Penetration Testing - by Georgia Weidman (Paperback)

About the Book

"In Penetration Testing, security researcher and trainer Georgia Weidman provides you with a survey of important skills that any aspiring pentester needs. This beginner-friendly book opens with some basics of programming and helps you navigate Kali Linux, an operating system that comes preloaded with useful computer security tools like Wireshark and Metasploit. You'll learn about gathering information on a target, social engineering, capturing network traffic, analyzing vulnerabilities, developing exploits, and more. Hands-on examples discuss even advanced topics like mobile device security and bypassing anti-virus software"--

Book Synopsis

Penetration testers simulate cyber attacks to find security weaknesses in networks, operating systems, and applications. Information security experts worldwide use penetration techniques to evaluate enterprise defenses.

In Penetration Testing, security expert, researcher, and trainer Georgia Weidman introduces you to the core skills and techniques that every pentester needs. Using a virtual machine-based lab that includes Kali Linux and vulnerable operating systems, you'll run through a series of practical lessons with tools like Wireshark, Nmap, and Burp Suite. As you follow along with the labs and launch attacks, you'll experience the key stages of an actual assessment--including information gathering, finding exploitable vulnerabilities, gaining access to systems, post exploitation, and more.

Learn how to:
-Crack passwords and wireless network keys with brute-forcing and wordlists
-Test web applications for vulnerabilities
-Use the Metasploit Framework to launch exploits and write your own Metasploit modules
-Automate social-engineering attacks
-Bypass antivirus software
-Turn access to one machine into total control of the enterprise in the post exploitation phase

You'll even explore writing your own exploits. Then it's on to mobile hacking--Weidman's particular area of research--with her tool, the Smartphone Pentest Framework.

With its collection of hands-on lessons that cover key tools and strategies, Penetration Testing is the introduction that every aspiring hacker needs.

Review Quotes

"The explanatory subtitle of this book is 'A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking, ' and it's exactly what you'll get. This is the best book for pentesting beginners that I ever had the pleasure of reading."
--Help Net Security

"An excellent resource into the realm of penetration testing."
--Ethical Hacker

"Practical, useful and insightful. How hackers work and how you can use the same methods and tools to guard your systems against attack."
--Sandra Henry-Stocker, IT World

"Weidman's presentation has much to recommend it to the technical security professional. Definitely a recommended read."
--Richard Austin, IEEE Cipher

"An excellent resource into the realm of penetration testing."
--Xavier Mertins, TrueSec

"A sound introduction to pentesting."
--ACM Computing Reviews

"A great book on infosec, detailing a large sum of computer penetration testing and exploitation."
--Dan Borges, Lockboxx

"A great introduction to finding vulnerabilities in your system penetration testing made accessible, and well illustrated too."
--MagPi Magazine

"This is one of the top books you must read if you are new to penetration testing . . . Not only is the book still relevant to the community, new courses are being created that center around this book. Including a new one taught by Georgia herself! And although Georgia is currently working on a new version, this book is still a must have in any hacker's collection."
--Davin Jackson, Alpha Cyber Security, Books to Start Your Penetration Testing Journey

"Arguably, one of the best books I have ever read as a beginner. I learned about different domains of security and penetration testing, and the author never slipped from the point and got distracted. Overall, an excellent informational resource, a great introduction to penetration testing."
--Sudo Realm

"Penetration Testing: A Hands-on Introduction to Hacking, by Ms. Georgia Weidman, is one of the best book for to start with and for advancing the career in the field of penetration testing. I personally suggest the learners to start with this as the use of words are very simple which makes learning easy, also the methods are well explained for novice to grasp."
--Kamal Dev, KamalDev.me

"The Bible for IT-based testing."
--Dave, @CyberOutsider

About the Author

Georgia Weidman is a penetration tester and researcher, as well as the founder of Bulb Security, a security consulting firm. She presents at conferences around the world, including Black Hat, ShmooCon, and DerbyCon, and teaches classes on topics such as penetration testing, mobile hacking, and exploit development. She was awarded a DARPA Cyber Fast Track grant to continue her work in mobile device security.