What this book covers
Chapter 1, Goal-Based Penetration Testing, introduces a functional outline based on the penetration testing methodology that will be used throughout the book. It ensures that a coherent and comprehensive approach to penetration testing will be followed.
Chapter 2, Open-Source Intelligence and Passive Reconnaissance, provides a background on how to gather information about a target using publicly available sources and the tools that can simplify reconnaissance and information management.
Chapter 3, Active Reconnaissance of External and Internal Networks, introduces the reader to stealthy approaches that can be used to gain information about the target, especially the information that identifies vulnerabilities, which could be exploited.
Chapter 4, Vulnerability Assessment, teaches you the semi-automated process of scanning a network and its devices to locate systems that are vulnerable to attack and compromise and the process of taking all reconnaissance and vulnerability scan information, assessing it, and then creating a map to guide the penetration testing process.
Chapter 5, Advanced Social Engineering and Physical Security, shows you why being able to physically access a system or interact with the humans who manage it provides the most successful route to exploitation.
Chapter 6, Wireless and Bluetooth Attacks, provides a brief explanation of wireless and Bluetooth technologies and focuses on the common techniques used to compromise these networks by bypassing security.
Chapter 7, Exploiting Web-Based Applications, provides a brief overview of one of the most complex delivery phases to secure: web-based applications that are exposed to the public internet.
Chapter 8, Cloud Security Exploitation, focuses on attacks against AWS cloud infrastructure, which are frequently prone to security misconfigurations and are protected to the same degree as the organization’s primary network.
Chapter 9, Bypassing Security Controls, demonstrates the most common security controls in place, identifies a systematic process for overcoming these controls, and demonstrates this using the tools from the Kali toolset.
Chapter 10, Exploitation, demonstrates the methodologies that can be used to find and execute exploits that allow a system to be compromised by an attacker.
Chapter 11, Action on the Objective and Lateral Movement, focuses on the immediate post-exploit activities, as well as the aspect of horizontal escalation – the process of using an exploited system as a starting point to “jump off” to other systems on the network.
Chapter 12, Privilege Escalations, teaches the penetration tester to own all aspects of a system’s operations; more importantly, obtaining some access privileges that allow the tester to control all the systems across a network.
Chapter 13, Command and Control, focuses on what a modern attacker would do to enable data to be exfiltrated to the attacker’s location and hide the evidence of the attack.
Chapter 14, Embedded Devices and RFID hacking, focuses on what a modern attacker would do to perform a structured attack on embedded devices and clone NFC cards.