Hey everyone, I’m a total beginner when it comes to networking, cybersecurity, or hacking in general — I don’t have a CS background, and I barely understand how the internet or protocols work. But I’ve recently developed a strong curiosity for hacking — not just the ethical side, but also the “unethical” side purely for understanding how things break, how attackers think, how systems can be manipulated.

To be clear: I’m not looking to cause harm, steal data, or be a script kiddie flexing on low-tier systems. I just want to deeply understand both sides of hacking — how to protect and how attacks are carried out. I believe real knowledge only comes when you understand both attack and defense.

I know it’s a long road, and I’m ready to commit. I’m not asking for shortcuts, just a realistic, honest roadmap that starts from zero and can take me to an advanced level over time.

If you were in my shoes — no real tech foundation — how would you start?

Things I’m looking for:

What to learn first: networking? OS? scripting?

Tools I should explore (Kali Linux, Wireshark, Metasploit?)

Books or courses worth doing (free or paid)

Any good labs/sandboxes to practice safely

How to legally understand the illegal (to think like an attacker)

How to NOT get lost in the ocean of vague tutorials

Appreciate any help, guidance, or resources you can share. I’m ready to put in the work — just need a compass.

Thanks in advance.