10 Best Free Websites To Learn Ethical Hacking | 2023

Short Answer: The best free websites to learn ethical hacking for most people are definitely HackThisSite, HackingTutorial, and HackInTheBox.

Cybersecurity is one of the major concerns of the modern world. The growth of technology has attracted a horde of hackers who are always taking advantage of different security systems.

These hackers usually use the security weaknesses that exist in systems to break in and steal information. They can also modify the information on a system to take advantage of it.

For instance, a hacker ordering servers from an online store might hack in to increase the number of servers in their order.

By breaking into the database and modifying the information, they will receive more servers than they had originally paid for, which is a loss for the online store. Hacking has become a prevalent threat nowadays, and hackers are always getting better and better each day.

Security is, therefore, a matter of growing importance as companies, governments, and organizations look for ways and means of keeping their information more secure. Finding security weaknesses in your system before the hackers do is staying one step ahead of them.

It also means being able to secure all your information systems and applications to ensure that hackers are unable to penetrate your security defenses to cause damage to your system. Patching systems is also important to ensure that even when hackers have identified a new weakness in security systems, they will not be able to make use of it on yours.

Keeping information secure is important as hackers get better and smarter in their tactics and methods. By securing systems before the hackers can use the vulnerabilities, you will easily keep your information protected from all kinds of hackers and any scripts that they might use.

Your system should also be designed to survive the worst attack that a hacker might try on your information systems. For instance, your servers should regularly make backups of their information and duplicate resources and information to other servers. This way, your services will keep running even when you are under serious Cyberattack.

Surviving cyber-attacks means that your business or organization will still be available to provide services to the people who need them. It prevents business interruption and ensures a sustainable information system that can mean more profits for your online business even under the worst conditions.

What is ethical hacking?

What if we could think of all the moves that a hacker is likely to make before they do? Anticipating the moves and methods of a hacker is a useful strategy for securing modern information systems, and it is usually done transparently. Ethical hacking is the use of hacking for a good cause.

It penetrates a system using the same methods that a hacker would use, but it does not have the intention of causing damage to or sabotaging a system. The ethical hacker is all about finding the flaws in a security system before the hacker can identify them.

When the white hat hacker is studying a system, they will use the same tools that an ordinary hacker would be using to try and penetrate a security system. This way, they will be able to identify security weaknesses in your current information infrastructure before hackers can take advantage of them.

This way, you can easily patch your system and take the ethical hacker’s advice to upgrade your security systems and patch the systems that have been out of date for a long time. Ethical hacking also seeks to make hacking a system much harder for the actual hacker.

By patching all the potential access points that a hacker would use, a company or online business will prevent the likelihood of their system being hacked. This makes them more secure, and they can operate safely in the knowledge that hackers will not succeed no matter how hard they try to break into the system.

Types of Hacking?

There are two main types of hacking:-

• White-hat hacking: this is using hacking for good. It means using hacking knowledge to inform businesses and modern organizations of the security flaws in their systems. It also means recommending patches and upgrades that an organization or business can do to software and database systems to make them more secure. White hat hackers are usually hired to find security flaws before the other hackers, and script kids do.
• Black-hat hacking: This is using knowledge of hacking for evil. It involves using methods of exploitation to break into systems to cause damage or steal information. Hackers that use these techniques usually do it for financial gain where they sell the stolen information to other parties on the dark web and underground hacker sites. This is the evil hacking that many organizations and businesses on the internet are trying to protect themselves from.

Following are some of the ten free websites to learn about ethical hacking. Improving your knowledge of cyber security with these websites is simple and effective. It is also the best way to learn to hack and improve your knowledge of security systems.

1. Hack This Site

This is one of the best training grounds for anyone that wants to become a hacker. It provides them with a chance to hack the website itself legally without any legal repercussions.

The website has been designed to be a practice spot for interested hackers, and you can easily improve your hacking skills by trying to hack this site.

Features

• Legal hacking website
• Forums for hacker’s discussions
• Challenges to try your skills
• Webchat to keep in touch with other hackers
• Community of hackers sharing skills.

2. Hacking Tutorials

If you are looking for the training material for ethical hacking, this is one of the best websites for you. Here, you will learn all about hacking and many of the tools that hackers use. The tutorials have been designed in a manner that is easy to follow.

There are plenty of practical applications and exercises on the website to get you up and running with ethical hacking. You will find the website to be quite easy to use and very useful for anyone interested in becoming an ethical hacker.

Features

• Tutorials about hacking
• Hacking news
• Downloads for hacking software
• Free e-books
• Online hacking tools

3. Hack In The Box

Whenever you need free knowledge about ethical hacking that is always regularly updated, this is the ideal website. It is a community of hackers and contains some of the best information about hacking. The website has been designed to enable you to learn about hacking right from the box.

It has tutorials on how to set up your hacking installation and use various hacking tools to go through the various stages of hacking a website or an information system. They also organize annual events where you can get a charged session with your favorite information security experts.

Features

• Magazines about hacking
• Tutorials to teach you how to hack
• Conferences that are organized periodically.
• Latest news
• Community of hackers.

4. Hackaday

Whenever you are looking for the freshest information about hacking and the latest methods used to penetrate security systems, this is the website for you.

It has been designed to ensure that you always have a fresh update each day. If you aim to stay updated about hacking, this is the ideal website for you.

You will learn about the latest methods used by hackers all over the world and how best to defend against them. You will learn how to set up various systems and configure firewall applications to defend information systems better.

Features

• Blog with hacking posts
• Tutorials about hacking
• Competitions to challenge hackers
• Easy Search
• Fresh content

5. EvilZone Hacking Forums

This is a network meant to be used by hackers, crackers, and other security experts who are good at getting past firewalls and escalating privileges right from the kernel. If your interests are in the methods and techniques used by hackers, this is the right website for you.

Here, you will learn how hackers work and the methods used to get past defenses in many information systems. It is a good place to learn about hacking, and you will find the website useful for keeping your knowledge updated.

Features

• Tutorials about hacking
• Challenges for practical exercises
• Community of hackers
• Forums for questions and discussions
• Blog posts with hacking-related content.

6. Hacking Loops

If you are looking to become an ethical hacker, this is the best place to learn. The website has all the information you need and plenty of materials to help you become an ethical hacker.

Only by updating your knowledge can you become a better hacker, which this website intends to provide. Learn about the best way to set up your lab as a hacker and the tools you should have and learn to use if you want to become a great hacker.

Features

• Downloadable guides
• Articles about hacking
• Tutorials to teach about hacking
• Blog posts with useful content
• Community of experienced hackers.

7. Break the Security

If you are a programmer and would like to advance your knowledge to create more effective applications, this is the ideal website for you.

Here, you will learn about secure coding practices and how to study code and information systems or applications for security weaknesses. You will also learn about web applications and the best ways of breaking into these systems.

Hacking databases is part of the information available on this website, and you will learn different methods of SQL injection. You will also learn how to hack different types of networks and get past firewalls and other defense mechanisms.

Features

• Tutorials about hacking
• Code labs
• Practical sessions
• Blogs with fresh content
• Community of hackers

8. Security Tube

Watching videos is the preferred way to learn for some people, and if you are all about video training, this is the website for you.

The website has all the video tutorials on hacking that you will need to become an ethical hacker. The tutorials are easy to follow and contain in-depth information about the techniques and methods that are being presented.

You will learn all about attacks and defenses, which means that you will attack systems and form methods for defending them better. The tutorials are also easily presented in the best manner possible, and you will find them quite educational.

Features

• Videos with detailed instructions
• Great tutors
• Practical skills
• Regular updates
• Video groups
• Community of hackers.

9. Hacker101

This is a free class for web security, and it has something in store for everyone. Whether you are a programmer or a security professional, there is something that you can learn from the website.

Various challenges on the website ensure that you put your practical skills into use and finesse your hacking skills using the actual scenarios provided to you on the website.

In addition to the challenges, there are video lessons that take you through hacking to impart the proper skills to you and ensure that you fully understand the concept.

Features

• Capture the flag
• Video Lessons
• Free classes
• In-depth content
• Community of experienced hackers.

10. SecTools

Both ethical and non-ethical hackers actively use security tools. This is the one website where you can keep your arsenal stocked by getting the latest security tools that you can use for your hacking training.

The tools are the ones that are in actual use by hackers of all types, and you will find them to be quite effective for your escapades. If you are looking to make your hacking better, this is the ideal website for you as you will not lack the perfect tool for every stage of your hacking exercise.

Features

• Security tools
• Easy search feature
• Hacking websites list free
• Hacking news
• Documentation of hacking tools.

FAQ

Q: Is ethical hacking legal?

A: Ethical hacking is legal and ethical hackers even have a certificate to prove that they use their methods to benefit their clients.

Q: Can you go to jail for hacking someone’s social media?

A: Yes. If you are caught and evidence that you stole information, you can be prosecuted based on your local information security laws.

Q: Can we learn ethical hacking at home?

A: Yes. The websites listed above can easily be accessed with an internet connection from home, and you can learn at your own comfortable pace.