Much like any system that will be explored in this text, cryptography has its faults and potential attacks. Attacks are designed to leverage weaknesses in both implementation and logic in many cases. However one thing that should always be kept in mind is that no matter how strong or well designed a system may be, … Read more
Symmetric algorithms do some things really well and other things not so well. Modern symmetric algorithms are great at all of the following: ■ Preserving confidentiality ■ Increasing speed ■ Ensuring simplicity (relatively speaking, of course) ■ Providing authenticity .ymmetric algorithms have their drawbacks in these areas: ■ Key management issues ■ Lack of nonrepudiation … Read more
You will encounter cryptography in many forms throughout this book. It is applied to many different technologies and situations and, as such, is something you need to have a firm grasp of. Some examples of applied cryptography are: Public key infrastructure (PKI) Digital certificates Authentication E-commerce RSA MD-5 Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) Secure Sockets Layer … Read more
As with the ancient Egyptians and Romans, who used secret writing methods to obscure trade or battle information and hunting routes, one of the most widely used applications of cryptography is in the safeguarding of communications between two parties wanting to share information. Guaranteeing that information is kept secret is one thing, but in the … Read more
you can learn things by studying the history of cryptography that can help you relate to the techniques a little better. Early cultures taught us that cryptography is simply a technique or group of techniques used to protect information. The primitive techniques of times past may look antiquated and simple in the face of today’s … Read more
Windows Although there are many different operating systems, in all likelihood it will be a flavor of Microsoft’s Windows OS that you will test against. There are other OSs in the wild that have a certain amount of enterprise market presence, but Microsoft still has a massive foot-hold on the OS market. By the end … Read more
Backing up data is essential to the survival and continuation of integral operations. Anyone in the support field who has spent an entire weeknight restoring a server can attest to this. Let’s cover a few of the basic backup schemes you’ll see in the wild. Full Backup A full backup resets the archive bit of … Read more
Firewalls and IDS/IPS appliances are part of a secure network, but in this article we’ll look briefly at the placement and functional value of each device. As you venture through the details, keep in mind that securing a network is a holistic process; breaking into a network, on the other hand, is a focused process. … Read more
Intrusion prevention systems (IPSs) and intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are important considerations for any smart hacker. It is important for you, as a hacker, to cover your tracks and keep a low profile—as in no profile at all. It should be common sense, but consider this: If instead of tiptoeing around a network, you slam … Read more
The firewall category includes proxy firewalls; however, because of a proxy’s varied functions it seems appropriate to give them their own subsection. Firewalls are most commonly broken down into the following main categories: Packet filtering Stateful packet filtering Application proxies, which we covered earlier Packet filtering firewalls look at the header information of the packets … Read more