links
> The Bookmarks of the Underground
This is a curated directory of resources β the sites, tools, communities, and references that matter. Not SEO-optimized clickbait lists. These are resources used by security researchers, privacy advocates, Linux power users, and people who actually know what they're doing.
Every link here has been vetted. Some lead to tools used by penetration testers. Some lead to archives of declassified intelligence documents. Some lead to communities where knowledge is shared freely. Browse responsibly.
// DISCLAIMER: These links are provided for educational and research purposes. Know your local laws. Some tools listed have dual-use capabilities. Using them against systems you don't own or have permission to test is illegal everywhere. Don't be stupid.
π> Hacking & Security
Exploit Database
Comprehensive archive of public exploits and vulnerable software. Maintained by Offensive Security.
exploits
Kali Linux
Penetration testing distribution. 600+ pre-installed tools. The industry standard for offensive security.
distro
OWASP
Open Web Application Security Project. Top 10 vulnerabilities, testing guides, secure coding practices.
web security
Offensive Security
Creators of Kali, OSCP certification, Metasploit Unleashed. The gold standard in offensive security training.
training
VirusTotal
Upload files/URLs, scan against 70+ antivirus engines. Owned by Google but still essential.
malware analysis
Hack The Box
Hands-on penetration testing labs. Practice against real (intentionally vulnerable) machines.
practice
TryHackMe
Guided cybersecurity learning platform. Beginner-friendly rooms to advanced challenges.
learning
Shodan
Search engine for internet-connected devices. Find exposed cameras, routers, industrial systems. Use responsibly.
recon
Censys
Internet-wide scanning data. Alternative to Shodan with different data sources and filtering.
recon
PayloadsAllTheThings
Huge collection of payloads and bypasses for every type of injection and exploitation. Community-maintained.
reference
GTFOBins
List of Unix binaries that can be abused for privilege escalation. Essential for CTFs and pentesting.
privesc
HackTricks
Massive compilation of pentesting techniques, tricks, and methodology. Covers everything from network to cloud.
methodology
CVE Database (MITRE)
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. The canonical list of publicly known security vulnerabilities.
database
NVD (NIST)
National Vulnerability Database. US government repository of vulnerability management data.
database
Pwntools
CTF framework and exploit development library for Python. Rapid prototyping of exploits.
tool
π§> Linux & Open Source
kernel.org
The Linux Kernel Archives. Source for every kernel release since 1994. Read the changelogs.
kernel
Arch Linux
Bleeding-edge, minimal, DIY. The Arch Wiki is the best Linux documentation on the planet.
distro
Arch Wiki
Even if you don't use Arch, this wiki is the best Linux reference available. Bookmark it.
documentation
Debian
The universal operating system. Stable, rock-solid, upstream for Ubuntu and dozens of others.
distro
Fedora
Leading-edge, community-driven, backed by Red Hat. SELinux by default. Linus Torvalds' daily driver.
distro
Qubes OS
Security through compartmentalization. Each app runs in its own VM. Used by Edward Snowden.
security
Tails OS
Amnesic incognito live system. Everything routes through Tor. Nothing is saved after reboot.
privacy
Whonix
Two VMs: workstation (no internet) and gateway (Tor only). Impossible to leak real IP by design.
privacy
Linux From Scratch
Build a complete Linux system from source. Understand every component. Ultimate learning experience.
education
Fosstodon
Mastodon instance for free and open source software enthusiasts. Real community, no algorithms.
community
LWN.net
Linux Weekly News. Deep technical coverage of kernel development, security, and the open source world.
news
Phoronix
Linux hardware benchmarks, kernel news, and open source graphics driver coverage. Daily reading.
news
freedesktop.org
Standards and specifications for Linux desktop interoperability. Wayland, PipeWire, D-Bus documentation.
standards
systemd
Love it or hate it, systemd runs your Linux. Understand it. Documentation and man pages.
core
NixOS / nixpkgs
Declarative, reproducible Linux. Your system config is a single file. Rollback any change instantly.
distro
π΅οΈ> Intelligence Agencies
These are official and unofficial resources related to intelligence agencies worldwide. Some are legitimate government portals. Others are leak archives, document repositories, and research databases. Understanding how intelligence agencies operate is essential for understanding modern threats.
CIA Reading Room (CREST)
Declassified CIA documents under FOIA. Millions of pages of historical intelligence records. Searchable.
declassified
NSA Official Site
National Security Agency. Signals intelligence, cybersecurity, cryptology. Includes declassified documents section.
official
GCHQ
Government Communications Headquarters (UK). British signals intelligence. Partner in Five Eyes alliance.
official
Bellingcat
Open source investigative journalism. Uses public data to uncover intelligence operations, war crimes, and assassinations.
OSINT
The Intercept
Investigative journalism outlet founded after Snowden leaks. National security whistleblowers and analysis.
journalism
Snowden Document Archive
Collection of documents released by Edward Snowden detailing global mass surveillance programs.
leaks
WikiLeaks
Controversial but historically significant. Vault 7 (CIA), Cablegate, Spy Files. Decide for yourself.
controversial
Five Eyes Alliance Info
Signals intelligence sharing pact: US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. The foundation of global surveillance.
reference
Intelligence.gov
Official site of the US Intelligence Community. History, missions, and careers across all 18 agencies.
official
SVR (Russia)
Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Limited public-facing content but useful for understanding Russian intel structure.
official
MSS (China)
Ministry of State Security. China's primary civilian intelligence agency. Combines intelligence and counterintelligence.
official
BND (Germany)
Bundesnachrichtendienst. German foreign intelligence. Post-WWII origins in Gehlen Organization.
official
DGSE (France)
Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure. French external intelligence.
official
Mossad (Israel)
Israel's national intelligence agency. Legendary operations. Limited public information but intriguing.
official
CSIS Intelligence Reports
Center for Strategic and International Studies. Think tank analysis of global intelligence operations.
analysis
// NOTE: Intelligence agency websites are intentionally limited in what they reveal. The real value is in declassified documents, investigative journalism, OSINT research, and whistleblower archives. Cross-reference everything.
π> OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)
OSINT Framework
Massive tree of OSINT tools organized by data type. The starting point for any investigation.
directory
Awesome OSINT (GitHub)
Curated list of OSINT tools, resources, and methodologies. Community-maintained.
resource
OSINT Combine Tools
Free OSINT tools: username lookup, image analysis, geolocation, social media recon.
tools
IntelTechniques
Michael Bazzell's OSINT resources. Books, podcasts, tools. The dean of personal OSINT.
training
Maltego
Link analysis and data visualization for OSINT. Map relationships between entities. Free Community Edition.
tool
SpiderFoot
Automated OSINT scanner. 200+ modules. Enumerate targets from a single data point.
automation
Wayback Machine
Internet Archive. Snapshots of websites going back decades. Deleted content never truly disappears.
archive
WiGLE
Wireless Geographic Logging Engine. Database of WiFi networks worldwide. Wardriving data.
wireless
π> Privacy & Anonymity Tools
Tor Project
Onion routing. Anonymous browsing, hidden services. The most important privacy tool ever built.
anonymity
Signal
End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls. Open source, audited. The gold standard.
communication
Proton
E2EE email, VPN, calendar, drive, password manager. Swiss privacy. Open source apps.
ecosystem
Mullvad VPN
No account needed. Cash/Monero payment. Audited no-logs policy. Sweden-based.
VPN
Bitwarden
Open source password manager. E2EE. Free tier is fully featured. Self-hostable.
passwords
KeePassXC
Local-only password vault. No cloud, no server. Maximum control. Cross-platform.
passwords
SimpleLogin
Email alias service. Generate unique aliases per service. Stop spam and tracking. Acquired by Proton.
email
Privacy Guides
Curated recommendations for privacy-respecting tools and services. Community-vetted.
directory
GrapheneOS
Hardened Android for Pixel. Sandboxed Google Play. Maximum mobile security.
mobile
Incogni
Automated data broker removal service. By Surfshark. Reduces your digital footprint.
data removal
Have I Been Pwned
Check if your email/phone has appeared in known data breaches. Essential first step.
breach check
Yubico
Hardware security keys. FIDO2/U2F. Phishing-resistant authentication. Everyone should own one.
2FA
π₯> Communities & Forums
r/netsec
Reddit's premier information security subreddit. Technical depth, moderated strictly.
reddit
r/privacy
Privacy discussion and news. Practical advice for reducing tracking and surveillance.
reddit
r/linux
General Linux discussion. News, tips, distribution discussion.
reddit
Hacker News
Y Combinator's news aggregator. Tech, security, startups. High-signal comments.
news
Lobsters
Invite-only tech community. Thoughtful discussions, no clickbait. Quality over quantity.
forum
PRISM Break
Directory of privacy-respecting alternatives to mainstream software. Opt out of mass surveillance.
directory
DEF CON
World's largest hacker convention. Las Vegas, annually since 1993. Talks available free on YouTube.
conference
Black Hat
Professional security conference. Briefings, training, research presentations. More corporate than DEF CON.
conference
CCC (Chaos Computer Club)
Europe's largest hacker collective. Annual Congress in Hamburg. 37C3 talks are legendary.
community
Null Byte
WonderHowTo's hacking section. Beginner tutorials, tool walkthroughs. Good starting point.
learning
π> Learning & Education
CyberDefenders
Blue team training. Investigate realistic incidents, analyze malware, practice DFIR skills.
blue team
PentesterLab
Structured web exploitation courses. Hands-on, guided. From basics to advanced techniques.
training
OverTheWire (Wargames)
Bandit, Leviathan, Narnia. Classic Linux/security wargames. Learn by doing, level by level.
beginner
Linux Journey
Free, interactive Linux learning. From command line basics to process management.
linux
Coursera Cybersecurity
University-level cybersecurity courses. Specializations from accredited institutions.
formal
CryptoHack
Learn cryptography by solving challenges. From XOR to advanced attacks on RSA/ECC.
crypto
picoCTF
CMU's beginner CTF. Free, educational, suitable for middle school through adult learners.
beginner
Cryptopals
Matasano crypto challenges. Learn crypto engineering by breaking it. 48 exercises of increasing difficulty.
crypto
FIRST.org Resources
Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams. CSIRT guides, incident response frameworks.
IR
π°> News & Analysis
The Register
UK-based tech news. Irreverent, technically literate. Security section is consistently high quality.
news
Krebs on Security
Brian Krebs. Investigative cybersecurity journalism. Broke stories on Target breach, Nemesis, and major carding forums.
investigative
Dark Reading
Enterprise security news and analysis. Threat intelligence, breach coverage, vendor analysis.
enterprise
BleepingComputer
Breaking malware/ransomware news. Step-by-step analysis. Often first to report new campaigns.
breaking
Schneier on Security
Bruce Schneier. Cryptographer, security expert, author. Blog has been essential reading since 2004.
analysis
Citizen Lab
University of Toronto. Research on spyware (Pegasus, Predator), digital threats to civil society.
research
Recorded Future Blog
Threat intelligence analysis. APT tracking, geopolitical cyber operations, infrastructure mapping.
threat intel
Risky Business
Patrick Gray's cybersecurity podcast. Interviews with researchers, irreverent analysis, no vendor fluff.
podcast
Darknet Diaries
Jack Rhysider's podcast. True stories from the dark side of the internet. Engaging storytelling.
podcast
π> Cheat Sheets & Quick References
Linux Kernel Exploits
Collection of public Linux kernel exploits. Organized by CVE. For defensive research.
reference
SecLists
Multiple types of lists used during security assessments. Passwords, usernames, fuzzing wordlists.
wordlists
IPPSEC.rocks
Searchable database of HackTheBox writeups. Learn methodology from experienced practitioners.
writeups
LOLBAS
Living Off The Land Binaries and Scripts (Windows). Equivalent of GTFOBins for Windows.
windows
RevShells
Reverse shell generator. Multiple languages, encoding options, obfuscation.
tool
crontab.guru
Interactive cron expression editor. Because nobody memorizes cron syntax. Including sysadmins.
utility
explainshell.com
Paste a shell command, get a breakdown of every flag and argument. Essential for learning CLI.
utility
GTFOBins
Unix binaries that can be abused for privilege escalation. Search by binary name.
privesc
MITRE ATT&CK
Knowledge base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations.
framework
Nmap NSE Documentation
Nmap Scripting Engine. 600+ scripts for service detection, vulnerability scanning, and exploitation.
scanning
Awesome Lists (GitHub)
Meta-collection of curated lists for every topic imaginable. Including security, privacy, Linux.
meta
π> Cryptography Resources
CryptoHack
Learn cryptography by breaking it. Challenges from basic XOR to advanced algebraic attacks.
learning
Key Length Calculator
Compare cryptographic key length recommendations from multiple authoritative sources.
reference
GnuPG
GNU Privacy Guard. Open source PGP implementation. Email encryption, file signing, key management.
tool
Soatok's Blog
Cryptography analysis, protocol critique, and animal puns. Dhole Moments β serious crypto with personality.
blog
VeraCrypt
Open source disk encryption. Successor to TrueCrypt. Hidden volumes, plausible deniability.
disk crypto
Monero (XMR)
Privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Ring signatures, stealth addresses. Not an investment β a privacy tool.
finance
> Final Note
This directory will be updated as resources evolve. The internet changes. Sites disappear. Tools get abandoned. Communities migrate. The links above are accurate as of publication, but the landscape shifts constantly.
If a link is dead, try the Wayback Machine. If a tool is abandoned, check GitHub forks. If a community is compromised, find a new one. The skills matter more than the bookmarks β learn the fundamentals, and you'll find your own resources.
// TRUTH: The best resource is curiosity. Tools change. Techniques evolve. But the desire to understand how things work β and how they break β is timeless. Stay curious. Stay paranoid. Stay free.
// the map is not the territory β but a good map helps //