Anyone know any good basic hacking books?

[ISamson]

Hello.
I have been looking for some learn-to-hack resources. I have Kali-linux VM, firewall, proxy and terminal.
My teacher tells me that he learned to hack and technology by reading hacking books. He did not mention any.
I had a google around for some. Some cost too much or do not have many pages...
So, does anybody know any good hacking books that could cost within $25-30, that they have read or know a lot about? I would prefer something with 150 - 300 pages, that contains a lot of good, useful, applicable information. I would really appreciate it.
I know some other online resources, forums or articles, but they are too advanced for me, so I want to start with some basic books.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Mohamed Amine LABIDI]

Well you should learn security first and within those lessons you will find some helpful informations about hacking and their names i recommend visiting pirate bay and downloading hack books actually nobody will post things like that everywhere in the nets.

 

[fresh_42]

Hello.
I have been looking for some learn-to-hack resources. I have Kali-linux VM, firewall, proxy and terminal.
My teacher tells me that he learned to hack and technology by reading hacking books. He did not mention any.
I had a google around for some. Some cost too much or do not have many pages...
So, does anybody know any good hacking books that could cost within $25-30, that they have read or know a lot about? I would prefer something with 150 - 300 pages, that contains a lot of good, useful, applicable information. I would really appreciate it.
I know some other online resources, forums or articles, but they are too advanced for me, so I want to start with some basic books.
Thank you in advance.

This here is our famous hacking community:

https://www.ccc.de/en/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_Computer_Club

Maybe you can find something there or send them an email and ask. They are famous, because they exist quite for a while now and regularly destroy what the government's security agency calls "safe". They provide security checks and IT consultancy to companies.

 

[fresh_42]

I remember I attended a banking conference and listened to a conference talk about an upcoming security level for credit cards. It was held by someone from the https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/TheBSI/thebsi_node.html. In the rear sat a young man with long wild hair. You could tell from far that he surely wasn't a banker. During the entire lecture he shook his head and at the end to asked a technical question, because they (CCC) already had hacked the new system within 20 minutes of time.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I see the mentors are grumpy with me.

Let me point out that hacking is a crime. You are asking people to help you find a book on how to commit a crime. Now, if you want to study computer security, that's one thing. But asking us how to help you learn how to commit crimes is something else entirely.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Let me point out that hacking is a crime.

Is hacking your own equipment and software illegal?

I think we do need to hear what @ISamson's intentions are. If you are out to be malicious then you are on the wrong path and obviously we can't discuss it here, but if you want to hack your own devices and software then it can be a great problem solving and learning activity.

There is even a global competition.
https://www.cyberlympics.org/

And in fact, many companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft reward people for finding vulnerabilities in their products and reporting it to them.

Also, there are no books on hacking, none worth their salt. If the information is so old and known that it makes it to paper then all the tactics and methods will be patched and outdated. You might be able to learn some concepts I guess.

End of the day the best way to learn about how software and devices work (which is how to learn it's vulnerabilities) is to get a degree in computer science.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is hacking your own equipment and software illegal?

Hacking:

1. 1.
   cut with rough or heavy blows.
   "hack off the dead branches"
   synonyms: cut, chop, hew, lop, saw; slash
   "Stuart hacked the padlock off"
2. 2.
   use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system.
   "they hacked into the bank's computer"

So that's like asking if stealing your own stuff is illegal. It's not logically possible.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

So that's like asking if stealing your own stuff is illegal. It's not logically possible.

Not quite. I can buy systems that are built with security that won't allow me to do or modify certain things. Even though I own the device or software I'd need to "hack" it to gain access to the parts I desire to go.

I would also say the dictionary definition is too rigid these days. Many people use the word hack in a much more loose and broad way. For example if I find a hidden config file for a device and modify some firmware style settings, some might call that a "hack".

 

[fresh_42]

Is welding illegal because you can use it to break in safes? CCC calls themselves a club of hackers and they are legal. They even started as a non-profit organization with taxing benefits. I think they had to change this, because they made too much money with consultancy. This issue comes down to a question about definition. Maybe it is defined as malicious in the US, here it is not, at least not at prior.

 

[Vanadium 50]

For example if I find a hidden config file for a device and modify some firmware style settings, some might call that a "hack".

Some might. But like I said, there's a difference between asking for a book on computer security and a book on hacking, just as there is a difference between a book on safes and a book on safecracking.

 

[fresh_42]

I admit that the dictionaries (the two languages I checked) use it in the sense of an illegal doing. However, in my opinion this doesn't reflect reality and is due to the fact, that those books tend to be outdated and old-fashioned, which here means the 80's. How would companies exist which sell anti-virus software, if they couldn't check? How would a company know about the vulnerabilities of their systems, if they couldn't hire people who try to breach their measurements? I still think, that there is a difference between knowledge and application. And the latter needs to break laws to be illegal, which means unauthorized. Therefore I would distinguish between unauthorized and authorized hacking. Both using the same base of knowledge and tools and thus the same verb.

 

[russ_watters]

1. 2.
   use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system.
   "they hacked into the bank's computer"

So that's like asking if stealing your own stuff is illegal. It's not logically possible.

To me there are two nuances here:

1. The logical contradiction you and that definition imply doesn't exist in real life. If you forget your housekey and pick your lock to get in, that's "hacking". Circularly defining it as illegal isn't useful and misses the point (point being: teach me how to pick a lock).

2. Computer hacking *is* typically illegal, not by circular definition, but for a real reason: we don't own the software we use and are therefore not authorized to tamper with it.

 

[russ_watters]

How would companies exist which sell anti-virus software, if they couldn't check? How would a company know about the vulnerabilities of their systems, if they couldn't hire people who try to breach their measurements?

Just like the lock on your front door, companies can, of course, hire people to break into their systems. It is only illegal when done without permission.

 

[donpacino]

Hello.
I have been looking for some learn-to-hack resources. I have Kali-linux VM, firewall, proxy and terminal.
My teacher tells me that he learned to hack and technology by reading hacking books. He did not mention any.
I had a google around for some. Some cost too much or do not have many pages...
So, does anybody know any good hacking books that could cost within $25-30, that they have read or know a lot about? I would prefer something with 150 - 300 pages, that contains a lot of good, useful, applicable information. I would really appreciate it.
I know some other online resources, forums or articles, but they are too advanced for me, so I want to start with some basic books.
Thank you in advance.

There is a website called humblebundle.com

They offer bundles of games and ebooks for cheap prices (1-10 dollars). a few months ago they had deals on computer security and penetration testing (a type of what is commonly called hacking"). One might pop up again soon. They just finished a deal on programming books.

 

[Dr Transport]

http://www.phrack.org/

 

[ISamson]

I think we do need to hear what @ISamson's intentions are. If you are out to be malicious then you are on the wrong path and obviously we can't discuss it here, but if you want to hack your own devices and software then it can be a great problem solving and learning activity.

Yes, Greg. I should have posted my intentions.
I have participated in a CTF cybersecurity comp a few months ago, and this really boosted my interest with computers and technology. I won the competition and have been googling hacking, CTFs and Wikipedia for more technology and computer resources since then. I look forward to more CTFs in the closest future, but in the meantime plan to advance my knowledge on my own - reading books, articles and doing research. Thanks, Greg.

So that's like asking if stealing your own stuff is illegal. It's not logically possible.

Yes, you can not steal your own things, you can take them, because you gave yourself permission.

 

[jedishrfu]

To be clear, @ISamson you need to use the terms network security and penetration testing not hacking to describe what you want to learn. As @Vanadium 50 is quick to point out mention hacking and people’s ears begin twitching nervously.

 

[ISamson]

To be clear, @ISamson you need to use the terms network security and penetration testing not hacking to describe what you want to learn. As @Vanadium 50 is quick to point out mention hacking and people’s ears begin twitching nervously.

Right. So I would like to learn network security and penetration testing.
Thank you, jedishrfu.

 

[anorlunda]

So I would like to learn network security and penetration testing.

Does it make sense to learn those things on a public forum where bad guys can read all the answers and learn right beside you?

 

[rbelli1]

Does it make sense to learn those things on a public forum where bad guys can read all the answers and learn right beside you?

If you start from learning first principles you are unlikely to be helping the bad guys to any extent.

Also much of hacking [breaking into computers legally or otherwise] takes much knowledge of hacking [tinkering with computers (and other stuff) to make them do what you want]. Most of learning the former definition will be the same sort of thing (the second definition) that you will want to learn for any kind of computer related endeavor.

Knowing what the miscreants are doing will make any work you do better able to resist their attack too.

BoB

 

[jedishrfu]

Amazon has several titles and after reading the reviews you can decide for yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...,aps,204&crid=1738DFB0EOR59&tag=pfamazon01-20

Beyond this, PF is not a good site to discuss this topic. Those in the know are unlikely to discuss the finer aspects or tools of testing here.

 

[fresh_42]

Beyond this, PF is not a good site to discuss this topic. Those in the know are unlikely to discuss the finer aspects or tools of testing here.

Right. I think we discussed the topic within the frame we want to accept as far as we could, and many hints have been given. Maybe the nearest one wasn't mentioned: Get a degree in Computer Science. We wouldn't discuss a thread "How to make TNT" either, although this, too, could be viewed as pure chemistry.

Thread closed.