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I Built a Vulnerable App to Learn Hacking (And You Should Try It)

#webdev #cybersecurity #programming #ai

Never done penetration testing before? Never even heard of SQL injection? VulnBox-Lite is literally designed for you.

I made this because I was tired of seeing "beginner" labs that still required you to know half of cybersecurity already. This is different. This is for people who know nothing and want to actually try hacking something without feeling lost.

Check it out: https://github.com/0x57Origin/VulnBox-Lite

What's the Point

You get a broken web application running locally on your computer. It has 10 intentional vulnerabilities. Your job is to find them. That's it. No complicated setup. No advanced concepts. Just you, a vulnerable app, and some tools.

It teaches you how to think like a hacker: how to explore, how to find weaknesses, how to exploit them. All without touching any real system or breaking anything that matters.

How to Start

You need Docker installed. Then:

git clone https://github.com/0x57Origin/VulnBox-Lite.git
cd VulnBox-Lite
docker-compose up -d
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Go to http://localhost:8080 and start clicking around. That's genuinely all you need to do.

What You'll Learn

You'll figure out how to:

  • Scan for open ports and services
  • Find weak passwords
  • Exploit basic web vulnerabilities
  • Understand how attacks actually work in practice

No theory. Just real exploitation on a real (but broken) application.

The Vulnerabilities Are Actually Easy

I kept them simple on purpose. There are obvious weak credentials. The web forms are exploitable. The FTP server has loose permissions. A complete beginner can find these with basic tools like nmap and some trial and error.

Tools You Might Want

Nothing fancy required. Just:

  • nmap (port scanning)
  • Burp Suite or a basic web proxy
  • An FTP client
  • Your brain

Don't worry if you don't know these yet. Google helps. That's how real security people learn.

Why This Matters

If you want to get into cybersecurity, you need hands-on experience. Reading doesn't cut it. This is your chance to actually do something and see how it works.

Try it: https://github.com/0x57Origin/VulnBox-Lite

Spin it up on your laptop and spend an afternoon exploring. You'll learn more than you expect.

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