The Hack-Counter Hack Training Course: A Network Security Seminar from Ed Skoudis [With Videos]

The Hack-Counter Hack training course is especially targeted for those wanting to cover some essential (hands-on!) security techniques in the Windows/Linux based environments. Ed Skoudis does deliver with this 4 hour video-training kit.He's like a personal instructor, walking you through building an analysis laboratory and then through the 5 stages of the hacker attack: reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access and covering tracks. In the process you get to use nifty networking tools such as Sam Spade, THC-Scan, Nessus, Netcat; allowing you to see their use from both a security and hacking perspective.The bottom line of all this is to understand and perform REAL attacks, - that is, see how and why the hacker does it - and thus you'll learn the best countermeasures you must take in order to protect your network.

This is a review of a video lecture series targetted at network administrators and people who are looking to start a career in the security field. It will also go down well with people who are pressed for time, as you can handle each section of the course on your own time, something that invariably doesn't happen with a book. The lecturer, Ed Skoudis, is very well known in the security community and regularly lectures for www.sans.org - one of the premier information security sites on the web. The course consists of two CD's which have videos broken down into different sections, also included on the CDs are all the tools he demonstrates during the lectures, as well as a sample chapter from a book he has recently authored. If that were not enough, you also get a workbook to go along with the lectures so that you can revise important information and write your own notes alongside the key points.The whole approach of the CD is very hands-on, which is a refreshing change from the drab texts that we've all poured over at some point or the other. The course starts from scratch and in the introductory lecture, Skoudis walks you through a full installation of both Windows XP and Redhat Linux 7.2 on two separate machines so that you can have your own laboratory to try the tools out. Whenever he is demonstrating something, the camera focuses right in on his monitor so that you can see exactly what he is typing at each screen. After you've set up the two systems, he talks you through getting them properly networked, and gives you a few tips on the hardware to buy when setting up your lab.The rest of the lectures cover the five phases an attacker will use to get into your network. Using the laboratory created at the start, he demonstrates different tools an attacker will use at different stages. This approach is uncannily similar to the Introduction to Security Article we recently published here, and in fact we feel this course and our article complement each other very well. Both break down attacks into the same broad phases :* Reconnaisance* Scanning* Gaining Access* Maintaining Access* Covering TracksAnd then get into the details of each phase.The teaching methodology on this CD is fairly unique:Skoudis first uses slides to explain the concept behind what the attacker is doing, before firing up the appropriate tool and showing it to you in action, after this he explains how you can secure your network against a tool of this kind. You will see him use wardialers, portscanners, sniffers, remote access trojans, covert channel systems, rootkits and more. Best of all, you can try out exactly what he is doing using the tools included on the CD, you're not just left with a theoretical concept, you can implement the attack and figure out how to secure yourself against it. The course is also fairly evenly divided between Windows and Linux, he uses both operating systems to perform different attacks, and often attacks one system from the other. This ensures that th

This is an excellent tool to help you get started on network security. Skoudis gives excellent short lectures on many topics. Some reviewers don't like this program because they already know what he describes and demonstrates. This is for beginners! You can take a class at a community college or get this training course. I bet you will get your friends right away and show them the demonstration of using ... software to gain information about web sites. The software is on the disk or free on the Internet. If you want to start learning security fast, get this course and his Counter Hack book.

If you read carefully the Editorial Reviews, you'll find yourself wondering if all the claims are not too good to be true.Well believe me, the training course lives up to all the claims.Easy to use, it runs flawlessly, with wonderful animation and explanations (hey, remember the instructor is Ed Skoudis).Works both for Windows and Linux boxes, with very modest requirements to install 'the test Lab'.A lot of tools are included to perform the exercises, but if you prefer you can just 'watch' how things go on.By the way, it really covers the five phases of hacking: reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, and preventing detection. Every phase is full detailed and in such an easy way, that even a beginner could understand 'Stack Overflow' in minutes !!.At its price is really a BARGAIN.Buy and enjoy it.

The course reviews all important aspects of Attack & Penetration techniques and way to protect from them; it does not cover complex or advanced techniques but the information presented is clear, well documented and the exercises and the tools have been adequately selected.This 5 hours course based on multimedia presentations (2 CDs, including tools) and a workbook will show you in practice how to get in and how to close the door to your systems.Good training option for network/system adminsitrators, IT specialists and information security profesionals that want to learn or complement their knowledge of network attacks.