// the find
s0md3v/be-a-hacker
roadmap for a self-taught hacker
A single-page guide for beginners who want to get into security research and hacking. It covers mindset, a rough learning order (CS basics → networking → Linux terminal → Python → security concepts), and points to a handful of external resources. Written by s0md3v, who has a track record of actual security tooling.
The framing is honest about hacking being broad and refusing to pretend there's one path — that's more useful than most 'roadmaps' that just dump a link list. The recursive learning methodology (read a term, find 3 sources, repeat) is genuinely good advice for self-teaching a field with no standardized curriculum. The FAQ section tackles real beginner problems (burnout, imposter syndrome, motivation) with practical suggestions rather than platitudes. The author has credibility — s0md3v built tools like Photon and XSStrike, so this isn't someone theorizing.
The repo is effectively frozen since late 2023 and the content is thin — the whole thing fits in one README with two images. It points to subfields like car hacking and malware analysis but gives almost no guidance on how to actually enter any of them. Resource links skew heavily toward YouTube and are sparse; there's no mention of hands-on practice platforms (HTB, TryHackMe, PicoCTF) which are the most obvious recommendation for beginners. The bug bounty / Zerodium mention in the same breath is a strange pairing — Zerodium buys 0days for government clients, not a normal income path for beginners.