The Unofficial Guide to Ethical Hacking (Miscellaneous) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Ankit Fadia (Author) "Most people think of hackers as computer vandals..." (more)
Key Phrases: ankit fadia, async interface, batch file program, Generic Multi, Digital Equipment, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
"Ethical hacking" may seem like an oxymoron, but to 17-year-old Indian high school student Fadia, it's a way of life. This book extends his Hacking Truths site (hackingtruths.box.sk), describing hackers as computer experts who do break into systems but refrain from causing damage. From password cracking to finding hacking utilities online, the ideas here will help intermediate to advanced readers protect their own systems and resolve situations ranging from lost passwords to viruses. While the writing is somewhat awkward, Fadia's voice and perspective shine through. Recommended for larger libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Hackers. That elusive class of computer criminals who break into systems, release viruses, and deface Web sites, right? Wrong! While such computer criminals have helped shape the typical definition of a hacker, not all hackers are out to wreak havoc. There are ethical hackers who crack a system for the sheer challenge of doing so-not to cause damage or destruction. In fact, they often lend a hand to system administrators by notifying them of the loopholes in their system. This book is much more than a guide to hacking. For anyone interested in finding out how your fail-safe system was cracked and how you can better protect yourself, this book is a must-read. It contains helpful resources that you can reference to better protect your system from becoming the victim of attacks. It also includes discussions on the nature of file encryption, firewalls, and viruses and shows how users can make their systems more secure.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (February 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931841721
• ISBN-13: 978-1931841726
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #826,316 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book should never have been published..., April 2, 2002

By	Steven G. Bottoms "SteveB" (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was amazed when I finished scanning this book today. Quite frankly, I can't imagine why it was ever published! Aside from the fact that it was published this year (2002), and aside from the fact that the author appears to have used a Windows 95 machine to do his tinkering (I won't even give the author the respect of using the word "hacking"), this book is riddled with misinformation, inconsistencies, and uncommented source code (which incidentally only compiles, according to the author, on a version of *nix that very few people use). Any hobbyist with more than one year of experience knows AT LEAST what's covered in this book, and they probably don't even realize it! This book doesn't cover ANY of the new operating systems, doesn't take into account ANY basic security precautions that have been in use for a couple years now, and does the reader a disservice by trying to explain (poorly) what "hacker" and "cracker" means (clearly the author was trying to impress his friends with his knowledge of jargon). There are MANY more useful tomes on the market; don't waste your money on this book! The single most useful piece of information this book contains is a single page where the URLs to SART and (I believe) CERT can be found!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Junk, April 2, 2002

By A Customer

This book is basically a word for word copy from freely avaliable online documents and other books. The author fails to mention the documents that he uses as sources for his factual information. The worst part is, some of the sources the author used were unreliable themselves. Talking about libnet like it is a program just shows how inexperienced the author is in the subject he is writing about. How could one possibly write a technical book about something they don't know much about. As for the ethical part, there is hardly anything ethical about breaking into other systems. If you want to know how the hackers really get in, get hacking exposed. Hacking Exposed pulls no punches on describing how it is actually done. Spend your money on better things.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Appalling, March 30, 2002

By A Customer

This book is appalling. I have the Indian version and it is sloopily put together as well as dated. In addition, it is hardly ethical in any sense of the word when the author suggests that you use your ISP to hack.

In addition, I have found script references in the book that are not written by the author and yet he doesn't identify this fact. He leaves them as if he wrote them. Further some chapters are nothing more than just a cut and paste from existing websites that are not the author's work.

If I was the publisher, I would be looking more deeply into this author's credibility. If you are serious about security, get a book like ... If you just want to be a script kiddie, this will do you fine.