Preface

Kali Linux is a penetration testing and security auditing platform with advanced tools to identify, detect, and exploit any vulnerabilities uncovered in the target network environment. Applying an appropriate testing methodology equipped with well-defined business objectives and a scheduled test plan will result in the robust penetration testing of your network.

Kali Linux – Assuring Security by Penetration Testing is a fully focused, structured book that provides guidance on developing practical penetration testing skills by demonstrating the cutting-edge hacker tools and techniques in a coherent step-by-step strategy. It offers all the essential lab preparation and testing procedures to reflect real-world attack scenarios from your business perspective in today's digital age.

This book reveals the industry's best approach for logical and systematic penetration testing process.

This book starts with lab preparation and testing procedures, explaining the basic installation and configuration setup, discussing different types of penetration testing, uncovering open security testing methodologies, and proposing the Kali Linux specific testing process. We shall discuss a number of security assessment tools necessary to conduct penetration testing in their respective categories (target scoping, information gathering, discovery, enumeration, vulnerability mapping, social engineering, exploitation, privilege escalation, maintaining access, and reporting), following the formal testing methodology. Each of these tools is illustrated with real-world examples to highlight their practical usage and proven configuration techniques. We have also provided extra weaponry treasures and key resources that may be crucial to any professional penetration testers.

This book will serve as a single professional, practical, and expert guide to develop necessary penetration testing skills from scratch. You will be trained to make the best use of Kali Linux either in a real-world environment or in an experimental test bed.