Many books are available on hacking, but we will discuss today the top 10 which are appreciated and recommended by the hacking community. Note: The books are in no particular order.
1. Penetration Testing with Kali Linux By OffSec (PWK)
Offensive security (OffSec) is the organization responsible for Kali Linux distro which combines more than 300 information gathering, scanning, vulnerability analysis, forensics, wireless hacking, web app exploitation and post exploitation tools. PWK has been officially compiled by OffSec. It’s more like a story book which takes a virtual organization megacorpone.com & gives you a walkthrough of the complete exploitation procedure. It starts with basic intro to Kali tools, Networking, Reverse & Bind shells then discusses advance topics like Buffer Overflows, privilege escalation & malware evasion. You can only get this book if you register for OSCP certification.
Its table of contents are:
- Intro to Pen Testing
- Intro to Kali
- Some Essential Tools
- Reconnaissance/ Enumeration
- Exploitation
- Privilege Escalation
- Tunneling
- Post Exploitation
2. The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook
If you are a beginner and looking for insights of hacking, this is the book for you. It has been authored by Daffy Stuttard who developed Burp Suite, a very handy Proxy for exploitation testing. The focus of this book is highly practical. It breaks down web application vulnerabilities and teaches its exploitation and the correct configuration. The contents explain the key topics for carrying out a comprehensive web application attack.
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3. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
A book to enable you to think out of the box. It does not mainly focus on commonly used exploitation techniques. The main focus is the construction and testing of exploit code. It teaches you the advanced secure coding skills including Assembly. The topics discussed are networking, cryptography, programming, Buffer overflows, stacks & global offsets. If you are learning shell codes, spawning, buffer restrictions bypass and camouflage techniques, this book is your guideline.
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4. Reversing: Secrets of Reverse Engineering
Deconstruction of developed software to reveal its innermost details is the focus of the book. You will learn the details of how a software works by digging deep into binaries and retrieving information. This book works on Microsoft Windows environment and uses OllyDbg. Binary reverse engineering, data reverse engineering, techniques for prevention of reverse engineering of any code and explanation of decompilers are the main focus.
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5. Hacking Exposed 7: Network Security Secrets & Solutions
If you want to harden your networks and secure your applications from cyber security breaches, this book is for you. Hacking is a double edged sword. You can never breach a system unless you fully understand how it works. Only then you can both secure and breach it. Hacking exposed is a series of books and this release focuses on networks.
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6. Mastering Modern Web Penetration Testing
As obvious, this book will give you a walkthrough on modern web hacking techniques. This book is an essential read for web developers. The procedures discuss practical exploitation techniques and automation. Source code vulnerabilities like Php object Serialization vulnerabilities are discussed in detail.
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7. Phishing Dark Waters: The offensive & Defensive Sides of Malicious Emails
You can break into any system through the front door. But to get you through, you will need strong convincing skills. Phishing is a companion which will get you through when others won’t. This book will explain you the tricks to phish successfully. The contents will enlighten you about the offensive as well as defensive techniques used for phishing. After giving it a read, you will be able to recognize a cloned website, a spam email and a spoofed id.
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8. Android Security Cook Book
85% of smart phone users rely on android. 90% of the android devices are vulnerable to malware. Understanding and protecting android infrastructure is a growing concern now. With major focus on Web Applications, android security often stays ignored. This book will explain you how to protect the android devices against hackers. The focus is exploitation, protection and reversing android applications.
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9. Offensive Security Wireless Attacks By OffSec (WiFu)
If you want to master the skill of Wi-Fi penetration & audit this is a recommended book for you. The books starts with the basic WEP, WPA and WPA 2 protocol. It explains the Wi-Fi beacons & handshakes. Then the vulnerability scanning and exploitation phase comes. In the end you are advised how to protect your Wi-Fi networks. You can only get this book if you opt for OSWP Certification course.
Its table of contents are:
- IEEE 802.11
- Wireless Networks
- Aircrack-ng Suite
- Cracking WEP via a Client/Connected Clients
- Cracking Clientless WEP Networks
- Bypassing Shared Key Authentication
- coWPatty
- Pyrit
- Wireless Reconnaissance
- Rogue Access Points
10. The Hacker Playbook 3: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing
Strong teams come up with new strategies in every game. This book is about the latest tips of penetration testing. The strategies are updated and will take you to the pro level. It will improve your thought process and offensive testing techniques.
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CONCLUSION
Investing in learning ethical hacking will enable you to help keep the world safe. Your career skills and personal satisfaction will always be in place.
