0x7ff3a2b8c000
mov rdi, rsp
call _start
jmp 0xdeadbeef
xor eax, eax
push rbp
syscall
ret
nop
int 0x80
root@pattie ~

notes from the terminal

A sysadmin and cybersecurity learning log. Documenting labs, CTFs, HackerBox builds, and the occasional late-night rabbit hole.
about this site
notes + writeups from a sysadmin learning offensive security
expect: lab builds, ctf writeups, hardening guides, and the occasional rabbit hole. no fluff.
session.sh
$ whoami
craven
sysadmin learning
offensive security
$
$ cat ~/.philosophy
break things on purpose
break them better
next time
$
$ ls -la /lab
rhel9-homelab/
pentest-rig/
firewall-bench/
$
$ history | tail -3
nmap -sV target
journalctl -f
vim sshd_config
$
$ tail /var/log/learning
[OK] zero trust documented
[WARN] root login disabled
[OK] still curious
$
0xDEADBEEFsudo systemctl restart sshd192.168.1.50:22chmod 27700x7FF3A2B8C000nmap -sV -sC target10.10.14.12:4444uid=0(root)0xCAFEBABEdocker compose up -d172.16.0.1:8080-rwxrws---0xDEADBEEFsudo systemctl restart sshd192.168.1.50:22chmod 27700x7FF3A2B8C000nmap -sV -sC target10.10.14.12:4444uid=0(root)
// browse by category
sysadmin 1 post cybersecurity 5 posts
tryhackme coming soon
hackerbox coming soon
devops 1 post
thoughts coming soon
// latest transmissions
devops · May 1, 2026 · 16 min read
Docker for Beginners. you just got told to containerize everything.

You're a junior sysadmin, your manager just dropped "migrate everything to containers by end of sprint" in Slack, and you Google'd what is a container. Welcome. Let's actually fix that.

read more →
cybersecurity · Apr 26, 2026 · 22 min read
Build Your Own Pentesting Lab. part 4: your first hack.

The lab is built. The targets are running. Time to actually break into something. Then we'll talk about where to go from here.

read more →
cybersecurity · Apr 22, 2026 · 20 min read
Build Your Own Pentesting Lab. part 3: the machines you're allowed to break.

An attack machine with nothing to attack is just a really cool Linux desktop. Time to give it something to do. We're deploying vulnerable targets and locking the whole thing inside an isolated network.

read more →
/dev/random
"The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear."
— Kali Linux MOTD
"Talk is cheap. Show me the code."
— Linus Torvalds
"Amateurs hack systems, professionals hack people."
— Bruce Schneier
"There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works."
— Alan J. Perlis
"Security is always excessive until it's not enough."
— Robbie Sinclair
"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not."
— Yogi Berra
"Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute."
— Harold Abelson
"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents."
— Nathaniel Borenstein
// follow the work
no spam, no algorithm. just labs and writeups.
[ rss feed ] [ github ] [ email ] coming soon