The chapter looked at network and communication protocols as gateways for intrusions. It explained why these two form such a big part of the cyber-attack landscape. The chapter explained several network protocols that have already become unsecured and can be exploited by attackers, such as SMTP, SSL, and DNS. We explained how each of these protocols can be attacked, along with examples of the attacks. We then covered some examples of common network attacks, such as packet-sniffing and DDoS.
Our focus then shifted to web servers and web-based systems, which is another favorite attack landscape for hackers. We discussed some of the attack techniques that are used to compromise web-based systems, including SQL injection, buffer overflow, advanced Google search queries, and brute-force attacks. We took a close look at brute-force attacks that are aimed at cracking passwords...