Hacking for Dummies

This is a great, easy to read and use reference for both non-technical business leaders as well as IT professionals. It is also a great resource for home computer users, and small- to medium-sized businesses who often do not have the resources to hire dedicated security staff. The book covers the entire spectrum of ways in which computer systems can be compromised and attacked, an easy-to-understand description of how the exploits are executed, and, usually lacking in other reference books on this topic, step-by-step instructions for not only how to identify when the hacks occur, but also how to defend against them. Kevin Beaver also includes some very important warnings you need to keep in mind when performing your own vulnerability and hacking tests against your own network and systems to discover your own technical weaknesses.

This book covers multiple domains of security. The best part of the book is that it not only shows the hacks, tools (freeware and commercial), and new methodologies for the more experienced WHITE HAT (hopefully), but caters to the beginner by showing in each section what is the most important part...the COUNTERMEASURES for each and every hack. Mr. Beaver even covers the most difficult and 11th domain of security, Executive Buy-in/Support. Highly Recommend.

I used to wonder why anyone would want to break into my computer, there's not much there of any interest. Even I don't find it all that interesting. Then one day I was puzzled when my ISP asked why my machine was putting out millions of bytes of stuff to the point where it was bogging down their T1 line. I didn't know. We unpluged the machine from the network and it stopped sending. We plugged it back in and it wasn't sending. But the next day it was. It wasn't until we got an e-mail telling us to stop sending out copyrighted movies that we realized what had happened. It wasn't anything in my computer they wanted, it was the bandwidth. Knowing what to look for it wasn't all that hard to stop. Google quickly provided links on this problem. This book is aimed at people just like me. It gives an overall, if fairly light, view of the overall security problem. Like the other For Dummies books it has a writing style that doesn't (quite) put you to sleep. It has enough humor to enable you to get through it. It won't make you an expert, but it will point out the problem areas so that you can go deeper into those that are important to you. It's a good introduction.

There is certainly no shortage of books in this genre- Counter Hack, Hack Attacks Revealed and the best-selling Hacking Exposed (and all of its spin-offs) have covered this information in grueling detail. What sets this book apart is that it does not assume you are already a CISSP or network security guru. Being a "For Dummies" book means that it is written from the assumption that you don't know anything and the information is written in plain English and in terms that even a child could often understand. One of things that makes "For Dummies" books like this one great is the use of humor and icons to help lighten the information while also pointing out the key points and highlighting the "need to know" information. Hacking For Dummies walks the reader through basic computer and network security and progresses through various topics of hacking such as hacking applications or hacking various operating systems. Anyone interested in this topic, but especially those who are new to the world of computer and network security, should read this book. It is great on its own, but also provides an excellent foundation for someone interested in proceeding to more detailed works such as Hacking Exposed. (...)

The media often mistakenly characterize hackers as bored technical geniuses. In truth, most hackers, as the media use the term, are not geniuses; they are simply adept at downloading hacking tools that do all of the dirty work for them. These so-called script kiddies often do not know what they are doing until the damage is done. From the perspective of the victimized company, however, it's not really important who is doing the attacking; all that matters is how organizations can protect themselves from myriad attacks and tools. Hacking for Dummies is written on the premise that to catch a hacker, you have to think and behave like one. This is a well-written and engrossing book that helps the reader understand how hackers compromise computer systems and networks. Its clear, easy-to-read style won't intimidate readers unfamiliar with abstruse security terms and concepts. The 19 chapters progress from the basics of security to the hardening of an operating system and the hacking of Web applications. While the reader is not expected to have a deep technical background, the book does go into some detail, as it must to provide a hands-on approach. For a high-level theoretical approach to network defense, look elsewhere. This is a down-and-dirty tool for ensuring that the organization's systems and network are secure.