What this book covers
Chapter 1, Ethical Hacking Concepts, introduces you to the concepts and ideas related to hacking and security, including testing computer systems to find flaws and vulnerabilities. By identifying such threats before malevolent hackers can take advantage of them, this technique seeks to strengthen security protocols and ultimately improve cybersecurity overall.
Chapter 2, Footprinting and Reconnaissance, discusses how attackers gather information about a target system or organization to identify potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors. This includes discovering network infrastructure, system configurations, and personnel details through passive and active reconnaissance techniques, laying the groundwork for subsequent penetration testing or ethical hacking activities.
Chapter 3, Scanning and Enumeration, provides an overview of scanning and enumeration that often follow reconnaissance. Scanning involves actively probing target systems to identify open ports, services, and potential vulnerabilities. Enumeration goes further by extracting detailed information about the discovered services, such as user accounts, shares, and system configurations. These processes help ethical hackers assess the security posture of a network or system and prioritize potential attack vectors for further investigation and mitigation.
Chapter 4, Vulnerability Assessment and Threat Modeling, discusses vulnerability assessments, involving systematically identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities within a system or network infrastructure. Threat modeling uses vulnerability assessments and other information, in a proactive approach to cybersecurity, systematically identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities to predict and mitigate potential risks before adversaries can exploit them.
Chapter 5, Hacking Windows, provides an overview of the process of exploiting vulnerabilities within the Microsoft Windows operating system for various purposes, including gaining unauthorized access, stealing data, or disrupting system operations. This can involve techniques such as exploiting software vulnerabilities or leveraging misconfigurations to compromise Windows-based systems.
Chapter 6, Hacking Unix, like the previous chapter, discusses exploiting operating system vulnerabilities, including misconfigurations, weak user authentication, or software vulnerabilities, to gain unauthorized access but from a Unix-based system point of view. Attackers often study Unix systems extensively to understand their architecture and security mechanisms, aiming to improve defense strategies and protect against potential attacks.
Chapter 7, Hacking Web Servers and Applications, takes a look at web server and application vulnerabilities in server configurations, web applications, and underlying software to gain unauthorized access or disrupt services. Attackers can target known weaknesses such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), or remote code execution to compromise data or gain control over a server. Ethical hackers often employ penetration testing methodologies to identify and remediate these vulnerabilities, ensuring the security and integrity of web-based systems.
Chapter 8, Hacking Databases, focuses on hacking databases, involving the exploitation of database management systems to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or manipulate stored information. Attackers can target weaknesses such as insecure authentication mechanisms, misconfigured permissions, or missing patches. Ethical hackers often study database architectures, SQL syntax, and security best practices to identify and mitigate potential vulnerabilities, safeguarding critical data assets from exploitation.
Chapter 9, Hacking Packets – TCP/IP Review, examines the fundamentals of TCP/IP attacks used to compromise network communications and systems. Attackers can launch various assaults such as TCP SYN flooding, IP spoofing, or TCP session hijacking to disrupt services, intercept data, or gain unauthorized access. Understanding TCP/IP vulnerabilities and implementing robust security measures are essential to mitigate these attacks and ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of network resources.
Chapter 10, Malware Analysis, explores malware. As a defender, you will come across malware, and as such, you should be ready to handle it when it comes. Malware analysis is the process of dissecting and understanding malicious software to uncover its functionality, behavior, and potential impact on systems. This chapters introduces you to analyst techniques, such as static and dynamic analysis, to identify malware’s characteristics and intentions. By comprehensively analyzing malware, security professionals can develop effective countermeasures, enhance threat intelligence, and fortify defenses against evolving cyber threats.
Chapter 11, Incident Response and Threat Hunting, introduces you to incident response techniques, involving a systematic approach to managing and mitigating security incidents when they occur. This chapter also looks at threat hunting, a proactive process of actively searching for and identifying potential threats or malicious activities within an organization’s network or systems before they manifest as incidents. By integrating incident response and threat hunting practices, organizations can effectively detect, contain, and eradicate cyber threats, bolstering their overall cybersecurity posture.
Chapter 12, Social Engineering, looks at the deceptive techniques used by attackers to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information or performing actions against their better judgment. It relies on psychological manipulation and exploiting human emotions, such as trust or fear, to deceive targets into providing access to sensitive data or systems. Effective defense against social engineering involves raising awareness, implementing strict security policies, and providing ongoing training to recognize and thwart these deceptive tactics.
Chapter 13, Hacking Internet of Things (IoT), discusses Internet of Things (IoT) device vulnerabilities and exploiting interconnected smart devices to gain unauthorized access or disrupt operations. Attackers target weak security measures, default credentials, or insecure communication protocols to compromise IoT devices and networks. As IoT technology increases across various sectors, understanding and addressing IoT security risks are paramount to safeguarding personal privacy, critical infrastructure, and data integrity.
Chapter 14, Hacking the Cloud, dives into exploiting cloud technologies such as Azure and AWS, using vulnerabilities within cloud infrastructure, services, and applications to compromise data integrity, confidentiality, or availability. Attackers may target misconfigurations, weak access controls, or shared resources to gain unauthorized access or launch attacks against cloud-based environments. As organizations increasingly adopt cloud solutions, understanding and mitigating cloud security risks are essential to maintain trust, compliance, and resilience in the digital ecosystem.
