How I Hacked My First Machine Using Telnet - A Beginner's Journey 🎯

Blog #4 — Ethical Hacking Series

A Quick Note Before We Start

If you haven't read my previous blogs, I covered installing Kali Linux in Blog #3. Go check that out first , you'll need Kali before trying anything in this post!

Also, one big tip from me:

use YouTube AND AI tools together. YouTube is amazing when you're confused about a concept watching someone do it visually really helps. Then when you get stuck on a specific step, come back to AI tools like Claude to ask questions. That combo is powerful. Trust me, it saved me many times while writing this blog! 😄

What is Ethical Hacking? ⚖️

Before we do anything, let's be clear Ethical hacking means hacking with permission. Everything we do here is on our own machines in a safe lab. Never try this on anyone else's system without written permission. That's illegal and can get you in serious trouble.
Ethical hacking = legal 😁
Hacking someone else without permission = illegal 😐

What You Need 🛠️

Before starting, make sure you have:

A PC or laptop
VMware Workstation or VirtualBox (free) - I used VM Ware
Kali Linux VM (see my Blog #3!)
Metasploitable 2 - our practice target (more on this below!)

Meet "Meta" - Your Practice Target 🎯

Okay real talk , the full name is Metasploitable 2 and yes, it's a mouthful. I'm just going to call it "Meta" from now on. You're welcome. 😄

So what is Meta?

It's a deliberately vulnerable virtual machine basically a fake computer that is designed to be hacked. It's completely legal, free, and perfect for beginners. I honestly had no idea this existed before , I found out about it through YouTube and it completely changed how I practice!

Think of it like a training dummy in martial arts. You practice your moves on it safely before the real thing.

Download Meta here:
👉 Search "Metasploitable 2 SourceForge" on Google - it's free!

Setting Up Your Hacking Lab 🏗️

This is the most important part. We're going to build a safe "bubble" inside your PC where you can hack freely.
Think of it like this , your PC runs two virtual machines at the same time. Kali is YOU (the attacker) and Meta is the TARGET (the victim). Both live inside your PC with no risk to anyone outside.

Step 1 - Import Meta into VMware

Download and extract Metasploitable 2
Open VMware → Open the .vmx file
Set RAM to 512MB and CPU to 1 core (it's lightweight!)

Step 2 - Set Network to NAT for Both VMs

This is critical! Both VMs must be on the same network to talk to each other.

Right click each VM → Settings → Network Adapter
Set both to NAT
If Meta has 2 network adapters - remove the second one!

Step 3 - Boot Both VMs

Start Meta first → login with msfadmin / msfadmin
Start Kali second

Step 4 - Find Both IPs

Run ifconfig on both VMs. You should see both on the same IP range , check my screenshot below! 📸

IN KALI :

IN META :

Step 5 - Test Connection

From Kali terminal run ping followed by Meta's IP address. If you get replies your lab is working perfectly! 😌🎉

See my screenshot below! 📸

Your First Nmap Scan 🔍

Nmap is a tool that scans a target and shows all open ports and services. Think of it like knocking on every door of a building to see which ones are unlocked.

From Kali terminal run nmap -sV followed by Meta's IP address.

Wait 2-5 minutes and you'll get a big list of open ports and services running on Meta check my screenshot! 📸

Meta has TONS of open ports , it's a goldmine for practice! 😄💗

The one we care about is port 23 - Telnet. When nmap shows it as open, it means the target is accepting Telnet connections.

That's our target! 🎯

Hacking Telnet 🔓

Telnet is an old remote access protocol. The big problem with it? It sends everything including passwords in plain text - no encryption at all!

This makes it very easy to attack.

What is Port 23?

When nmap shows 23/tcp open telnet it means the target has Telnet running and is accepting connections.

Connect via Telnet

From Kali terminal run telnet followed by Meta's IP address. It will ask for login credentials.

Try the default ones - username msfadmin and password msfadmin.
And just like that... YOU'RE IN! 😁🎉

See my screenshot! 📸

You are now remotely controlling another machine from Kali!

This is exactly what happens in real attacks on systems with weak or default passwords.

How Does This Work in the Real World? 🌍

Great question ?

In our lab we already knew Meta's IP. In real world ethical hacking (pentesting) you don't know anything at first.

Here's how professionals do it:


Reconnaissance -	Find the target's IP via domain name or scanning
Scanning -	Run nmap to find open ports
Exploitation -	Attack vulnerable services like Telnet
Post Exploitation	- Explore what access you have

Real ethical hackers always have written permission before doing any of this. This is called a penetration test.

Why Learning Linux Commands is So Important 💻

This is something I really want to emphasize - you cannot do ethical hacking without knowing Linux commands. Full stop.

Every single tool we used in this blog - nmap, telnet, ping, ifconfig , was typed in a terminal. There is no "click here" button in real hacking. Everything happens in the command line.

Here is why it matters so much:

1. Almost Every Hacking Tool Runs on Linux

Kali Linux is the industry standard for ethical hacking. All the powerful tools - Nmap, Hydra, Metasploit, Wireshark , live on Linux.

If you don't know how to navigate Linux, you can't use any of them properly.

2. Target Machines Are Usually Linux Too

When you hack into a machine, most servers and systems in the real world run Linux. Once you're inside, you need Linux commands to explore, find files, and understand what you have access to.

3. Commands Give You Real Control

GUI (graphical) tools hide what's really happening. When you use the terminal, you truly understand what your tools are doing and that makes you a much better hacker.

4. It Makes You Faster and Smarter

Once you know your commands, everything speeds up. You stop googling basic things and start focusing on the actual hacking.

💡 My Advice for Beginners

Start learning basic Linux commands alongside your hacking journey. You don't need to memorize everything at once , just learn as you go. Every time you use a new command, look up what it does. Over time it becomes second nature.

Here are some basics to start with:

ifconfig - show network info
ping - test connection to another machine
nmap - scan ports on a target
cd / ls - navigate folders
cat - read file contents
whoami - show current user

Trust me 😉 the more commands you know, the more confident you will feel! 😜💪

Key Lessons from This Blog 📚

Always practice in a safe lab - never on real systems without permission
Nmap is your best friend - always scan first
Telnet is dangerous - it has no encryption, never use it on real systems
Default passwords are a huge risk - always change them!
YouTube + AI tools = perfect combo for learning

Final Words 💬

Honestly, when I started I had no idea what Metasploitable even was. I learned about it from YouTube and then figured out the steps with help from AI tools. The combo of both is really powerful use YouTube when you're confused visually, and AI when you're stuck on specific steps.

If I can do it, you can do it. Keep learning! 💪

This is Blog #4 in my Ethical Hacking series. Follow along for more beginner friendly hacking tutorials!

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