How to become a solid cracker (Advices for beginners).txt

Last days I'm receiving pretty often messages and mails with the same question: "what do I have to do to be skilled reverser/cracker, what tools do you use?". Well, there is no golden rule . I suppose it's composed by three elements: WORK, WORK and... WORK. Anyway, if someone is it still wondering where she/he should begin, please read these advices.

A set of must have tools:
LordPE - PETools - PEExplorer - ProcessExplorer - Revirgin - ImportRec - Advanced Registry Tracer - SoftSnoop - ApiMonitor - FileMon - RegMon - Spy&Capture - ResourceHacker - ResourceTuner - ResourceBuilder - OllyDbg - W32Dasm - SoftIce - IDA - Dede - EnhancedDebugger (it's GREAT) - BDasm - Debuggy - HexEditor - WinHex - UltraEdit - Med - MASM (remember to update link.exe and ml.exe from VS NET) - TASM - packers/unpackers - any C++ compiler (Borland, Microsoft, DJGPP...).

Tutorials:
TKC - Fravia - +ORC - Iczelion - manual unpacking (aspack, asprotect, telock, armadillo, etc.) - dongle removing (envelope, dumping...) import table rebuilding - exceptions - adding visual functions to any program - Assembly Style - Art of Disassembly - Opcodes help - Intel Pentium Instrucions Reference - PC Assembly Language (it's GREAT) - Art of Assembly Programming (yes, it's HUGE but there's no need to read it all, 20-30% is enough) - Windows API - Codebreakers - The Assembler Environment - PE Format Explained (or other good PE tutorials).

Cryptography:
First of all, cryptography knowledge doesn't make You much stronger in cracking. It can make You more serious in reversing and protecting. I know that most of You are discouraged when hear about MD5 IDEA RC4 etc. Believe me, in the beginning You don't need it. Just try to ask any SKILLED cracker what is a "collision", what does "Floyd's cycle finding algo" do, what's faster: MD4 or MD5?, what MD5, SHA and RIPEMD have in common? These are only few principles of cryptography. Not to blame these crackers - I can bet 95% of them doesn't know the correct answer just because they don't need it at all. As a proof let's take Armadillo and ExeShield. Both of them use STRONG CRYPTOGRAPHY but in order to full crack them You need (I'm assuming the amount of time) about 3-7 hours for Arma and 1-2 hours for ExeShield. Why? Only because cryptography is less important. The real power is hidden in antidebug antidump and antitrace tricks and that's what You should have learn . Ok. let's stop it as it begins turning into a tutorial and we don't need it.
Titles: - Handbook of Applied Cryptography - Cryptography Theory and Practice.

I hear You all.... "What this jerk is talking about?! That would take 80% of my free time! I've no willingness for these stupidities! I want to become famous! NOW!... ". Well, then go and masturbate urself in some public toilet or start singing with Britney Spears. If You want to become famous then You're in a wrong place -there is no space here to explain why. If You'll read and understand the mentioned titles and provide Yourself with this software, You should become more than an average cracker -You should be ON THE TOP. Then, someday, I'll be glad to have the chance to ask You for help.

Please remember that all You've read above is only my private opinion. I hope that helped at least one solid and honest furthcoming scene member (to be truthful: I'm not scene member ). Greetings and regards to all the people visiting ExeTools forum (especially the pleasant ones: Wassim and Jay .