Hacking for Dummies

by Kevin Beaver

Stop hackers before they hack you! 

In order to outsmart a would-be hacker, you need to get into the hacker’s mindset. And with this book, thinking like a bad guy has never been easier. In Hacking For Dummies, expert author Kevin Beaver shares his knowledge on penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, security best practices, and every aspect of ethical hacking that is essential in order to stop a hacker in their tracks.

Whether you’re worried about your laptop, smartphone, or desktop computer being compromised, this no-nonsense book helps you learn how to recognize the vulnerabilities in your systems so you can safeguard them more diligently—with confidence and ease.

Get up to speed on Windows 10 hacks   Learn about the latest mobile computing hacks Get free testing tools    Find out about new system updates and improvements

There’s no such thing as being too safe—and this resourceful guide helps ensure you’re protected. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Computers, Reference, Technology, Computer Science, Programming, Hackers

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is from 2004 but still has a lot of very valid information. It focuses not only the software approach of white-hat (good guy) hacking, but also social engineering (i.e. tailgating an employee through a building). I learned that you should keep your passwords protected with software such as KeePass. I also learned that there are such things as hardware keystroke loggers (I was only aware of the software implementations...the hardware versions cost less than $50 USD) that can be used to get anyone's password quite easily. Lots of great tips in this book on how to protect yourself from the bad guys!

[Peter Sichevsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read and I tihnk it will be an even better re-read in the future.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Hacking For Dummies 4th edition which is a very good book which I read at http://safaribooksonline.com. This book is primarily about ethical hacking which is checking computers and computer networks for vulnerabilities. Any computer won't be totally invulnerable to hacking but the trick is to make it so difficult and time consuming it's not worth it. With most computer networks hackers don't bother hacking the password with a password cracker program instead they resort to dumpster diving or social engineering. Dumpster is diving in the potential victim's trash to see what you can find. It's amazing what people don't shred. Social engineering normally takes the form of someone phoning the company helpdesk and pretending they are an employee who has lost his password or pretend they are the computer repair men, there to repair one of the servers. In many companies the helpdesk is situated a distance from the entrance enabling anyone to walk in at busy times unnoticed. A hacker will often use a packet sniffer like wireshark to look at the traffic going to and from your server prior to the attack. Wireshark is free but not as easy to use as some commercial programs. For the actual cracking the password a program like Cain And Able or John The Ripper are the 2 best known. An important point is employees should have the screensaver enabled to come on when the system is not being used and should require the password for the user to log back in. Interestingly 80% of security breaches come from employees and former employees. One nightmare for many companies is the number of digital cameras and smartphones brought onto company premises each capable of photographing anything on a computer screen. Most companies don't take this problem as seriously as they should. In the back of this book it lists loads of resources in connection with hacking even a phishing toolkit which I assume has dark motives. I really enjoyed this book and I think it's obvious it is an interesting subject. One final point is you might moan about the cost of securing your computer or network but if it gets breached the cost is likely to be much higher. That's especially true if you are a company or organization.

[Ben Rothke]

Even though it’s now well over 50 years old; anyone needing to look up the English translation of a Latin word can use the 1968 edition of Cassell's New Latin English Dictionary. In the dynamic world of computer security, things are constantly changing, and using a reference that is but 2 years old can be outdated, or not have information about technologies that are now ubiquitous. Think Internet of Things (IoT) and you will understand.

Now in its 6th edition, Kevin Beaver’s Hacking for Dummies carries on his tradition of giving the reader an in the trenches guide which they can use to ensure that their organization's information systems and networks are secure.

The first edition came out 2004 and information security has seen significant changes. Like the previous editions, this is a practical guide that can teach the reader real-world hacking and penetration testing skills.

This 6th edition has the same basic motif, but is updated for Windows 10, Linux, macOS and more; and includes an updated list of currently available hacking tools.

While the reader is not expected to have a deep technical background, the book does go into some detail, as it must to provide a hands-on approach.

If you are looking for a practical guide that can teach you real-world hacking and penetration testing skills, the 6th edition of Hacking for Dummies is a great resource.

[Anuradha Wickramarachchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to have a good top down approach to know about hacking and networking internals. The book also provide a very good understanding on how to deal with proper tools to make systems more secure and reliable for users.

[Sooraj S.Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the title mentions, It's a hacking reference handbook for dummies But don't underestimate it though because it contains a lot new as well as old but yet resourcefull information about Common securty weaknesses, Vunlerable TCPs and UDPs, Network security, etc.
In conclution; This book has sort of cleared out the fog that was in front of me in previously.\

I would definitely recommend this book to the ones who are IT professionals, programming enthusuasts, code virgins and who are just seeking out knowledge about Internet security.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book! As someone who knew little about computer networking or security, this was a great primer. It wasn't very technical, which made it perfect for reading on the train. I may not feel fully prepared to start hacking away at systems, but I have a good idea of the types of tools and techniques that exist now.

[SirFluffers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Doesn't really teach you much about hacking, understanding how systems work or manually perform tasks and instead explains how to work with specific tools such as Metasploit Pro which cost $5000 per year. In the end that makes this book a waste whether your goal was knowledge or practical use. Give it a pass.

[Darrell M Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book assumes a lot of basic knowledge of operating systems and access to some tools. It also starts out well, but then makes major leaps in skill level while missing some intermediate points. A true beginner needs to look elsewhere.

[Trung Hiếu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Một cuốn sách hay dành cho các bạn mới tìm hiểu về Hacking. Tất tần tật từ network cho tới Os, application...
Ngoài ra còn có các tools để thực hành ngay.
Viết dễ hiểu.

[Talib Faridy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot, and got lots from it.

It was a great intro to cybersecurity, and a good guide to protecting yourself as well.

I found it pretty interesting.

:)

4.8/5

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

An OK book. Nothing more. Bit boring TBH

[Sergii · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very unstructured, chaotic and in a lot of cases outdated information.

[Sherb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book for anyone interested in conducting security assessments as a hobby or career

[Judah Nyquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just learned how to hack, and now all of your credit cards are mine!
be afraid

[Marina P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and easy to understand

[carina]

I'm a pro now

[Anrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information. Good writing!

[Sephiroth_76 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers the basics (and non-basics) of computer interferance and safety. With every thing from password cracking to network prompts and telnet, this book is a must go for computer geeks everywhere. It not only shows how hackers do what they do, it also shows how to defend against it in every manner possible. Also, unlike most hacking books, has tips for people without the web! Jam-Packed with info that is essential to anyone who wants to love computers, this is a no brainer choice!
I personally tend to not like the dummies series, due to lack of detail. BUT this book is the exception. Yes you should have some computer background information before learning the ways of the web, but this book is almost all basic. It covers everything, and all the chapters are divided up in an understandable fashion. When it comes to computer books, this book is off the charts!

[Laurent · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I got this as a gift I legit felt like the next Kevin Mitnick. However I then noticed that hacking wasn't as easy as pressing a few buttons on a nicely organised pre-made GUI program. At the beginning I was mostly just looking at the pictures but after time when I got more into computing I started to read more of the book and learned a lot of valuable things such as how to protect from trojans,viruses,malware and also a bit about hacking.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what you're looking for probably. This is an overview of hacking and goes over social engineering, password picking, etc... It does get into some computer hacking towards the end of the book but does not have a lot of depth.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very broad overview of the subject of hacking (as should be expected in a "...for Dummies" book). Content was well organized and easy to understand.

[Govind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will give me if knowledge about hacking.

[Patrick Quirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource book. If you want to get up to speed on the basics of performing security assessments, including hands on exercises, this book is for you.

[Adham Basha]

nice book

[Fausto Betances · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much verbiage, no substance.

[Kayrah]

Research for web pen testing techniques.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

too technical for me.

[ARahman Rashed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew it would be a time waste.