PuTTY, WireShark, and NMAP

PuTTY, Wireshark, and NMAP

This will be a post about the following IT applications: PuTTY, Wireshark, and NMAP.

As I am working my way through "Module 1: Network Support" in the Network Support and Security online class available at the Cisco Networking Academy, I became reacquainted with the IT applications Wireshark and NMAP. Since I recently wrote about it, I also became reacquainted with the IT application PuTTY.

What is PuTTY?

Due to my recent post about my first IT job, I recently downloaded a copy of the PuTTY application onto my Dell laptop. What does PuTTY do and what is it used for? Here is a good description:

PuTTY is a free and open-source terminal emulator, serial console and network file transfer application. It supports several network protocols, including SCP, SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. It can also connect to a serial port. The name "PuTTY" has no official meaning.

In so many words, with PuTTY running on your computer (laptop or desktop), you can connect to a switch, a router, or a host and make changes to the configuration.

With PuTTY, you can connect to a host, a router, or a switch using a computer protocol called Telnet. It's not recommended that you use Telnet, however. Telnet does not encrypt user names and passwords. As a result, if someone was monitoring your activity with a packet sniffer, such as Wireshark (see below), he or she would be able to determine your logon credentials. Telnet dates from the 1970s and 1980s when computer security had a low priority since users were U.S. government employees.

As a result of this flaw with Telnet, it is highly recommended that you use a computer protocol known as Secure Shell, or SSH. SSH will encrypt your logon user name and password, making it rather difficult for potentially malignant actors to eavesdrop on your data.

Is there a reason for using PuTTY at home? Well, the main draw with an application like PuTTY is that it is an open-source application that is independent of any software or hardware vendor. Unless you have your own collection of servers and routers at home, such as for studying for Cisco's CCNA certification, you might find that PuTTY is of limited use.

That said, there could be instances where you could use PuTTY at home. This might be a subject worth pursuing at some point.

I am slowly making my way through the Network Support and Security online course from the Cisco Networking Academy. In Section 1.5 "Troubleshoot a Network", there are a couple of hands-on labs that utilize both Wireshark and NMAP.

Screenshot of PuTTY interface.

What is Wireshark?

What is NMAP?

I just downloaded and installed NMAP onto my computer. I cannot wait to try it out.

Screenshot of NMAP using the command prompt option.

Screenshot of NMAP's graphical user interface (GUI) known as Zenmap.

More to follow.

UPDATE: I'm going to have to re-write this post. 

Working on My CCNA, Part 1...

   

     It's difficult to believe it, but I earned my CompTIA A+ certification three years ago.  Somehow, I managed to pass the 220-901A+ exam with a score in the high 80s.  After cramming for three months, I managed to pass the 220-902 A+ by the skin of my teeth. I'm not too sure where some people get the idea that the CompTIA A+ certification exams are easy.  I can only guess that the exams are easy if you have been working in information technology for several years or more.  When I passed the 220-902 A+ certification exam, I had already been working at the Tier 1 IT help desk at the Social Security Administration for over two years. One of the weaknesses of my current job is that we don't have any hands on experience with physically repairing a laptop with, say, a hard disk drive that needs to be replaced. We don't get to re-image laptops.  We don't get to create new users in Active Directory.  All of those tasks belong to different contracts. 

    After taking a couple of weeks off from studying, I thought that the next logical step was to start studying for CompTIA's Network + certification.  I then opened one of the Network+ study books that I own and began to work my way through the book.

    Talk about a mistake...

    I own at two books for studying for the CompTIA Network+ certification exam.  One book I received from the A+/Network+/Security+ course that I took at UMBC.  I bought the second Network+ book from Barnes & Noble.  After spending several months studying for Network+, I came to the realization that the Network+ certification is a complete mess. From what I could tell, in order to really know the topics for the Network+ exam, one needed to know how to use Microsoft's Active Directory and Server Manager. One of the Network+ books made numerous references to Microsoft's now defunct equivalent to WireShark. On top of all of that, the Network+ exam also covered the usual networking topics such as switches, routers, fiber optic cable, Ethernet cable, and IP sub-netting, among other topics.  Despite focusing exclusively on Cisco products , CompTIA wanted you to know that the Network+ certification was "vendor neutral".  I even paid several hundred dollars for the Network+ online tutorials offered by CompTIA.  Those tutorials were rather underwhelming.   

    After getting bogged down in studying for the Network+ certification exam, I decided to kick Network+ to the curb. 

    Since I was already bored with working at the Tier 1 help desk at the Social Security Administration, I started to look for an IT certification that could get me into a new IT position.

    I tried learning about Ubuntu Linux. I bought one of those glossy magazines at the bookstore that gives the reader a crash course in how to use Linux. I learned to how to install Ubuntu Linux on my Dell laptop. I learned how to use Oracle's Virtual Box. I learned several basic commands for Linux.  The subject was interesting. Unfortunately, I pushed learning Linux to the side because my current job doesn't use Linux. Everything that we do at the Tier 1 help desk at SSA involves using Windows. 

    I tried learning about WireShark. I downloaded WireShark onto my computer.  I bought the 500 page training book from Amazon. I worked through a couple of the introductory chapters.  Network analysis is an interesting subject. One thing that I liked about WireShark was that you could see the different OSI model layers in each packet.  You could actually see the OSI model at work by starting WireShark, play around on the internet for several minutes, and then stop saving traffic.  You could see the source address, the destination address, the port numbers used, the different protocols involved, and so on.  However, my knowledge of networking is very rudimentary.   

    I also tried working on the free online course Microsoft offers for Azure.  Cloud computing is an interesting field. Moreover, there's A LOT of demand for people who are certified in either Azure or Amazon's AWS.  Indeed, someone on LinkedIn, who had read about by struggles with studying for Network+, recommended that I get an IT certification that was in high demand, such as Azure or AWS.  I progressed to the part of the class where you setup your first Azure environment.  As started making progress, other things came along and dominated my time.  

    While studying for Network+, I came across Cisco's Packet Tracer program.  I tried taking the free online course offered by Cisco.  It was a surprisingly user-friendly program to use.  Since I don't have several hundreds of dollars to spend on used Cisco networking equipment from eBay, I liked how you could set up a simple network in Packet Tracer and then "see" it work. 

    I explored further into what Cisco offers for certifications and online training materials.  I went to Barnes & Noble and Book-A-Million and leafed through Cisco's own training manuals. I was impressed with everything that I saw.  I also liked how Cisco has its own version of CompTIA's Security+ certification.  Being a former intelligence analyst in Army, that captured my interest.  As a result, I went on to Amazon and bought both volumes of the CCNA 200-301 certification book by Cisco. 

    While reading the introduction to the first volume of the CCNA 200-301 book, I came across a passage that discussed career goal setting. That's probably the main problem I have.  I'm trying to figure out what my next step in the world of IT will be. After working as a Tier 1 help desk specialist for the Social Security Administration for nearly five years, I need something new.  I have had enough of dealing with callers that lost their PIV card, cannot connect to VPN, are locked out of the mainframe, need to order a new maintenance kit for a printer, trying to convince callers to purchase an Ethernet cable, and so on.  It's mind-numbing work.  As a result, a system administrator position sounds interesting. 

    So far, I have read the first three chapters of the first volume of the CCNA 200-301 book.  Yes, the information covered in the introductory chapters is a repeat. However, it is important to learn about the 5 Layer TCP/IP Model, the properties of Ethernet and fiber optic cables, the basics of IP routing, and so on.  However, I do think that I am starting to get bogged down on the introductory chapters, so it's probably time to move on to the next section of the book.  

    As a result, the other night I started reading chapter 4, where you learn about the basics of Cisco's operating system for routers and switches. As I progress through the first volume of the CCNA 200-301 certification book, I am going to try to post updates to my blog  as I progress.