James Patterson - Hacking: Beginner to Expert Guide

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book , Hacking: Beginner's Guide to Computer Hacking, Basic Security, and Penetration Testing .

This book will teach you how you can protect yourself from most common hacking attacks -- by knowing how hacking actually works! After all, in order to prevent your system from being compromised, you need to stay a step ahead of any criminal hacker. You can do that by learning how to hack and how to do a counter-hack.

Within this book are techniques and tools that are used by both criminal and ethical hackers all the things that you will find here will show you how information security can be compromised and how you can identify an attack in a system that you are trying to protect. At the same time, you will also learn how you can minimize any damage in your system or stop an ongoing attack.

Thanks again for downloading this book. I hope you enjoy it!

Whenever you encounter the word hacking , you probably associate it with sending an encrypted program to another user, and then being able to get unauthorized access on a remote computer.

However, the term hacking was used to define any act of tinkering a computers hardware or software other than its intended use, in order to improve it and find out how electronic devices can work electronically.

While that definition technically still holds true, hacking has definitely made a whole new turn especially when it comes to how another person can access someone elses computer. Before you think that hacking is all about getting past securities to wreak havoc on somebody elses digital device, you might need to know the types of hackers that exist nowadays.

Hackers are typically divided into the following categories:

1. Black hat hackers

Also known as criminal hackers or crackers, these people are those that maliciously gain access to another persons system for selfish gain. They typically hack electronic devices and modify, steal, or delete critical files for their personal gain.

2. White hat hackers

White hat hackers, or ethical hackers, discover ways on how a devices system can be exploited in order to learn how people can defend themselves against possible attacks. These ethical hackers also make it a point that the security services they issue are updated. They do this by being on the lookout and actively digging for the newest exploits and new system vulnerabilities.

Ethical hackers also make it a point that they discover new ways to learn how an electronic device can be tinkered with to maximize its efficiency. For this reason, they build communities that allow them to crowd-source their knowledge in order to improve the way people use their devices.

3. Grey hat hackers

As the name suggests, they are driven by white and black hat hacking motivations they are the ones who employ both illegal and legal techniques to exploit or improve a system. However, if a grey hat hacker exploits another persons system, he typically makes it a point to inform the owner of the exploits made and then offers suggestions on what can be done to buff up system security.

Once you are able to identify the hackers that you are likely to encounter, you will be able to know the motivation that they have for hacking and the types of hacks that they are likely to come up with.

While hacking is typically attributed to people who know how to code, everyone can learn how to hack. At the same time, it is also best to keep in mind that there is no one way of learning how to hack hacks to improve or attack systems are created through continuous evolution of a users knowledge on how a system should perform. As you read this, you can count on that possibility that a new way to protect or attack a device or a network has already been created.

If you have a computer or a mobile phone, then you are the best candidate for being a hacker. You have the right motivation to learn how to tinker with a system and improve the way you use it. Since you connect with other users out there through downloads, messages, online purchases, or uploads, you need to pay extra attention to how you can secure your own system. To do this, you need to learn how a black hat hacker thinks, starting from the motivation that they have in attacking a system, to the rudiments of an attack. From that point, you will understand that you have plenty of preventive measures when it comes to stopping an unauthorized intrusion and even launch a counter attack.

This book will tell you about the strategies commonly used by black hat hackers, which will enable you to test your own systems vulnerabilities and how you can fall into different traps that are laid out for most users out there. Here, you will learn how people become candidates to become potential victims of criminal hackers and how you can protect yourself from such attacks. At this point, you get the idea you are on your way to become an ethical hacker.

Since your main concern is your own security and making it a point that you understand why attacks go through different systems, you will also need to learn how attacks are performed in the first place. You will be able to figure out how criminal hackers penetrate devices by learning tools, techniques, and attacks that they use in their trade.

Once you understand how an electronic device can be compromised, you will have a better idea on what you can do to prevent that from happening.

While hacking requires a lot of practice, it is not a difficult trade to be in. As long as you know how to use a computer and you can follow instructions that you will find in this book, you can test or even perform hacks that you will read in the later chapters.

If you do not know how to code yet, no worries you will find detailed instructions on what coding software, operating system, and others later on. However, if you want to excel in hacking and you want to develop your own security measures or test a version of an attack, then having coding skills is a must.

To become a good ethical hacker, you need to have the following skills:

1. Intermediate computer skills

This means that you need to have skills that go beyond creating a Word document or being able to surf the web. To be a hacker, you need to know how to use different Windows command lines, set up a network, or edit your computers registry.

2. Good networking skills

Since many, if not most, of hacker attacks are done online, you need to master networking concepts and terms, such as:

• WEP versus WPS passwords
• NAT
• MAC addresses
• Routers
• Ports
• VPN
• IPv6
• DNS
• Subnetting
• DHCP
• Private and public IPs
• IPv4
• OSI modelling
• Packets
• TCP/IP

3. Using a Linux operating system

Almost all hackers will have to use the Linux OS because it allows programs and tweaks that are not possible in Windows and Mac operating systems. Almost all hacking tools that you can find also make use of this operating system.

4. Virtualization

Before you even try testing an attack on a live system, you need to make sure that you know what you are doing. To make sure that you are doing things right, you might want to try out a hack first on a virtualization software package, such as the VMWare Workstation. Using virtual workstations will provide you a safe environment for your hack tests and prevent you from unintentionally causing damage to your own device.