No matter where you stand on cybersecurity or ethical hacking, these top books and ethical hacking guides will enhance your skillset. From hackers and cyber attacks to security engineering and beyond, these books cover everything you need for cybersecurity success.
Kim Zetter’s Countdown to Zero Day explores the effect of Stuxnet on global geopolitics, showing how cyber attacks flit between digital and physical war zones and blurring digital/physical lines between attacks. She also offers advice on minimizing unintended consequences caused by such cyber attacks.
1. Cult of the Dead Cow
Joseph Menn’s book details the tale of cDc, the pioneer hacker supergroup. Additionally, its members later went on to become activists, musicians, and even politicians–such as current Texas Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke who was known as Psychedelic Warlord in this group.
Menn outlines how the cDc and contemporaries such as L0pht helped solve issues which governments could not or were unwilling to solve, while also showing their spirit of problem-solving continues today.
From its roots as bored teenagers who hung around dial-up bulletin boards in pre-Internet times, the cDc quickly transformed itself into an important force for digital democracy. Members developed security tools like Back Orifice and Whisker; its members advocated for human rights and free software – setting an early precedent for hacktivism that lives on today in firms such as @stake and Vercode.
2. The Code Book
This book provides an in-depth course in modern hacking techniques, from capturing network traffic to cracking encrypted wireless traffic and exploiting websites using SQL injection. Based on feedback from cybersecurity students, this manual serves as an indispensable penetration tester’s manual that equips readers to think like hackers.
Learn the Metasploit Framework, an indispensable tool used by ethical hackers and red teamers alike. This includes its interfaces, module system and advanced penetration testing techniques; as well as how to hijack TCP connections, spoof IP addresses and speed up brute-force attacks.
Are You Exploring Cyber War and Attack? Security Engineering or Hacker Psychology? Whatever the topic, these must-read books can expand your professional knowledge in this realm. Invest in one today to expand your horizons!
3. The Art of Exploitation
As cybersecurity tools continue to advance, this book serves as a useful guide for the hacking toolbox. It helps readers gain perspective by taking on adversarial perspectives so that they may gain greater understanding of vulnerabilities and attack techniques.
Jon Erickson is renowned in the hacking community and his seminal work remains relevant today. It offers readers a thorough understanding of how laptop systems function on a low level while encouraging creative approaches for exploring computer structures and exploiting vulnerabilities.
It is an intensive and challenging read that requires knowledge of Linux, C coding, assembly and GDB. This book covers topics such as buffer and function overflows, format string vulnerabilities, buffer overruns and many others – it should be part of every hacker’s library! Furthermore, the book also discusses using various penetration testing tools like Nmap and Metasploit.
4. Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers
Wired reporter Andy Greenberg unveils the true tale of cyberwarfare’s most devastating assault ever and the pursuit of its perpetrators: elite Russian hackers. Additionally, this work provides a primer on nation-state attacks – an increasingly relevant front in global conflict.
John Hultquist was struck by the first time he saw iSight’s Sandworm report and realized it marked the dawn of a new form of warfare: no other malware combined hacker disruption techniques with physical destruction – or crossed between military and civilian targets in its destruction efforts.
Penetration testers enjoy exploring the finer points of recon, finding vulnerabilities, and launching attacks. This book serves as the essential reference guide for mastering the dark arts of concealing attacks while evading detection by blue teams – it should be part of every penetration tester’s library!
5. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation 2nd Edition
This classic book pioneered an accessible introduction to hacking by providing step-by-step instruction on exploit creation and execution. Author Jon Erickson addresses everything from stack and heap buffer overflows, denial of service attacks and TCP/IP hijacking.
Although this book may be outdated in certain aspects (operating system version and kernel exploits are no longer relevant), it still provides excellent, practical examples on how to utilize various hacking tools. Furthermore, it serves as an invaluable reference tool for those interested in computer programming.
No matter if you want to hack for fun or professionally, this book is essential reading. Take advantage of O’Reilly’s learning platform’s 10-day free trial to access books, live events and courses customized according to job role – start reading today!
6. The Hacker Mind
Bruce Schneier reveals the hacker mindset and its application to cybersecurity in this book by Bruce Schneier. Hackers, driven by an urge to explore boundaries and push limits, use this mindset to expose vulnerabilities in security systems that would otherwise remain undetected.
This book details various types of hackers, such as ethical hackers, hackerstivists, and Script Kiddies. Ethical hackers are motivated by an attempt to make things better while hackerstivists often have political agendas or oppose corporate policies as motivations; malicious hackers often want financial gain or recognition – and the thrill of hacking itself!
This book highlights several of the most compelling hacks, such as gerrymandering congressional districts and Goldman Sachs’ manipulation of aluminum prices, that demonstrate why organizations must foster open communication and collaboration with all their stakeholders to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.
7. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation 3rd Edition
This book is an indispensable read for cybersecurity students aspiring to enhance their hacking abilities. Readers embark on an engaging adventure as they experience exploring computer infrastructures of target companies from a hacker’s viewpoint and exploit flaws – perfect preparation for conducting penetration tests as well as learning the advanced tools and techniques employed by malicious actors. Coverage ranges from cloud architectures for password cracking purposes and exploiting web application vulnerabilities, to exploiting security breaches.
The author uses simple technical language that beginners can understand without compromising any intricate details necessary for hacking. They advocate responsible and ethical hacking practices while discouraging malicious activities – this book is the best resource available for learning hacking for novices – you can download both PDF and ePub versions for free from their official website.
8. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation 4th Edition
In this book, the authors outline how to utilize hacking tools and methods for penetration testing as well as discuss various ethical hacking techniques and approaches to information security. It serves as an excellent foundational text for those just getting started in cyber security and hacking.
Author Jon Erickson highlights the value of hacking as creative problem-solving rather than malicious activity, encouraging readers to adopt a hacker mindset and question systems’ underlying principles – something crucial for both offensive and defensive cyber warfare tactics. Furthermore, Erickson explores hacking methodologies as well as how even sophisticated cybersecurity measures can be defeated by an experienced con-artist; making this book essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary cyberwarfare or cybersecurity.
9. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation 5th Edition
Hacking: The Art of Exploitation 5th Edition is one of the premier cybersecurity books for beginners, providing essential instruction in network security, programming and hacking concepts using straightforward language and thorough explanations to introduce readers to fundamental hacking concepts.
Author of “Hacking 101 for Dummies” may take issue with its inclusion here, but that’s only fair; this book doesn’t teach how to be “l33t.” Instead, it demonstrates that cyberattacks often rely on unconventional approaches to established cybersecurity protocols; showing even highly secure systems are vulnerable when taken over by an advanced con artist. Thrilling, informative, and entertaining: this must-read for cybersecurity enthusiasts of any stripe; featuring topics like spoofing techniques, phishing attacks and email hacking among many other topics! An essential read for anyone seeking an in-depth knowledge of hacking and information security!
10. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation 6th Edition
Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, making keeping up with its latest advances increasingly challenging. Therefore, cybersecurity books must be both accurate and engaging – this book by an expert team offers all essential knowledge necessary for budding ethical hackers.
It includes everything from hacking wireless networks using brute-forcing with wordlists to exploiting web applications with Metasploit, as well as reading countermeasures manuals and conducting penetration testing.
Joseph Steinberg makes cybersecurity accessible and engaging, so even non-technical readers can comprehend its risks. Additionally, this book emphasizes the need for human awareness as key in preventing breaches – making this book essential reading for anyone hoping to pursue a career in cybersecurity.