TL;DR
This guide lists highly recommended books for learning penetration testing, covering beginner to advanced topics. It includes practical advice on choosing the right book based on your experience level and goals.
Beginner-Friendly Books
- Hacking: The Next Generation by Charlie Miller & Dino Segneri:
A great starting point for understanding hacking concepts, tools, and techniques. It’s a bit dated but provides a solid foundation.- Focuses on the basics of networking, operating systems, and common vulnerabilities.
- Covers reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, and post-exploitation.
- Penetration Testing: A Beginner’s Guide to Hacking by Georgia Weidman:
A practical guide that walks you through the entire penetration testing process.- Covers legal considerations, setting up a lab environment, and using common tools like Metasploit.
- Includes hands-on exercises and real-world examples.
Intermediate Books
- The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard & Marcus Pinto:
A comprehensive guide to web application security testing.- Covers a wide range of vulnerabilities, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and authentication flaws.
- Provides detailed explanations and practical examples.
- Penetration Testing: Practical Guide to Security Auditing by Chris Gadd:
A more advanced guide that covers a broader range of penetration testing techniques.- Covers network penetration testing, web application testing, and wireless security testing.
- Includes detailed explanations of tools like Nmap, Wireshark, and Burp Suite.
Advanced Books
- Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook by Allen Mallette:
A detailed guide to advanced hacking techniques.- Covers reverse engineering, exploit development, and malware analysis.
- Requires a strong understanding of programming and operating systems.
- Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World’s Most Secure Networks by Wil Allsopp:
A practical guide to penetration testing complex networks.- Covers advanced reconnaissance techniques, exploit development, and post-exploitation.
- Requires a strong understanding of networking, operating systems, and programming.
Setting up a Lab Environment
A virtual machine (VM) is essential for safe penetration testing practice.
- Download VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Player: These are free virtualization software options.
- VirtualBox: https://www.virtualbox.org/
- VMware Workstation Player: https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html
- Download a Vulnerable Operating System: Kali Linux is popular for penetration testing.
- Kali Linux: https://www.kali.org/
- Install the VM: Follow the instructions provided by your virtualization software and operating system.
Useful Tools
Many tools are used in penetration testing. Here are a few examples:
- Nmap: A network scanner for discovering hosts and services.
nmap -sV target_ip - Metasploit Framework: A powerful exploitation framework.
msfconsole - Burp Suite: A web application security testing tool.
- Wireshark: A network protocol analyzer.