The Basics of Web Hacking

The Basics of Web Hacking introduces you to a tool-driven process to identify the most widespread vulnerabilities in Web applications. No prior experience is needed. Web apps are a “path of least resistance” that can be exploited to cause the most damage to a system, with the lowest hurdles to overcome. This is a perfect storm for beginning hackers. The process set forth in this book introduces not only the theory and practical information related to these vulnerabilities, but also the detailed configuration and usage of widely available tools necessary to exploit these vulnerabilities.

The Basics of Web Hacking provides a simple and clean explanation of how to utilize tools such as Burp Suite, sqlmap, and Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), as well as basic network scanning tools such as nmap, Nikto, Nessus, Metasploit, John the Ripper, web shells, netcat, and more. Dr. Josh Pauli teaches software security at Dakota State University and has presented on this topic to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the NSA, BlackHat Briefings, and Defcon. He will lead you through a focused, three-part approach to Web security, including hacking the server, hacking the Web app, and hacking the Web user. With Dr. Pauli’s approach, you will fully understand the what/where/why/how of the most widespread Web vulnerabilities and how easily they can be exploited with the correct tools. You will learn how to set up a safe environment to conduct these attacks, including an attacker Virtual Machine (VM) with all necessary tools and several known-vulnerable Web application VMs that are widely available and maintained for this very purpose. Once you complete the entire process, not only will you be prepared to test for the most damaging Web exploits, you will also be prepared to conduct more advanced Web hacks that mandate a strong base of knowledge.

Author Biography

Dr. Josh Pauli received his Ph.D. in Software Engineering from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and now serves as an Associate Professor of Information Security at Dakota State University (DSU) in Madison, SD. Dr. Pauli has published nearly 30 international journal and conference papers related to software security and his work includes invited presentations from the Department of Homeland Security, National Security Agency, Black Hat Briefings, and Defcon. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in software security at DSU.