Beggs - Mastering Kali Linux for Advanced Penetration Testing

Robert W. Beggs is the founder and CEO of Digital Defence, a company that specializes in preventing and responding to information security incidents. He has more than 15 years of experience in the technical leadership of security engagements, including penetration testing of wired and wireless networks, incident response, and data forensics.

Robert is a strong evangelist of security and is a cofounder of Toronto Area Security Klatch, the largest known vendor-independent security user group in North America. He is a member on the advisory board of the SecTor Security Conference as well as on several academic security programs. He is an enthusiastic security trainer and has taught graduates, undergraduates, and continuing education students courses in information security at several Canadian universities.

Robert holds an MBA in Science and Technology from Queen's University and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, I would like to thank the developers and supporters of Kali Linux. Together, they have produced one of the most significant tools for securing networks and data. I would like to thank the editors and reviewers at Packt Publishing for their support and seemingly unending patience during the writing of this book. I promise that the next one will go quicker!

I would also like to thank Brian Bourne and other members of the Toronto Area Security Klatch. They've given me an incredible opportunity to learn and share knowledge with the best-ever community of security geeks.

Throughout the writing of this book, my family has given me both incredible motivation and support. Thank you Sarah, Alex, and Annika.

And finally, a very special thank you to my mother and fatherI can't remember when I first learned to readwith your encouragement, it was always just natural to have a book in my hands.

Thank you.

Terry P. Cutler is a cyber security expert (a certified ethical hacker) and the cofounder and chief technology officer of IT security and data defense firm, Digital Locksmiths Inc. in Montral, Canada. They protect small businesses, large agencies, families, and individuals from cyber criminals who victimize an estimated 1.5 million people a day (600,000 on Facebook alone).

He specializes in anticipation, assessment, and prevention of security breaches for governments, corporations, businesses, and consumers. Having been a certified ethical hacker, among other things since 2005, he had an opportunity to present in front of a live audience of 2,500 people and with tens of thousands across the world, on live and recorded streaming, how a hacker could break into almost any company with a fake LinkedIn request. You can view this video on his YouTube channel.

Terry has been delivering Internet safety for children, parents, and law enforcement since 2006. He believes that prevention, street proofing, and parent-child communication are the most effective ways to prevent a child from being abducted or falling victim to aggression and exploitation. Giving children the knowledge and practical skills they need to look after themselves is as important as teaching them to read and write. You can find out more on this at http://www.TheCourseOnInternetSafety.com.

He is a frequent contributor to media reportage about cybercrime, spying, security failures, Internet scams, and the real social network dangers that families and individuals face every day. He is acknowledged as a transformational leader, problem solver, and trusted advisor with a genuine talent for fostering positive and collaborative working relationships at all organizational levels.

Before leaving his job in 2011 to concentrate full time on Digital Locksmiths, Terry worked for a software giant, Novell. He joined this global software corporation that specializes in enterprise operating systems and identity, security, and systems management solutions to provide engineering support to the company's premium service customers consisting of up to 45,000 users and 600 servers all across the world.

I'd like to take a moment to thank Robert W. Beggs for generously taking me under his wing as a mentor back in 2004 and guiding me through the processes and pitfalls of working in this industry.

Now that I've matured as an industry specialist, I'm honored to be able to share some of my own learning and experiences with Rob and with his readers.

A very special thanks to my family, my wife, Franca, and our sons, David and Matthew, for their support, encouragement, patience, hugs, and unconditional love over the last few years.

Danang Heriyadi is an Indonesian computer security researcher, specialized in reverse engineering and software exploitation with more than five years of hands-on experience.

He is currently working at Hatsecure as an instructor for Advanced Exploit and Shellcode Development. As a researcher, he loves to share IT security knowledge through his blog at Fuzzerbyte (http://www.fuzzerbyte.com).

I would like to thank my parents for giving me life; without them, I wouldn't be here today; my girlfriend, for supporting me every day with her smile and love; and my friends, whom I have no words to describe.