Hacking For Dummies - Softcover

Beaver, Kevin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 076455784X ISBN 13: 9780764557842

Publisher: For Dummies, 2004

Synopsis

While you’re reading this, a hacker could be prying and spying his way into your company’s IT systems, sabotaging your operations, stealing confidential information, shutting down your Web site, or wreaking havoc in other diabolical ways. Hackers For Dummies helps you hack into a hacker’s mindset and take security precautions to help you avoid a hack attack. It outlines computer hacker tricks and techniques you can use to assess the security of your own information systems, find security vulnerabilities, and fix them before malicious and criminal hackers can exploit them. It covers:

• Hacking methodology and researching public information to see what a hacker can quickly learn about your operations
• Social engineering (how hackers manipulate employees to gain information and access), physical security, and password vulnerabilities
• Network infrastructure, including port scanners, SNMP scanning, banner grabbing, scanning, and wireless LAN vulnerabilities
• Operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Novell NetWare
• Application hacking, including malware (Trojan horses, viruses, worms, rootkits, logic bombs, and more), e-mail and instant messaging, and Web applications
• Tests, tools (commercial, shareware, and freeware), and techniques that offer the most bang for your ethical hacking buck

With this guide you can develop and implement a comprehensive security assessment plan, get essential support from management, test your system for vulnerabilities, take countermeasures, and protect your network infrastructure. You discover how to beat hackers at their own game, with:

• A hacking toolkit, including War dialing software, password cracking software, network scanning software, network vulnerability assessment software, a network analyzer, a Web application assessment tool, and more
• All kinds of countermeasures and ways to plug security holes
• A list of more than 100 security sites, tools, and resources

Ethical hacking helps you fight hacking with hacking, pinpoint security flaws within your systems, and implement countermeasures. Complete with tons of screen shots, step-by-step instructions for some countermeasures, and actual case studies from IT security professionals, this is an invaluable guide, whether you’re an Internet security professional, part of a penetration-testing team, or in charge of IT security for a large or small business.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Find out if your system is vulnerable to hack attacks!

"The coverage of security topics in this book can help you avoid a hack attack."
— Stuart McClure

"To catch a thief, think like a thief." Here’s the guide that will help you do just that! It shows you how to become a "white hat hacker," exploring your own system for vulnerabilities the unscrupulous hacker could exploit. And it’s loaded with tips, suggestions, and recommendations to help you plug any holes you find.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Discover how to:

• Recognize and counter common hack attacks
• Gain support for your security plan
• Test the security of Windows®, Linux®, NetWare®, and more
• Report your finds to upper management
• Protect your network infrastructure

About the Author

Kevin Beaver is a consultant who specializes in security assessments and incident response. He is a regular columnist and expert advisor for SearchSecurity.com and SearchMobileComputing.com.

About this edition

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 076455784X
• ISBN 13: 9780764557842
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 378