no firewall!!!
thats like going freefalling without a parachute.
you should always be behind a firewall.
Wargames servers are great - they are basically set up as sacrificial servers to which you attempt to gain access(sometimes to complete a particular hacking task or sometimes just to get in)
I agree with ken - dont become a tool. learn how to get in with as few tools as possible - netstat and telnet are two of your best friends
If you start hacking remember the golden rules
*Always use a firewall
*only stay on the network or remote computer as long as you need to.
*dont destroy - its pointless
*report security problems to the admin when you leave
*use an ip anonymizer
*enjoy it
_
I am not a hacker, i am a network explorer.