People use social engineering to break into systems and attain information because it’s often the simplest way for them to get what they’re looking for. They’d much rather have someone open the door to the organization than physically break in and risk being caught. Security technologies such as firewalls and access controls won’t stop a … Read more
As part of mapping out your network, you can search public databases and resources to see what other people know about your systems. WHOIS The best starting point is to perform a WHOIS lookup by using any one of the tools available on the Internet. In case you’re not familiar, WHOIS is a protocol you … Read more
The amount of information you can gather about an organization’s business and information systems that is widely available on the Internet is staggering. To see for yourself, the techniques outlined in the following sections can be used to gather information about your own organization. Social media Social media sites are the new means for businesses … Read more
You can use identified security vulnerabilities to do the following: Gain further information about the host and its data. Obtain a remote command prompt. Start or stop certain services or applications. Access other systems. Disable logging or other security controls. Capture screenshots. Access sensitive files. Send an e-mail as the administrator. Perform SQL injection. Launch … Read more
After finding potential security holes, the next step is to confirm whether they’re indeed vulnerabilities in the context of your environment. Before you test, perform some manual searching. You can research websites and vulnerability databases, such as these: Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures ( http://cve.mitre.org/cve ) US-CERT Vulnerability Notes Database ( www.kb.cert.org/vuls ) NIST National Vulnerability … Read more
As a security professional, you need to gather the things that count when scanning your systems. You can often identify the following information: Protocols in use, such as IP, domain name system (DNS), and NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) Services running on the hosts, such as e-mail, web servers, and database applications Available remote access … Read more
Like practically any IT or security project, you need to plan your security testing. It’s been said that action without planning is at the root of every failure. Strategic and tactical issues in the ethical hacking process need to be determined and agreed upon. To ensure the success of your efforts, spend time up front … Read more
t’s one thing to know generally that your systems are under fire from hackers around the world and malicious users around the office; it’s another to understand the specific attacks against your systems that are possible. This section discusses some well-known attacks but is by no means a comprehensive listing. Many security vulnerabilities aren’t critical … Read more
To catch a thief, you must think like a thief. That’s the basis for ethical hacking. Knowing you enemy is absolutely critical. The law of averages works against security. With the increased number of hackers and their expanding knowledge, and the growing number of system vulnerabilities and other unknowns, eventually all computer systems and applications … Read more
You need protection from hacker shenanigans; you have to become as savvy as the guys trying to attack your systems. A true security assessment professional possesses the skills, mindset, and tools of a hacker but is also trustworthy. He or she performs the hacks as security tests against systems based on how hackers might work. … Read more