Hacking Exposed Windows: Microsoft Windows Security Secrets and Solutions, Third Edition [Paperback]

Joel Scambray (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007149426X | ISBN-13: 978-0071494267 | Publication Date: December 4, 2007 | Edition: 3

The latest Windows security attack and defense strategies

"Securing Windows begins with reading this book." --James Costello (CISSP) IT Security Specialist, Honeywell

Meet the challenges of Windows security with the exclusive Hacking Exposed "attack-countermeasure" approach. Learn how real-world malicious hackers conduct reconnaissance of targets and then exploit common misconfigurations and software flaws on both clients and servers. See leading-edge exploitation techniques demonstrated, and learn how the latest countermeasures in Windows XP, Vista, and Server 2003/2008 can mitigate these attacks. Get practical advice based on the authors' and contributors' many years as security professionals hired to break into the world's largest IT infrastructures. Dramatically improve the security of Microsoft technology deployments of all sizes when you learn to:

• Establish business relevance and context for security by highlighting real-world risks
• Take a tour of the Windows security architecture from the hacker's perspective, exposing old and new vulnerabilities that can easily be avoided
• Understand how hackers use reconnaissance techniques such as footprinting, scanning, banner grabbing, DNS queries, and Google searches to locate vulnerable Windows systems
• Learn how information is extracted anonymously from Windows using simple NetBIOS, SMB, MSRPC, SNMP, and Active Directory enumeration techniques
• Prevent the latest remote network exploits such as password grinding via WMI and Terminal Server, passive Kerberos logon sniffing, rogue server/man-in-the-middle attacks, and cracking vulnerable services
• See up close how professional hackers reverse engineer and develop new Windows exploits
• Identify and eliminate rootkits, malware, and stealth software
• Fortify SQL Server against external and insider attacks
• Harden your clients and users against the latest e-mail phishing, spyware, adware, and Internet Explorer threats
• Deploy and configure the latest Windows security countermeasures, including BitLocker, Integrity Levels, User Account Control, the updated Windows Firewall, Group Policy, Vista Service Refactoring/Hardening, SafeSEH, GS, DEP, Patchguard, and Address Space Layout Randomization

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joel Scambray, CISSP, is Chief Strategy Officer at Leviathan Security Group (leviathansecurity.com). His nearly 15 years of information security experience encompasses roles as a corporate leader (senior management positions at Microsoft and Ernst & Young), entrepreneur (co-founder of Foundstone), successful technical consultant for Fortune 500 firms, and internationally recognized speaker and author of multiple security books, including all five editions of Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions.

Stuart McClure, CISSP, an independent computer security consultant, is one of today's leading authorities on information security. He was SVP of Global Threats and Research for McAfee where he led an elite global security team fighting the most vicious cyber attacks ever seen. Stuart is the coauthor of multiple security books, including all five editions of Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 451 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 3 edition (December 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007149426X
• ISBN-13: 978-0071494267
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #588,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for the 3rd iteration, February 22, 2008

By 

Chris Gates (NoVA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hacking Exposed Windows: Microsoft Windows Security Secrets and Solutions, Third Edition (Paperback)

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of HE:Windows.

The latest HE:Windows takes us toe to toe with Vista and Server 2008 and gives us a recap of some Win2k3 and Win2k knowledge. I was torn between whether to give this book three or four stars. I ended up giving it a four because it was well written, hit the majority objectives it laid out, and would be useful for someone that didn't have the two previous iterations, if you have the other two keep in mind there is a fair amount of content reuse and if you do this for a living, it may come up short of expectations.

The book covers a lot of ground but at the end I was left feeling like the authors were saying that if I was pentesting a Vista host or Server 2008 host/domain I should just call it quits. Going back and rereading a bit of the HE: Windows Server 2003 book I felt they said the same thing in that book as well. This obviously ended up being not the case, and I don't think will be the case with Vista and Server 2008 either. Its also not a viable option for any penetration tester.

Some examples of what I am talking about can be seen in Chapter 4 where the SMB enumeration examples only work against Windows 2000 and maybe Windows XP SP1. No mention of how to actually start pulling that information out from current environments. The Active Directory section reused the old content and made no discussion of any current tools or changes in 2003 environments and 2008 environments which have pretty much eliminated anonymous binds to extract information. Chapter 5, Hacking Windows Specific Services reused a lot of content which was disappointing, especially disappointing was the reuse of the smbrelay content, especially with tools that work much better like the smbrelay module in the metasploit framework.

The rootkit chapter is pretty good and talks about a rootkit I had never heard of (Unreal rootkit)..

Client side attacks has a decent update to it covering phishing, ActiveX, office and pdf exploits and a bit of cross site scripting, but refers you to the HE Web Applications book for more detail, which is fair.

Physical Attacks section is mostly the same with some updates on wireless, keyloggers and bootkits but mostly just overviews not followable steps.

Ch12 windows security features and tools is probably what pushed the book from a 3 to a 4. It covered bitlocker, Vista Windows integrity control, server hardening, stack protections, and others information.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the upgrade from Hacking Exposed: Windows Server 2003, July 2, 2009

By 

Richard Bejtlich "TaoSecurity" (Metro Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hacking Exposed Windows: Microsoft Windows Security Secrets and Solutions, Third Edition (Paperback)

I've been reading and reviewing Hacking Exposed (HE) books since 1999, and I reviewed the two previous Windows books. Hacking Exposed: Windows, 3rd Ed (HEW3E) is an excellent addition to the HE series. I agree with Chris Gates' review, but I'd like to add a few of my own points. The bottom line is that if you need a solid book on Windows technologies and how to attack and defend them, HEW3E is the right resource.

It has been fashionable for the last six or seven years for supposedly "elite" security people to laugh at HE books. Sure, the books don't teach you how to find zero-day vulnerabilities or write new exploits. The strength of the HE series is in its approach. HE books teach you about core Windows security technologies in a manner that you usually can't find elsewhere. Then the authors explain how to attack those technologies, as a penetration tester might. Finally they conclude with recommended countermeasures, as available. You can't ask for more in a security book: how it works, how to break it, how to fix it. There's something for everyone -- admin, red team, blue team.

My personal favorite sections included Ch 5: Hacking Windows-Specific Services, Ch 7: Post-Exploit Pillaging, and Ch 8: Achieving Stealth and Maintaining Presence. I didn't think Ch 6: Discovering and Exploiting Windows Vulnerabilities was very strong. I was disappointed by Ch 10: Hacking Microsoft Client Apps. Client-side attacks have been the dominant security problem for enterprise security teams for the last five years. You could probably write a whole book titled Hacking Exposed: Client-Side or similar! If/when the authors decide to write a 4th Ed, I'd like to see more coverage of client-side apps, like Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, and the like.

Overall I strongly recommend reading HEW3E. It's not a five star book but you will learn a lot reading it. The target audience includes security-conscious admins, those who try to attack Windows systems, and those who defend them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have book!, February 23, 2008

By 

D. Thiele (Dearborn, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hacking Exposed Windows: Microsoft Windows Security Secrets and Solutions, Third Edition (Paperback)

This is a must-have book for anyone who works with Windows clients or servers as a part of their job. It gives a lot of detail, both on what security issues Windows security administrators face, as well as guidance on how to mitigate risks regarding Windows security. The checklists in the back of the book alone are worth keeping as a baseline lockdown policy.