Penetration testing--in which professional, "white hat" hackers attempt to break through an organization's security defenses--has become a key defense weapon in today's information systems security arsenal. Through penetration testing, I.T. and security professionals can take action to prevent true "black hat" hackers from compromising systems and exploiting proprietary information.
Hack I.T. introduces penetration testing and its vital role in an overall network security plan. You will learn about the roles and responsibilities of a penetration testing professional, the motivation and strategies of the underground hacking community, and potential system vulnerabilities, along with corresponding avenues of attack. Most importantly, the book provides a framework for performing penetration testing and offers step-by-step descriptions of each stage in the process. The latest information on the necessary hardware for performing penetration testing, as well as an extensive reference on the available security tools, is included.
Comprehensive in scope Hack I.T. provides in one convenient resource the background, strategies, techniques, and tools you need to test and protect your system--before the real hackers attack.
Specific topics covered in this book include:
- Hacking myths
- Potential drawbacks of penetration testing
- Announced versus unannounced testing
- Application-level holes and defenses
- Penetration through the Internet, including zone transfer, sniffing, and port scanning
- War dialing
- Enumerating NT systems to expose security holes
- Social engineering methods
- Unix-specific vulnerabilities, such as RPC and buffer overflow attacks
- The Windows NT Resource kit
- Port scanners and discovery tools
- Sniffers and password crackers
- Web testing tools
- Remote control tools
- Firewalls and intrusion detection systems
- Numerous DoS attacks and tools
About the Author
T.J. Klevinsky is part of Ernst & Young's Security and Technology Solutions practice, where he coordinates attack and penetration exercises for Fortune 500 corporations worldwide. He is also an instructor for the Ernst & Young's Extreme Hacking course. Additionally, T.J. is an instructor with SANS, where he teaches the course Contemporary Hacking Tools and Penetration Testing, a survey of recent security related software tools.
Scott Laliberte, CISSP, CISM, MBA, is a leader of Protiviti’s Global Information Security Practice. He has extensive experience in the areas of information systems security, network operations, incident response, and e-commerce, and has served clients in many industries, including healthcare, life sciences, financial services, manufacturing, and other industries. Scott has led many security engagements, including attack and penetration studies, Web application security reviews, systems vulnerability assessments, wireless security reviews, and security systems implementation. In addition, he has led a number of incident response projects, which help organizations identify, stop, and recover from security incidents and attacks. He has spoken on information security topics for a variety of audiences and industries, including MIS Training Institute (MISTI), National Association of Financial Services Auditors (NAFSA), ISACA, IIA, and HCCA. He has been quoted as a security expert in the Financial Times, Securities Industries News, and elsewhere, and has authored numerous information security articles for a variety of publications.
Ajay Gupta, CISSP, founder and president of Gsecurity, is an expert on cyber security, secure architecture, and information privacy. Gsecurity provides cyber security and data privacy services to federal, state, and local governments, as well as commercial clients in the educational, financial, and health-care sectors.
