Penetration Testing

The need for penetration testers has grown well over what the IT industry ever anticipated. Running just a vulnerability scanner is no longer an effective method to determine whether a business is truly secure. This learning path will help you develop the most effective penetration testing skills to protect your Windows, web applications, and Android devices.

The first module focuses on the Windows platform, which is one of the most common OSes, and managing its security spawned the discipline of IT security. Kali Linux is the premier platform for testing and maintaining Windows security. Employs the most advanced tools and techniques to reproduce the methods used by sophisticated hackers. In this module first,you’ll be introduced to Kali's top ten tools and other useful reporting tools. Then, you will find your way around your target network and determine known vulnerabilities so you can exploit a system remotely. You’ll not only learn to penetrate in the machine, but will also learn to work with Windows privilege escalations.

The second module will help you get to grips with the tools used in Kali Linux 2.0 that relate to web application hacking. You will get to know about scripting and input validation flaws, AJAX, and security issues related to AJAX. You will also use an automated technique called fuzzing so you can identify flaws in a web application. Finally, you’ll understand the web application vulnerabilities and the ways they can be exploited.

In the last module, you’ll get started with Android security. Android, being the platform with the largest consumer base, is the obvious primary target for attackers. You’ll begin this journey with the absolute basics and will then slowly gear up to the concepts of Android rooting, application security assessments, malware, infecting APK files, and fuzzing. You’ll gain the skills necessary to perform Android application vulnerability assessments and to create an Android pentesting lab.

This Learning Path is a blend of content from the following Packt products:

Kali Linux 2: Windows Penetration Testing by Wolf Halton and Bo Weaver

Web Penetration Testing with Kali Linux, Second Edition by Juned Ahmed Ansari

Hacking Android by Srinivasa Rao Kotipalli and Mohammed A. Imran

Wolf Halton

Wolf Halton is a widely recognized authority on computer and internet security, an Amazon best selling author on computer security, and the CEO of Atlanta Cloud Technology. He specializes in business continuity, security engineering, open source consulting, marketing automation, virtualization and datacenter restructuring, and Linux evangelism. Wolf started hacking Windows in 1993 and loaded Linux for the first time in 2002. Wolf attributes whatever successes he has had to his darling bride, Helen, without whose tireless encouragement he would have never come so far so fast. To contact Wolf, e-mail him at wolf@atlantacloudtech.com.

Juned Ahmed Ansari

Juned Ahmed Ansari (@junedlive) is a cyber security researcher based out of Mumbai. He currently leads the penetration testing and offensive security team of a large MNC. Juned has worked as a consultant for large private sector enterprises, guiding them on their cyber security program. He has also worked with start-ups, helping them make their final product secure.

Juned has conducted several training sessions on advanced penetration testing, focused on teaching students stealth, and evasion techniques in highly secure environments. His primary focus areas are penetration testing, threat intelligence, and application security research. He holds leading security certifications such as GXPN, CISSP, CCSK, and CISA. Juned enjoys contributing to public groups and forums and occasionally blogs at http://securebits.in.

Mohammed A. Imran

Mohammed A. Imran (@secfigo) is an experienced application security engineer and the founder of null Singapore and null Hyderabad. With more than 6 years of experience in product security and consulting, he spends most of his time on penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and source code reviews of web and mobile applications. He has helped telecom, banking, and software development houses create and maintain secure SDLC programs. He has also created and delivered training on application security and secure coding practices to students, enterprises, and government organizations. He holds a master's degree in computer science and is actively involved in the information security community and organizes meetups regularly.

Bo Weaver

Bo Weaver is an old-school ponytailed geek who misses the old days of black screens and green text, when mice were only found under the subflooring and monitors only had eight colors. His first involvement with networks was in 1972, while working on an R&D project called ARPANET in the US Navy. Here, he also learned the power of Unix and how to "outsmart" the operating system. In the early days of BBS systems, he helped set up, secure, and maintain these systems in the South. He later worked with many in the industry to set up Internet providers and secured these environments. Bo has been working with and using Linux daily since the 1990s, and he is a promoter of open source (yes, Bo runs on Linux). He has also worked in physical security fields as a private investigator and in executive protection. Bo is now the senior penetration tester for Compliancepoint, an Atlanta-based security consulting company, where he works remotely from under a tree in the North Georgia mountains. Bo is Cherokee and works with Native American youth to help keep their traditions alive and strong. He is also the father of a geek son, Ross, a hacker in his own right, and the grandfather of two grandchildren, Rachel and Austin, who at their young age can Nmap a network. To contact Bo, e-mail him at bo@boweaver.com.

Wolf Halton

Wolf Halton is a widely recognized authority on computer and internet security, an Amazon best selling author on computer security, and the CEO of Atlanta Cloud Technology. He specializes in business continuity, security engineering, open source consulting, marketing automation, virtualization and datacenter restructuring, and Linux evangelism. Wolf started hacking Windows in 1993 and loaded Linux for the first time in 2002. Wolf attributes whatever successes he has had to his darling bride, Helen, without whose tireless encouragement he would have never come so far so fast. To contact Wolf, e-mail him at wolf@atlantacloudtech.com.