The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Made Easy [Kindle Edition]

Patrick Engebretson

Patrick Engebretson (Author)

› Visit Amazon's Patrick Engebretson Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

See search results for this author

Are you an author? Learn about Author Central

(Author)

Book Description

The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing serves as an introduction to the steps required to complete a penetration test or perform an ethical hack. You learn how to properly utilize and interpret the results of modern day hacking tools; which are required to complete a penetration test. Tool coverage will include, Backtrack Linux, Google, Whois, Nmap, Nessus, Metasploit, Netcat, Netbus, and more. A simple and clean explanation of how to utilize these tools will allow you  to gain a solid understanding of each of the four phases and prepare them to take on more in-depth texts and topics. This book includes the use of a single example (pen test target) all the way through the book which allows you to clearly see how the tools and phases relate.

• Each chapter contains hands-on examples and exercises that are designed to teach you how to interpret the results and utilize those results in later phases.
• Written by an author who works in the field as a Penetration Tester and who teaches Offensive Security, Penetration Testing, and Ethical Hacking, and Exploitation classes at Dakota State University.
• Utilizes the Kali Linux distribution and focuses on the seminal tools required to complete a penetration test.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I would say that this book is by far one of the best books I have read on the topic of introducing penetration testing to those looking to make a career of it. it would be a great reference title to keep on your shelf for not only aspiring network penetration testers but also for those internal employees tasked with either hiring an outside firm or performing their own annual test."--The Ethical Hacker Network online, December 19, 2013 "Although this book is ideal for beginners, most security professionals will have been involved with penetration testing during some point in their career. This book is thus an excellent refresher for those of us who fondly recall Nmap, Nessus and Netcat as being the tools of choice for both whitehat and blackhat hackers, but have long-since forgotten the full command-line syntax and would benefit from a refresh. Patrick Engebretson gets the reader involved in the art of hacking from page one and makes this book a fascinating and productive read."--Best Hacking and Pen Testing Books in InfoSecReviews Book Awards "Have you heard of penetration testing but have no idea what it entails? This is the perfect book to get you started, easy to read, does not assume prior knowledge, and is up-to-date. I strongly recommend Pat's latest work."--Jared DeMott, Principle Security Researcher, Crucial Security, Inc. "If you are searching for a book to get you started with penetration testing, 'The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing' is the right one. It assumes little and gives a lot, and doesn't require huge amounts of technical knowledge in order to be read or understood. As complex the subject may sound to novices, the author does a great job explaining it. He eschews techno-babble and when he repeatedly returns to some issues, it's because he has more to say about them, not because he can't think about what to right next."--Help Net Security "This book offers a broad overview of basic concepts of hacking and penetration testing for readers with no previous background. It outlines a four-phase model of conducting a penetration test, or an 'ethical hack,' and shows how to use such hacking tools as Backtrack Linux, Hacker Defender, and MetGooFil. A sequential example throughout the book demonstrates how the tools and phases work together. The book includes chapter introductions and summaries, b&w screenshots, examples and exercises, and recommended resources."--SciTech Book News "If you are an information security beginner with some experience in computer technology, especially networking, I would recommend this book. If you are an intermediate level pen tester or an advanced tester, you might not find this book as useful. That being said, it never hurts to browse through the book and see if any new tools or technology are mentioned here that warrant a closer look. As mentioned earlier, penetration testing is an ever growing field and it is quite possible that as an expert, you might have missed something new. This book introduces you to just enough tools and technology to get your feet wet. If this kind of testing gives you a thrill, then you might want to look into more advanced topics and resources. If this is the only resource you used to escalate your interest in pen testing, then you have no one else but the author to thank for it."--PenTest Extra Magazine Vol. 2, No. 3, June

From the Back Cover

The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing, 2nd Ed. serves as an introduction to the steps required to complete a penetration test or perform an ethical hack from beginning to end. No prior hacking experience is needed. You will learn how to properly utilize and interpret the results of modern day hacking tools, which are required to complete a penetration test. Tool coverage includes Backtrack and Kali Linux, Google reconnaissance, MetaGooFil, DNS interrogation, Nmap, Nessus, Metasploit, the Social Engineer Toolkit (SET) , w3af, Netcat, post exploitation tactics, the Hacker Defender rootkit, and more. The book provides a simple and clean explanation of how to effectively utilize the tools and introduces a four-step methodology for conducting a penetration test or hack.  You will be provided with the know-how required to jump start your career or gain a better understanding of offensive security. The book walks through each of the steps and tools in a structured, orderly manner, allowing readers to understand how the output from each tool can be fully utilized in the subsequent phases of the penetration test. This process allows readers to clearly see how the tools and phases function and relate.
·      

• The second edition includes updated information covering Kali Linux as well as focusing on the seminal tools required to complete a penetration test 
• New tools added including the Social Engineer Toolkit, Meterpreter, w3af and more!
• Each chapter contains hands-on examples and exercises that are designed to teach you how to interpret the results and utilize those results in later phases
• Written by an author who works in the field as a Penetration Tester and who teaches Offensive Security, Penetration Testing, and Ethical Hacking, and Exploitation classes at Dakota State University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2265 KB
• Print Length: 225 pages
• Publisher: Syngress; 2 edition (June 24, 2013)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00DSNSQAC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray:
  Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,004 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #32 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Software Design, Testing & Engineering > Testing
  • #47 in Books > Computers & Technology > Internet & Web Culture > Hacking
  • #68 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Management > Privacy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, got me hooked on pentesting February 11, 2014

By Kenneth Wyser

Format:Kindle Edition

As a college student majoring in computer science, I have a strong interest in security and penetration testing. After looking around for a while for a good book to get me started, I settled on The Basics of Hacking and Pentesting, and I am very glad I did so. It was a great introduction to not only the tools involved in pentesting, but the concepts and techniques behind those tools, so you actually know how and why you are doing things.

The author takes you through setting up a great testing environment, and then proceeds to introduce every step of a successful penetration test, including all the tools and techniques. After reading this book, I have not only a solid foundation on and understanding of the tools and techniques of pentesting, I now know exactly what to research and learn further so that I can master those techniques.

Overall an excellent book for anyone looking to get into security and pentesting and one I would highly recommend.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Start... (prior review is incorrect regarding Backtrack R3) August 23, 2013

By Chris Butilier

Format:Paperback

Yes, Kali Linux is the follow-up release of "Backtrack R3" from 2012, while Kali was released in ~March of 2013. Which is why you won't hear much about Backtrack, since it is now Kali. Sounds like a misinformed script kiddy who places more weight on tools than on knowledge which will get him far.... considering that this specific topic (Backtrack R3 -> Kali) is a fairly well-known fact and can be located in Google very easily. So anyone reading the initial reviewer's comment, please do not be swayed by his lack of knowledge. This is a great book that will help put you on the right track, but that track is a lot more than simply learning how to "use a tool" or running "a fill in the blank" scan, and clicking magic button. A novice approach such as what one would likely conclude from the original reviewer's lack of highly available knowledge in the field will only serve you problems should you get caught. You should always work on your own equipment and labs and/or with written and explicit authorization of the equipment of others specific to the scope of what activities will be taken. If you are serious about learning and actually entering in to the field; be forewarned it is massive and daunting, however, if you take it one step at a time and get a broad overview of the landscape first, you can begin to layout and map your path with regards to the various topics you will want to learn in the most logical manner possible. While I am far from "experienced" myself, it is a rewarding field that will likely become exponentially more rewarding and important with the growing array of expansive impacts to fields that have largely not been synonymous with Network or Information Security. For instance privacy, politics, foreign and domestic relations, government activity and oversight (or lack thereof), internal business practices and policies and will continue to further shape the way we communicate, do business and live our lives day-to-day. These impacts will likely only continue to grow, while ethical hackers and proper penetration testing is performed to maintain a balance with the ultimate goal of securing personal information, IP, and other assets.... To find more information on such paths, you can look into the various security certifications and domains of knowledge they cover as a means to get you started with some of what you will want to begin learning.... thanks to Michael for clarifying the issue. :o) Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets for a 'how to' on basic hacking March 22, 2014

By Andy

Format:Paperback|Verified Purchase

The book is very readable compared to other technical books. The writer is clearly a teacher who understands how to keep a reader's attention while providing useful, real world information. As of now, this book seems very up-to-date. It as published recently and has what I have read in other resources are commonly used tools in the industry.

I read the whole book and took copious notes due to my upcoming certification tests and interest in hacking. I used the tools in at least the 1st half of the book. I will update this review once I use the tools listed in the 2nd half of the book. As the book recommended, I downloaded Oracle VMWare, Kali-Linux and Metaspoitable. Don't be intimidated by these tasks -> Oracle VMWare is a piece of cake to install, and booting up two machines with Kali (which is the attacking machine) and Metasploitable (the woefully unprotected target machine) are pretty simple, too. All of these products are free. Preparing this test bed is your key to understanding and enjoying much of the material in this book. It also allows you to 'own' a system pretty simply, so you can get a feel for the core tasks in hacking.

As an example of success using tools and instructions in this book, I used nmap, a scanner, from the Kali virtual machine against the Metasploitable virtual machine, determined a vulnerability and associated exploit, and built and executed it using Metasploit, an exploit development and delivery platform. I consider this my first hack, and although it was made a breeze to do for the sake of learning as quickly as possible, I am still proud!!! It might be awhile before I give a presentation at Defcon, though ;-)

I have been a database developer for twenty years, working in various industries such as human resources, benefits and government, so I am not new to programming, but I think someone without programming training or experience should do fine with this book. The certifications I will be taking are Certified Ethical Hacker and Offensive Security Certified Professional. Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for Beginners August 25, 2013

By Jose Sanchez

Format:Paperback|Verified Purchase

I think this book is a great resource for beginners as it states. Although not completely a beginner, it is a great refresher for me to read and reference so that's wont lose the basics as I delve deeper into this field. Although you may be able to look things up online with Google as another post states, you need to know what you're looking up and this could be a good guide. This book is for beginners and not meant to further intermediary knowledge although its nice have.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books around October 21, 2013

By Mary

Format:Paperback|Verified Purchase

I bought this book for a graduate level class, but I may also continue on and go for the Ethical Hacker Certification. I think this book will really help out in that arena.