Book Image

Kali Linux Cookbook

Book Image

Kali Linux Cookbook

Overview of this book

In this age, where online information is at its most vulnerable, knowing how to execute the same attacks that hackers use to break into your system or network helps you plug the loopholes before it's too late and can save you countless hours and money. Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for penetration testing and security auditing. It is the successor to BackTrack, the world's most popular penetration testing distribution. Discover a variety of popular tools of penetration testing, such as information gathering, vulnerability identification, exploitation, privilege escalation, and covering your tracks. Packed with practical recipes, this useful guide begins by covering the installation of Kali Linux and setting up a virtual environment to perform your tests. You will then learn how to eavesdrop and intercept traffic on wireless networks, bypass intrusion detection systems, and attack web applications, as well as checking for open ports, performing data forensics, and much more. The book follows the logical approach of a penetration test from start to finish with many screenshots and illustrations that help to explain each tool in detail. The Kali Linux Cookbook will serve as an excellent source of information for the security professional and novice alike!
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Kali Linux Cookbook
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Introduction


Scanning and identifying vulnerabilities on our targets is often considered one of the more tedious tasks by most penetration testers and ethical hackers. However, it's one of the most important. This should be considered your homework phase. Just like in school, the homework and quizzes are designed so that you can show mastery for your exam.

Vulnerability identification allows you to do your homework. You will learn about what vulnerabilities your target is susceptible to so you can make a more polished set of attacks. In essence, if the attack itself is the exam, then vulnerability identification allows you a chance to prepare.

Both Nessus and OpenVAS have similar sets of vulnerabilities that they can scan for on a target host. These vulnerabilities include:

  • Linux vulnerabilities

  • Windows vulnerabilities

  • Local security checks

  • Network service vulnerabilities