install an infected program?

make it look like an ide or exe that he can use

... Why would he accept ANYTHING from you?

Pretty much your only hope is to find a security breach in whatever OS/programs he uses... unless of course he is a complete fool.

no i would put up the exe as a tool or whatever online that he wouldnt see i made. i was also thinking of messaging him with a "rule list.exe" he might accept that

You seem to take him for an idiot, no person would download something they never sued before right before a contest, nor would anyone competent download an EXE from an email.

If it is a local network, I am afraid to say that there is no such thing like security :- ) what if one of you hack the switch/rooter, or play a role of the man in the middle :-) hahaha local network and security :-)

@LB
my post above :P

@therockon7throw
It sounds like there will just be a direct connection between the computers

Get rid of Linux and buy a Mac. Then, you have nothing worth hacking/cracking!

were not messing with kernels so we can still use them he isnt that good of a programmer because he uses source off the the internet so i thought i might get something on his server that way and i wouldnt email him i would message him.

This thread is 3.5 weeks old. Are you saying you haven't won yet?

im sorry i thought i had put that we were doing this over the summer and then looked adn saw i had omitted this information