The Hack Is Back

Techniques to Beat Hackers at Their Own Games

Jesse Varsalone, Christopher Haller

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781040098318
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Operations
• Index: Computer Science

Have you wondered how hackers and nation-states gain access to confidential information on some of the most protected systems and networks in the world? Where did they learn these techniques and how do they refine them to achieve their objectives? How do I get started in a career in cyber and get hired? We will discuss and provide examples of some of the nefarious techniques used by hackers and cover how attackers apply these methods in a practical manner.

The Hack Is Back is tailored for both beginners and aspiring cybersecurity professionals to learn these techniques to evaluate and find risks in computer systems and within networks. This book will benefit the offensive-minded hacker (red-teamers) as well as those who focus on defense (blue-teamers). This book provides real-world examples, hands-on exercises, and insider insights into the world of hacking, including:

• Hacking our own systems to learn security tools
• Evaluating web applications for weaknesses
• Identifying vulnerabilities and earning CVEs
• Escalating privileges on Linux, Windows, and within an Active Directory environment
• Deception by routing across the TOR network
• How to set up a realistic hacking lab
• Show how to find indicators of compromise
• Getting hired in cyber!

This book will give readers the tools they need to become effective hackers while also providing information on how to detect hackers by examining system behavior and artifacts. By following the detailed and practical steps within these chapters, readers can gain invaluable experience that will make them better attackers and defenders. The authors, who have worked in the field, competed with and coached cyber teams, acted as mentors, have a number of certifications, and have tremendous passions for the field of cyber, will demonstrate various offensive and defensive techniques throughout the book.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• About the Authors
• Chapter 1 Hacking and Securing Your Operating System
• Chapter 2 Update and Change Defaults, or Else!
• Chapter 3 Web Application Hacking and Defense
• Chapter 4 Obfuscation, Deception, and Detection
• Chapter 5 Vulnerability Identification
• Chapter 6 Exploitation and Reverse Shells
• Chapter 7 Privilege Escalation and Persistence
• Chapter 8 Data Exfiltration Leakage (Pwned)
• Chapter 9 Am I Hacked? How Do I Tell?
• Chapter 10 A Career in Cyber
• Index