The Best Ethical Hacking Books To Learn Hacking In 2024

Hacking and Penetration Testing is a popular field of study, and it has been for many years. However, there are many different books that cover this topic. Here are some of the best books for learning hacking in 2023.

10 Best Ethical Hacking Books To Learn Hacking

1. The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing

Hacking and penetration testing are two very different things, but they’re often used interchangeably. Hacking refers to the process of gaining access to a system without authorization. Penetration testing, on the other hand, is an ethical form of hacking that aims at finding vulnerabilities within a network or organization’s security policies and procedures.

Hacking is typically used by criminals in order to exploit weaknesses in networks or steal valuable information like usernames and passwords; however, it can also be used by government agencies like the NSA (National Security Agency) as part of their efforts against cyber terrorism.

Non-ethical hacking involves simply exploring systems for fun rather than causing harm; however, there are some people who believe that this kind of activity should be illegal because it could lead them down dark paths toward crime or espionage.

If you want to become a penetration tester, otherwise known as a “pen-tester,” then this book will be a great for you. It covers a wide range of tools, such as Backtrack and Kali Linux, Nmap, the Social-Engineer Toolkit, Netcat, and many more.

The book is organized in a way that walks readers through each topic step-by-step so that they have a thorough understanding by the end. Additionally, the author has an engaging and entertaining tone throughout the book. It is truly a complete ethical hacking training guide for beginners.

2. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation is a book that covers the hacking process, including how to find vulnerabilities and exploit them. It also gives you insight into how hackers think, which can help you in your own research.

There are few people with a strong technical foundation who truly push the envelope, making hacking an art rather than a science. Many people call themselves hackers, but few have the critical abilities to solve complex problems or find security holes.

Authors Jon Erickson teach readers how to solve difficult problems or exploit holes in sloppy programming in this book. By learning the fundamentals of C programming from a hacker’s perspective, second edition Live CD provides a complete Linux programming and debugging environment without modifying your current operating system.

Topic:

• Intro to Hacking
• Programming
• Networking
• Shellcode
• Cryptology
• Conclusions

3. The Hacker Playbook 2: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing

The Hacker Playbook 2 is a practical guide to penetration testing. It teaches you how to use the Metasploit Framework, one of the most popular hacking software tools in use today.

This book is suitable for both beginners and experienced hackers because it covers all aspects of hacking, including how to find vulnerabilities on your own network using Exploit Scanner and other tools.

The book covers all aspects of pentesting including how to find vulnerabilities and exploit them, how to break into systems and gather information from them, how to use Metasploit pen testing frameworks such as msfvenom or pyewf for example (this one is especially interesting because it includes some interesting tricks).

4. Penetration Testing – A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking

Penetration Testing – A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking is a book that covers the basics of penetration testing, including how to find vulnerabilities in websites and applications.

The book starts with explaining the key skills and methods every pentester should know. There are plenty of examples, practical teaching with tools, and a machine-based lab included, as promised in the title.

You will understand how a hacker gets access to security systems, cracks network keys and passwords, and creates their own exploits for all of this and more.

Even though the lab setup is outdated in the 1st edition, all of the crucial information can still be found online (for example, exploit-DB). Despite this, the book is still worth reading!

This book will help you understand the different types of attacks and how to avoid them. It is written by author Georgia Weidman

5. Advanced Penetration Testing

If you’re looking for an in-depth, step-by-step guide to penetration testing, look no further than Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World’s Most Secure Networks.

This book, written by experienced penetration testers and security researchers, provides a comprehensive overview of the latest tools and techniques for conducting successful penetration tests.

The book starts with a discussion of the ethical considerations involved in penetration testing, as well as the legal implications.

It then covers the basics of network security and vulnerability assessment before moving on to more advanced topics such as web application security, wireless security, and social engineering.

Throughout the book, the authors provide real-world examples and case studies to illustrate the concepts being discussed.

Advanced Penetration Testing is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about this critical security discipline.

If you’re looking to get started in penetration testing, or if you’re already a seasoned professional, this book is a must-read.

6. Metasploit The Penetration Tester’s Guide

Metasploit is a software tool for developing and executing exploit code against a remote target machine. It was originally created by Thomas Fox, and later modified by his brother Aaron, then maintained by the Metasploit team.

Metasploit is free, powerful and extensible: it can be used by penetration testers to exploit vulnerabilities in systems; it can also be used by security professionals to find security vulnerabilities in networks or applications (like those found in websites).

With its flexible design pattern-based framework that allows you to customize your own modules (called exploits), Metasploit makes penetration testing easier than ever!

7. The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook

The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws is a great book for beginners who want to learn how to exploit security flaws in web applications.

It explains how to use Burp Suite and other tools, as well as common vulnerabilities found in web applications. The book also goes into detail about the different kinds of attacks that can be used against an application, including SQL injection attacks, XSS (cross-site scripting) attacks and authentication bypasses. The author provides clear instructions on how each attack works so you can start using them right away!

Topics Covered:

• Web Application (In)Security
• Core Defense Mechanisms
• Mapping Applications
• Client Side Attacks
• Backend Attack Mechanisms
• Attacking Application Logic
• Attack Automation
• Source Code Vulnerabilities
• Hackers’ Toolkit

8. Phishing Dark Waters: The Offensive and Defensive Sides of Malicious Emails

A phishing attack is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to trick individuals into revealing personal information, such as usernames and passwords. The average person can be fooled by about 75% of these attacks.

This section will take a look at the offensive side of phishing and how phishing attacks can be used as an effective tool for social engineering. The defensive side will also provide various methods for protecting oneself from these malicious email tactics.

This section will cover both sides of this malicious email tactic: How they work and how they can be defended against in order to best protect oneself from the malice that lurks in your inbox.

Contents :

• Intro to Wild World of Phishing
• Psychological Principles of Decision Making
• Influence & Manipulation
• Planning Phishing Trips
• Professional Phisher’s Tackle Bag
• Phishing Like a Boss
• The Good, Bad & the Ugly

9. Reversing: Secrets of Reverse Engineering

Reverse engineering is a technique used to analyze software and hardware to find out how they work. It takes the existing product and tries to re-create it with a view of making modifications.

In this book, we will learn about how reverse engineering can be done, what its advantages are, how it can be done without actually touching the original source code or design documents, and lastly whether it is ethical or not.

Reverse engineering is a technique used to analyze software and hardware to find out how they work. It takes the existing product and tries to re-create it with a view of making modifications.

Reverse engineering is different from “black-box testing” in that white-box tests require access to the original source code or design documents while reverse engineering does not need either of these things.

Reverse engineering is used for multiple purposes: for security analysis when the company suspects that their intellectual property may be compromised; for performing

Topics :

• Intro to Reversing
• Low level Software
• Reversing Tools
• Applied Reversing
• Deciphering File Formats
• Reversing Malware
• Cracking
• Anti-reversing
• Beyond Disassembly
• Decompilation

10. The Hardware Hacker

The hardware hacker is a true tinkerer, always exploring and experimenting with electronic devices and circuits. They are often self-taught and have a natural curiosity for how things work.

Breaking things is all part of the fun for a hardware hacker – they are constantly push the boundaries and testing the limits of what is possible.

This book is a compilation of personal essays and interviews that cover topics related to reverse engineering and compare intellectual property. It includes practices between, and society into the tapestry of open hardware.

This book provides in-depth coverage of manufacturing and is comprehensive. You can learn about the issues related to open-source hardware. Hardware hacking can be a dangerous and destructive hobby, but it can also be a creative and constructive one. It all depends on the intentions of the hardware hacker.

Some use their skills to create new and innovative devices, while others use them to cause mischief and mayhem. Whether you consider them to be a hero or a villain, there is no denying that the hardware hacker is a true pioneer in the world of technology.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed some of the best hacking books available to you in 2022. These are books that will help you learn how to hack and penetrate vulnerable networks. If you’re looking for a new career path or just want to improve your skillset, then these books are perfect!

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