Forem: Sriram Bharath

🕹️ My First Steps in OverTheWire Bandit (Levels 0–5) 🎮

Sriram Bharath — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 07:40:50 +0000

Hey friends 👋,

Today I started the OverTheWire Bandit challenges — a playground where you learn real Linux + security skills by solving tiny puzzles.

It felt like a game where each level teaches you one new “hacker move.” Here’s my journey from Level 0 to Level 4, explained like I’d tell a friend.

🔑 Level 0 — Meeting SSH for the First Time

At first, I had no idea what SSH was. After running man ssh, I learned:

SSH (Secure Shell) lets you control another computer securely from far away.

To connect to Bandit, I used:

ssh -p 2220 bandit0@bandit.labs.overthewire.org
# password: bandit0

This dropped me into another computer like stepping into a remote terminal. Boom 🎉, Level 0 cleared.

📖 Level 1 — The Dreaded “Dash” File

I logged into bandit1 and ran:

ls

It showed a file, but its name started with a dash (-). That’s tricky, because most commands treat anything starting with - as an option.

For example, cat -n means “cat with line numbers.” So if you just type cat -, the command thinks it’s a flag, not a filename.

💡 Solution: explicitly tell Linux “this is a file in the current directory”:

cat ./-

That way, ./ points to this directory and avoids confusion.

🎉 Password revealed ✅.

📝 Level 2 — Spaces in Filenames (oof)

This one made me suffer. The file literally had spaces in its name:

--spaces in this filename--

Spaces confuse the shell, because it thinks each word is a separate argument. I tried a bunch of tricks, but what worked was:

cat -- "--spaces in this filename--"

Here’s why it works:

-- tells the command: stop parsing options, everything after this is just a filename.
Quoting the name "..." ensures spaces are treated as part of one filename, not multiple.

Lesson learned: avoid spaces in filenames if you can. Use - or _ instead.

👀 Level 3 — Hidden, But Not Really

At first glance, the folder looked empty:

ls

But I knew better. Linux hides files starting with a dot (.). To see them, you need:

ls -a

And boom, I spotted a sneaky file:

...Hiding-From-You

I opened it with:

cat "...Hiding-From-You"

and there was the password 🎉.

⚡ Quick tip:

ls → shows only normal files.
ls -a → shows all files, including hidden ones.

🗂️ Level 4 — Too Many Files, Which One?

Inside inhere/, I found multiple files. Instead of opening each one, I asked Linux:

file -- ./*

This command checks every file and tells you what type it is (text, binary, etc.).

Breakdown:

file → tells the type of a file.
-- → again, stop treating things as options.
./* → means “all files in the current folder.”

One of them was marked as plain text. I cat’d it and got the password 🚀.

🎯 Quick Recap (Levels 0–4)

SSH → secure remote access (ssh -p 2220 user@host).
Files starting with - → use ./- or --.
Filenames with spaces → wrap in quotes, use --.
Hidden files → ls -a (or -A).
Too many files? → file -- ./* finds the right one.

🏁 Wrapping Up

These first few levels taught me something super important: it’s not about memorising commands, it’s about learning how the shell thinks.

Every tricky filename, every hidden file, every “why won’t this work?!” moment is preparing me to think like both a hacker and a problem solver.

This is just the beginning — and I can already see how much fun this journey will be.

Can’t wait to dive into the next levels and share what I learn! 🚀

“Stay curious, keep exploring, and remember: with great power comes great responsibility.” 🕷️

— Sriram Bharath (Gh0stSh3ll) 👻

🕵️‍♂️ Nmap & Vulnerability Analysis – A Beginner’s Guide by Gh0stSh3ll 👻

Sriram Bharath — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:56:32 +0000

If you want to step into the world of Ethical Hacking & Cybersecurity, one tool you’ll hear about everywhere is Nmap.

Think of Nmap as your flashlight in the dark internet city 🏙️ — it shows you which doors (ports) are open, which services are running, and where attackers might sneak in.

In this blog, we’ll break it down in a super simple way so even beginners can follow. 🚀

🌐 What is Nmap?

Nmap (Network Mapper) is a free, open-source tool for:
- Discovering hosts on a network
- Finding open ports
- Identifying services & versions
- Guessing operating systems
Used by both defenders (blue team) and attackers (red team).

👉 In short: It tells you what’s alive, what’s open, and what’s running.

🔥 Common Nmap Scans

Here’s a quick list of Nmap scans you must know:

SYN Scan (Stealthy)

nmap -sS <target_ip>

Sends a SYN packet to test if a port is open without completing the handshake.

✅ Fast, sneaky, and widely used.
TCP Connect Scan

nmap -sT <target_ip>

Completes the full handshake.

❌ Easier to detect in logs.
UDP Scan

nmap -sU <target_ip>

Useful for finding services like DNS, SNMP, DHCP.

❗ Slower, since UDP doesn’t do handshakes.
Version Detection

nmap -sV <target_ip>

Reveals software version → critical for vuln checks.
Aggressive Scan (All-in-One)

nmap -A <target_ip>

Does OS detection, version detection, scripts, and traceroute.

⚠️ Noisy, don’t use in stealth ops.
OS Detection

nmap -O <target_ip>

Tries to guess the operating system.
Full Port Scan

nmap -p- <target_ip>

Scans all 65535 ports. Takes time but finds everything.
Host Discovery

nmap -sn <target_range>

Pings a whole range to find which machines are alive.

🧠 Why Nmap Alone Isn’t Enough

Okay, so you found some open ports — but what next?

This is where Vulnerability Analysis comes in.

Think of it like this:

Nmap tells you which doors are open 🚪
Vulnerability Analysis tells you if those doors have weak locks 🔑

🛠️ Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE)

Nmap has a built-in scripting engine to go beyond simple scans.

These scripts check for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and weak services.

Examples:

Auth Scripts (check for weak logins)

nmap --script auth <target_ip> -sS
Malware Scripts (look for backdoors/trojans)

nmap --script malware <target_ip> -sS
Banner Grabbing (collects service info)

nmap --script banner <target_ip> -sS

👉 These scripts give more context about what’s running and whether it’s dangerous.

🔍 Vulnerability Analysis Basics

After finding open ports, we ask:

Is the software outdated?
Are there known exploits for it?
Are there misconfigurations (like anonymous FTP login)?

Some key tools alongside Nmap:

Nikto → Web vulnerability scanner
OpenVAS → Full vulnerability scanning
Burp Suite → Web app testing

🧩 Final Thoughts

Nmap is just the starting point of any pentest or vulnerability assessment.

It maps out the terrain 🌍
Vulnerability Analysis tells you where the cracks are ⚡

Mastering both is essential if you want to become a Cybersecurity Expert or Ethical Hacker.

✍️ Note from me:

I learned these fundamentals of Nmap & Vulnerability Analysis through the

👉 Complete Ethical Hacker Bootcamp by Zero To Mastery (ZTM).

It’s been super fun turning what I studied into this beginner-friendly guide. 🚀

Stay curious, keep scanning, and remember — with great power comes great responsibility. 🕷️ - GhostSh3ll

🐧 My First Day with Linux: A Story About Talking to the Terminal

Sriram Bharath — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 05:19:42 +0000

Hey friends 👋,

Today, I entered a new world: the Linux terminal. At first, it felt like standing at the entrance of a huge mysterious cave 🏞️. But then, I realized something amazing ,the terminal is like a friend who listens to your words and turns them into action.

So let me take you on a little story about my first commands…

📍 Step 1: Finding Out Where I Am — `pwd`

Imagine waking up in a strange city. First thing you’d ask is:

“Where am I?”

That’s exactly what the command pwd does.

pwd

It politely tells you your current location in the Linux world. For me, it said:

/home/sriram

That means I was standing in my “home” area, my personal space in Linux.

🗂️ Step 2: Looking Around — `ls`

Okay, now I know where I am. But… what’s around me?

That’s where ls comes in.

ls

It’s like opening your eyes 👀 and seeing all the files and folders around you.

If the directory is empty → you’re in a quiet room.
If there are names → those are your neighbors (files/folders).

🚪 Step 3: Walking Into Rooms — `cd`

Knowing your surroundings isn’t enough. You want to explore 🏃.

That’s when I learned cd (change directory).

cd Documents

This is like saying: “Take me to the Documents room.”

And just like that, I’m in another part of the Linux house.

Pro tip: cd .. means “go back to the previous room.”

🏗️ Step 4: Building Something New — `mkdir`

Exploring is fun, but what if you want to create your own space?

That’s where mkdir (make directory) comes in.

mkdir Projects

Boom 💥, I just built a brand new “Projects” room where I can keep my stuff.

📝 Step 5: Leaving Notes — `touch`

Sometimes you need to leave a sticky note 🗒️ in your room.

That’s what touch does.

touch ideas.txt

It creates an empty file called ideas.txt. Now I can fill it later with all my random thoughts 💡.

🗑️ Step 6: Cleaning Up — `rm`

Of course, not everything you create needs to stay forever.

Made a mistake? That’s okay, just remove it.

rm ideas.txt

And just like crumpling a paper ball and tossing it in the bin 🗑️, the file disappears.

🧭 The Adventure Map (What I Learned)

So today’s journey was like exploring a new world:

🗺️ pwd → “Where am I?”
👀 ls → “What’s around me?”
🚪 cd → “Let’s explore that room.”
🏗️ mkdir → “I built a new room.”
📝 touch → “Here’s my note.”
🗑️ rm → “Cleaned up the mess.”

🚀 Next Chapter Coming Soon

This was just the beginning. Tomorrow I’ll learn about:

File permissions (the keys 🔑 to locked rooms)
Installing apps with package managers
Connecting commands with pipes & redirection

💬 Final Thoughts

Linux isn’t just about typing commands. It’s about storytelling with your system. Each command is like a little spell ✨ you cast to control your world.

If you’ve never tried Linux, give it a shot. Trust me, the terminal feels less scary when you see it as an adventure game 🎮.

— Sriram Bharath 🐧

MarkDown CheatSheet

Sriram Bharath — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:04:19 +0000

Markdown is a lightweight markup language used to format plain text. It’s commonly used in README files, documentation, blogs, and Notion too!

1. 🧱 Headings

Use # to create headings. More # = smaller heading.

# H1 (Big Title)
## H2 (Subtitle)
### H3 (Section)
#### H4 (Subsection)
##### H5
###### H6

2. 📜 Paragraphs & Line Breaks

Just write normally. Use two spaces at end of a line or <br> for line breaks.

This is a paragraph.
This line breaks after two spaces.

3. 🔡 Emphasis (Italic, Bold, Both)

*Italic* or _Italic_
**Bold** or __Bold__
***Bold Italic***

4. 🔘 Lists

Unordered (Bullets)

- Item
* Item
+ Item

Ordered (Numbered)

1. First
2. Second
3. Third

Nested Lists

1. First
   - Sub item
   - Sub item

5. 🔗 Links

[Link Text](<https://example.com>)

Add a title on hover:

[Google](<https://google.com> "Search the web")

6. 🖼️ Images

![Alt Text](image-url)

Example:

![Sunset](<https://example.com/sunset.jpg>)

7. `Inline code` and Code Blocks

Inline:

Use the `print()` function in Python.

Multiline / Block:

Use triple backticks (

```) or indent with 4 spaces.


```

python
def hello():
    print("Hello, World!")



```

8. ➕ Blockquotes


markdown
> This is a quote.
>> Nested quote

9. 📏 Horizontal Rule


markdown
---
***
___

10. ✅ Checkboxes (GitHub / Notion Supported)


markdown
- [x] Completed Task
- [ ] Incomplete Task

11. 📋 Tables


markdown
| Name   | Age | City     |
|--------|-----|----------|
| Alice  | 25  | London   |
| Bob    | 30  | New York |

12. 🧠 Escape Characters (for , `_`, `#`, etc.)

Use backslash \\ to escape special Markdown characters:


markdown
\\*Not italic\\*

13. 🔤 Strikethrough


markdown
~~This is crossed out~~

14. 🧩 HTML in Markdown

You can embed HTML inside Markdown for more control:


markdown
<b>Bold using HTML</b>
<i>Italic</i>

15. 🧪 Task Examples (for Practicing)

Example 1: Blog Intro


markdown
# Welcome to My Blog 🚀
Hi, I'm Sri and this is my journey into **Flutter**, **Cybersecurity**, and more!

Example 2: To-Do


markdown
## 💼 My Weekly Tasks

- [x] Finish HTML cheat sheet
- [ ] Write CSS blog
- [ ] Build portfolio site

🧙 Pro Tips

Use VSCode + Markdown Preview (Ctrl+Shift+V)
Use Dillinger for live editing
Markdown works in Notion, GitHub, Reddit, Discord, etc.

The Best Free Text-to-Speech Tool I Found (And It's Not What You Think)

Sriram Bharath — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:01:02 +0000

Hey devs, creators, and curious minds 👋

If you're hunting for a text-to-speech (TTS) tool that’s fast, realistic, and free — I’ve got just the thing for you.

🔍 Meet Google AI Studio (Text-to-Speech)

Forget what you know about other TTS tools.

At the time of writing this, Google AI Studio lets you generate unlimited ultra-realistic speech from text — absolutely free.

🧠 I’ve tested it myself and here's why I love it:

✅ Crystal-clear, human-like voices

✅ Fast generation (no lag)

✅ Multiple languages & emotions

✅ Web-based, no install needed

✅ No weird paywalls or daily limits

Yep, it even sounds better than 11Labs in some cases 👀

🎯 Use Cases I'm Exploring

🎬 Narrating YouTube videos (perfect for my BitNinja series!)
🧠 Turning blog posts into voice for accessibility
📚 Making notes and study guides sound alive
🤖 Prototyping AI voice bots for future projects

🚀 Try It Yourself

🔗 Google AI Studio - TTS

Just click, paste your text, choose a voice, and hit play.

💬 Final Thoughts

I’ve tried tons of tools… but Google AI Studio’s TTS blew my expectations. If you’re a creator, student, or just curious about AI — you need to try this.

Let me know what you're using it for in the comments 💡

— Sri

“Good tools amplify your voice. Great tools give it life.”

Forem: Sriram Bharath

🕹️ My First Steps in OverTheWire Bandit (Levels 0–5) 🎮

🔑 Level 0 — Meeting SSH for the First Time

📖 Level 1 — The Dreaded “Dash” File

📝 Level 2 — Spaces in Filenames (oof)

👀 Level 3 — Hidden, But Not Really

🗂️ Level 4 — Too Many Files, Which One?

🎯 Quick Recap (Levels 0–4)

🏁 Wrapping Up

🕵️‍♂️ Nmap & Vulnerability Analysis – A Beginner’s Guide by Gh0stSh3ll 👻

🌐 What is Nmap?

🔥 Common Nmap Scans

🧠 Why Nmap Alone Isn’t Enough

🛠️ Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE)

Examples:

🔍 Vulnerability Analysis Basics

🧩 Final Thoughts

🐧 My First Day with Linux: A Story About Talking to the Terminal

📍 Step 1: Finding Out Where I Am — pwd

🗂️ Step 2: Looking Around — ls

🚪 Step 3: Walking Into Rooms — cd

🏗️ Step 4: Building Something New — mkdir

📝 Step 5: Leaving Notes — touch

🗑️ Step 6: Cleaning Up — rm

🧭 The Adventure Map (What I Learned)

🚀 Next Chapter Coming Soon

💬 Final Thoughts

MarkDown CheatSheet

1. 🧱 Headings

2. 📜 Paragraphs & Line Breaks

3. 🔡 Emphasis (Italic, Bold, Both)

4. 🔘 Lists

Unordered (Bullets)

Ordered (Numbered)

Nested Lists

5. 🔗 Links

6. 🖼️ Images

7. Inline code and Code Blocks

Inline:

Multiline / Block:

8. ➕ Blockquotes

9. 📏 Horizontal Rule

10. ✅ Checkboxes (GitHub / Notion Supported)

11. 📋 Tables

12. 🧠 Escape Characters (for , _, #, etc.)

13. 🔤 Strikethrough

14. 🧩 HTML in Markdown

15. 🧪 Task Examples (for Practicing)

Example 1: Blog Intro

Example 2: To-Do

🧙 Pro Tips

The Best Free Text-to-Speech Tool I Found (And It's Not What You Think)

🔍 Meet Google AI Studio (Text-to-Speech)

🎯 Use Cases I'm Exploring

🚀 Try It Yourself

💬 Final Thoughts

📍 Step 1: Finding Out Where I Am — `pwd`

🗂️ Step 2: Looking Around — `ls`

🚪 Step 3: Walking Into Rooms — `cd`

🏗️ Step 4: Building Something New — `mkdir`

📝 Step 5: Leaving Notes — `touch`

🗑️ Step 6: Cleaning Up — `rm`

7. `Inline code` and Code Blocks

12. 🧠 Escape Characters (for , `_`, `#`, etc.)