The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Made Easy (Syngress Basics Series) [Paperback]

"Although this book is ideal for beginners, most security professionals will have been involved with penetration testing during some point in their career. This book is thus an excellent refresher for those of us who fondly recall Nmap, Nessus and Netcat as being the tools of choice for both whitehat and blackhat hackers, but have long-since forgotten the full command-line syntax and would benefit from a refresh. Patrick Engebretson gets the reader involved in the art of hacking from page one and makes this book a fascinating and productive read."--Best Hacking and Pen Testing Books in InfoSecReviews Book Awards "Have you heard of penetration testing but have no idea what it entails? This is the perfect book to get you started, easy to read, does not assume prior knowledge, and is up-to-date. I strongly recommend Pat's latest work."--Jared DeMott, Principle Security Researcher, Crucial Security, Inc. "If you are searching for a book to get you started with penetration testing, 'The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing' is the right one. It assumes little and gives a lot, and doesn't require huge amounts of technical knowledge in order to be read or understood. As complex the subject may sound to novices, the author does a great job explaining it. He eschews techno-babble and when he repeatedly returns to some issues, it's because he has more to say about them, not because he can't think about what to right next."--Help Net Security "This book offers a broad overview of basic concepts of hacking and penetration testing for readers with no previous background. It outlines a four-phase model of conducting a penetration test, or an 'ethical hack,' and shows how to use such hacking tools as Backtrack Linux, Hacker Defender, and MetGooFil. A sequential example throughout the book demonstrates how the tools and phases work together. The book includes chapter introductions and summaries, b&w screenshots, examples and exercises, and recommended resources."--SciTech Book News "If you are an information security beginner with some experience in computer technology, especially networking, I would recommend this book. If you are an intermediate level pen tester or an advanced tester, you might not find this book as useful. That being said, it never hurts to browse through the book and see if any new tools or technology are mentioned here that warrant a closer look. As mentioned earlier, penetration testing is an ever growing field and it is quite possible that as an expert, you might have missed something new. This book introduces you to just enough tools and technology to get your feet wet. If this kind of testing gives you a thrill, then you might want to look into more advanced topics and resources. If this is the only resource you used to escalate your interest in pen testing, then you have no one else but the author to thank for it."--PenTest Extra Magazine Vol. 2, No. 3, June

Dr. Patrick Engebretson obtained his Doctor of Science degree with a specialization in Information Security from Dakota State University. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Information Assurance and also works as a Senior Penetration Tester for security firm in the Midwest.