i’ve been getting into ethical hacking recently, and something that keeps blowing my mind is how so many black hat hackers seem to start super young. like, actual teenagers messing around with malware, phishing, exploits, all that crazy stuff. how do they even learn all this so early? are they just super curious and dig into whatever they can find online, or are there certain communities they get into that kinda guide them along?

i get that there’s a ton of info out there, but it still feels insane that someone at 16 or whatever can actually understand and pull off complex attacks. is it just youtube + trial and error? or are there deeper corners of the internet where they hang out and pick up all this knowledge?

not trying to promote anything illegal obviously—i’m just really curious from a learning perspective. like, what’s the mindset or environment that gets them to that level so fast? kinda feels like there's something to learn from their curiosity and dedication, even if you're on the ethical side of things.

also, if anyone knows any good beginner-friendly communities, discords, or places where people are actually helpful to newbies like me—drop them below! would really appreciate it.