Ethical Hacking Protocol Review

Protocols are often discussed or represented as a single item or thing that is part of networking and how data gets from one place to another. For instance, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is two separate protocols that are put together to get data from point A to point B. There are other protocols designed to support specific functions and communications, but nothing comes close to what TCP/IP does for communication and the overall operation of networks and the internet as a whole. So, why are we covering protocols, and what do they have to do with ethical hacking? Most people think hacking is about passwords or application flaws, but protocols can be abused too. Sometimes, their basic behavior allows attackers to get the information they are looking for. In this chapter, we will dig deeper to see how protocol abuse is something to understand and be aware of.

We will cover the following main topics in this chapter:

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