Getting Started with Computer Hacking

I often get asked questions around how I became an Ethical Hacker & Penetration Tester and I usually bore the person that asks by explaining how I made a transition from a more traditional role of the systems analysis through to information security by a combination of luck, judgement, self teaching and of course some qualifications along the way.

Now I’m sure that my short bio is absolutely entrancing but I’m guessing that when people really ask that question they are in fact asking ‘How do I learn to hack computers?’ or ‘How do I become a hacker?’

Well all the information you need is out there on the internet and in bookshops, regardless of whether you choose to use it ethically or not.

I advocate responsible disclosure- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsible_disclosure which ensures that if the bad guys find something exploitable (hackable) then all the good guys get to know about it and can put the pressure on to ensure it gets fixed.

I’ll include a link to the Amazon store for reference but if you don’t want to buy them you may be able to order them at your local library.

So without further ado here’s a list, in no particular order, of some recommended books to get you started on your way to a career in hacking… Hopefully as one of the good guys (White Hats)… As always, please feel free to leave a comment.

Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning

Nmap is a fast, well supported and industry standard tool for port and service scanning. Which basically means you should use it to work out what is running on the target computer so you can start to identify vulnerabilities. It’s a free tool available to download here - http://nmap.org/ - and although the online documentation is good, it’s best to take a look at this book to get the most from Nmap.

Hacking Exposed, Sixth Edition: Network Security Secrets and Solutions

This book mostly deals with the methodology of a hacking attack to infrastructure rather than web apps - think hacking servers, routers, operating systems, Wifi etc. It’s fairly technical in parts so you may need a good MS Windows and Linux handbook to accompany them. It also suggests ways to mitigate risks so the good guys can fix the issues. There are a number of other 'Hacking Exposed' books dealing with Web Application, Windows, VOIP and many more specific technologies. All are worth a look.






Approaching Zero: The Extraordinary Underworld of Hackers, Phreakers, Virus Writers, and Keyboard Criminals

This does not give any information on techniques or practical information for hacking, however, it is a good read as a story and has real world examples of the beginnings of phone phreaking and hacking going back to the 70’s

The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security

This is a very good read on its own just as a story about cons, scams and social engineering.  It’s basically a bunch of stories, from one of the most renowned hackers-Kevin Mitnick, explaining social engineering. It illustrates that it’s sometimes easier to persuade or influence someone to give you information, such as a password, rather than using technical hacking attacks.

Linux in a Nutshell

This is a great book for learning about how to use and configure Linux operating systems. You’ll probably need to have some Linux skills as a lot of internet facing servers happen to be Linux based.