Dissecting the Hack: The F0rb1dd3n Network, Revised Edition [Paperback]

Jayson E. Street (Author), Kent Nabors (Author), Brian Baskin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2010 | ISBN-10: 1597495689 | ISBN-13: 978-1597495684 | Edition: 1

Dissecting the Hack is one heck of a ride! Hackers, IT professional, and Infosec aficionados (as well as everyday people interested in security) will find a gripping story that takes the reader on a global trip through the world of computer security exploits. One-half thriller, one-half reference, each provides context for the other. Together they will show you how to see the digital world just below the surface of daily life.

Yes, the security threats are real!   In this revised edition the Part 2 content is completely NEW. Read more about the tactics that you see executed throughout the story in the second half of the book where you will learn to recon, scan, explore, exploit, and expunge with the tools and techniques shown in the story.

Revised edition includes a completely NEW STAR Section (Part 2)

Utilizes actual hacking and security tools in its story- helps to familiarize a newbie with the many devices and their code

Introduces basic hacking techniques in real life context for ease of learning

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Welcome to hacker fiction-like sci fi, but you don't get to make the good stuff up."-Dan Kaminsky, Director of Penetration Testing, IOActive, Inc. "There have been many sensationalist books on hackers, and this isn't one of them. Get a feeling for what it's really about and follow through with the technical details. Fun like Star Trek, but comes with the blueprints."-FX of Phenoelit Recurity Labs GmbH "A great read, whether you're a geek or not. Hollywood should take notes...a gripping story centered around real tech."-Johnny Long, Professional Hacker, Best-Selling Author and Founder of Hackers For Charity, Inc. "Dissecting the Hack: the F0rb1dd3n Network is an educational thriller, the reader is thoroughly entertained and yet walks away with an understanding of the importance of information security theory and practice."-Stephen Northcutt, President, The SANS Technology Institute

About the Author

Jayson E. Street is the principle partner in Stratagem One Solutions, an Information Security and Penetration Testing consultancy (http://stratagem-one.com). Jayson has consulted with the FBI on attempted breaches of networks resulting in the capture and successful prosecution of the perpetrators. Jayson has also consulted with the Secret Service on wireless security and cyber crime investigations. Other projects have included conducting a three day training course on Intrusion Detection Systems for an undisclosed government agency in Washington D.C. He also created and taught a workshop on ethical pen-testing with Backtrack 3 for ISSA.

At the request of the FBI, he was a guest speaker at the INFRAGARD 2004 wireless conference where he presented the current status of the hacking underground. In addition, he's addressed issues concerning wireless security and some solutions to secure it. In June of 2005 and July 2006 he discussed the challenges of educating upper management on the challenges of Information Security at The University of Advancing Technologies Tech Forum. And in 2008 he gave a presentation at the Cyber Crimes Alliance meeting at the invitation of the Secret Service.

Kent Nabors serves as Vice President of Information Security for a multi-billion dollar financial institution. He has significant experience in both the banking and IT industries. He has worked in bank examinations with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Federal Reserve Bank. Kent's background includes security policy development, systems implementation, incident response, and training development. Kent received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma.

Brian Baskin is a digital forensics professional employed by CSC and serves as the Deputy Lead Technical Engineer with the Defense Cyber Investigations Training Academy (DCITA), part of the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3). For more than 10 years, Brian has worked with the DCITA to research, develop, and teach forensic responses to growing cyber threats. Brian devotes much of his time to researching the evolving Internet crimes, network protocol analysis, and Linux and UNIX intrusion responses.
Brian also serves as a technical reviewer for DCITA. He helps to analyze content and procedures for more than two dozen cyber security courses for technical validity and relevance. For fun, he manages a content creation team that develops online Web-based incident response training that provides hands-on experience to military units stationed overseas. His team works with the various federal and military law enforcement groups for information sharing and collaboration on ongoing threats and best practices.
Brian has also served as a subject matter expert for content development for the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).

Marcus J. Carey is well known for being a compulsive mentor in the information security community. Marcus has more than 17 years of experience in the information security field, working in the military, federal, and private sectors. Marcus served more than 8 years active duty in the U.S. Navy Cryptologic Security Group. Marcus ended his naval service by being assigned to the National Security Agency (NSA) where he engineered, monitored, and defended the Department of Defense's secure networks. Marcus earned a Master of Science in Network Security from Capitol College in Laurel, Maryland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Syngress; 1 edition (July 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597495689
• ISBN-13: 978-1597495684
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #484,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Accurate and Interesting Story - Pure Edutainment! February 2, 2011

By K0nsp1racy

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is apparent to me that Jayson Street is passionate about information security, and also that he can present and captivate an audience through his perspectives. His ability to tell the story of Bob and Leon suddenly thrust in a situation that is larger than they could imagine was very entertaining. Although I do not think the storytelling is perfect, the plot and transitions in Part 1 of the story are not difficult to follow. I also found that the STAR section was very educational, finding several sources and perspectives that I had not found in my own explorations. Overall, I found the book to be a very compelling read and I place this book in the same category as Cliff Stoll's The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage and Russ Rogers' Hacking a Terror Network: The Silent Threat of Covert Channels.

On the downside, I think my experience would have been more complete if I had read the paperback version of the book, as the Kindle edition seemed to reference physical page numbers that do not exist in the Kindle version (Kindle uses location IDs). Despite the Kindle limitation, the book was nevertheless very enjoyable.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 7|-|1$ b00|< 1$ 100% \/\/1|\| February 18, 2011

By Cory L. Kennedy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased the revised edition of Dissecting the Hack: The F0rb1dd3n Network, a few months ago and was forced to put it down (just no time to read) about 1/4 of the way in. I recently picked it back up started over and couldn't read part 1 quickly enough.

Part 1 instantly drew me into the story within the first few pages, the story gets off to an amazing start and I found myself sneaking in as much reading as I could. I HAD to know what was going to happen next. Many of the techniques and methods were familiar to me, which put me that much closer to the story. I felt I could easily relate and simply couldn't wait until the next "hack" was performed.

I really liked the STAR section (Part 2) as well, mainly because if there was something I was unfamiliar with I could just look it up right there in the same book. The inclusion of this section AND the ability to treat it either as a stand alone reference OR an integrated part of the story was an excellent idea.

I plan on reading it again but starting with part 2 and looking back at the references of the story. AND looking for more easter eggs.

This book is also approachable from the standpoint of handing it to a manager, parent, or anyone else who may understand how to use computers as an interface to check their email and consider all this "hacking" to be black magic. I think it does a wonderful job of outlining the attacks so they are understood and easily digested.

I can not recommend this book highly enough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enticing November 29, 2010

By J. M. Garcia

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book is simply amazing not only is the information presented in the second portion of the book useful but the story in the first portion of the book made me finish it within 2 days. A must read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent fiction based in reality November 7, 2010

By Charles Profitt

Format:Paperback

This book is an excellent piece of fiction about a part of the digital world most wish to keep their eyes closed too. While there were a few 'plot holes', they were not serious enough to detract from the enjoyment of the story.

As a computer professional none of the 'tools' or 'techniques' were new to me, but the author put them together in a way that showed how one small 'slip' can lead to larger issues. If you are a computer professional it would be well worth buying this book and after you are done reading it hand it off to some of your non-technical co-workers. Just imagine the horror in their eyes when they joke with you about how unrealistic the book is and you have to tell them that all of the tools and techniques are 100% real and available.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent April 19, 2011

By mgonda

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I personally have never seen a book like this one. I think it has created a genre of its own, and I liked it. I hope that other authors might be able to build off this real life hacking, explanatory fiction. The story kept my attention, and the only con I can think of is that I just wished it was a little longer. I have already recommended this book to friends of mine, and they're planning on reading it too.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening December 18, 2010

By Marian Kersh

Format:Paperback

As someone who was given the book to read I found it an eye opener. It has made me more aware why I have to make sure my home network is secure and why the many passwords I have at work are necessary. I enjoyed the story it was a quick and easy read that seem to have a lot of information. I liked the fact that the technical stuff was referenced and not explained during the story. As a not technical person I was able to look up only what I thought was relevant to me.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for PenTesters!! December 1, 2010

By Mary Ellen Ide

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because Ninja Hacking (also by Syngress) is one of the best pentesting books out there and although this book is excellent, it isn't as good at Ninja Hacking.
Things I like about this book:
-the stories are realistic, and do a great job at showing the reader why vulnerabilities can be so dangerous, and how they are used in the real world by attackers to do malicious things
-the tech part is great and full of UP TO DATE (very impt!) resources at the end of each chapter
-the last 2 chapters- interviews with well knowns in the security world, are chock full of links to blogs, conferences, other urls that are UP TO DATE!! i uncovered great resources that i didn't know existed! (and i had a huge list already)

All in all, this is a great book, highly recommended and I would have given it 4 and a half stars if I could.