10 Best Ethical Hacking Books for Beginner to Advanced Hacker

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introduction to ethical hacking

The digital world is developing fast and furiously, and there is a need to protect data at every stage. Since everything (personal information, banking information, friends, family, etc.) is now shared online, data needs to be secure at all times. many cybercriminals are looking for opportunities to steal sensitive data for many purposes, including conflicts of interest, breach of national security, terrorist activities, etc.

ethical hacking services provide a solution to protect business and government networks from such attacks and provide high data security. we can prevent data from being stolen or misused through ethical hacking, identify vulnerabilities or weak points, implement secure networks, and protect data. There are five main types of ethical hacking, and most of us are familiar with most of them:

You are reading: Best books for hacking

web application hacking
web server hacking
system hacking
wireless network hacking
engineering social

Each type of hacking requires certain skills, tools, and techniques, and ethical hackers need to think how a real malicious hacker would do it for a thorough test. they need to identify the loopholes, learn about penetration testing, use the right tools to carry out the hack, and be prepared. even if there is a real attack, the loss is minimal.

types of hackers

Piracy is a hot topic, as are hackers. that’s why there are different types of them depending on your intentions:

white hat hacker: well, these are the good guys or ethical hackers. they exploit security systems to look for loopholes so the ‘bad guys’ don’t do that. they have permission from their respective companies to do so for the sole purpose of identifying potential security threats. companies like google, facebook and microsoft, which store sensitive data, hire white hat hackers.
grey hat hacker: gray hat hackers are one step ahead of white hat hackers and exploit networks from left to right to identify vulnerabilities and also fix them to get money from the organization. they have no malicious intent and report potentially dangerous security loopholes to authorities and intelligence agencies.
black hat hacker: this type of hacker attempts to gain unauthorized access to a network to compromise security systems, shut down systems, and disrupt website functions. These hackers try to gain access to personal data, financial data and passwords.

10 best ethical hacking books

In the introduction above, we have tried to cover essential information about piracy. once you start reading about hacking you will be more interested in learning and understanding how things work, and nothing can beat books when it comes to learning! So, here we have top 10 ethical hacking books, through which you will gain knowledge and be able to hack some systems and know the loopholes if any. remember that ethical hacking means having permission to hack; otherwise, piracy is a serious crime.

ethical hacking books for beginners and intermediates

1. practical ethical hacking and network defense

Rating: 4.7

This is a solid basic book for beginners and the best books to learn hacking, including beginners who have no idea about networking, security, hacking, etc. The author uses simple and effective language and provides detailed explanations of the various concepts. it’s mostly a theory book and doesn’t have much implementation or techniques explained. is a good book to brush up on all the high-level hacking concepts like security testing, various tools, penetration testing techniques, mobile security, and ways to protect networks.

highlights

easy to read and doesn’t go into too much technical details or implementations.
there are many case scenarios and questions at the end of each chapter.
the book features many concepts and terminologies, and if you want to read in depth about any term or concept, you can supplement the learning using other resources or books.
The book lists resources and additional reference material in appendix b.

You can buy the book here.

2. the basics of hacking and penetration testing – patrick engebretson

Rating: 4.6

If you plan to be a pen-tester, this will be a good first book for you. the book covers a wide range of tools like backtrack and kall linux, nmap, social engineering toolkit, netcat and many more. The book is well structured and covers each topic step by step for a complete understanding. the author’s tone is quite entertaining and engaging. is a comprehensive ethical hacking training material for beginners.

3. The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws

Rating: 4.6

This is one of the most popular and commercially successful books on hacking. follow an efficient approach. the book is comprehensive on website security and is also good for reference. the author does not feed you with facts; he tries to make you think about every point. the book has many best practices and real world scenarios. the book is well organized, with the first few chapters discussing the main web components and potential vulnerabilities, the following chapters focusing on the steps of hacking sessions, databases, etc.

highlights

many techniques for attacking and protecting web applications are presented.
some sections help you create your own code and have examples in c++, asp.net, and java.

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the author introduces readers to many tools and encourages the use of his own product, burp suite.
although burp suite is not free (it is quite expensive), you will get a lot of the content and try the techniques in the book.
The book is for both beginners and intermediate level students.

You can buy the book here.

4. black hat python: python programming for hackers and pentesters

Rating: 4.6

This book is great for those who have some programming experience (not necessarily python), but no hacking experience. Since Python is easy to learn, you can learn it side by side through this book. For more information, you can refer to the online materials from time to time. the book uses python 2 and focuses mainly on how to write effective hacking tools using python. the book is exhaustive with the techniques and challenges you on several levels. you can use it as reference material, as well as to learn from scratch.

highlights

the author provides many interesting tricks for basic hacking using python.
although some code is out of date (python2), you can easily change it to the corresponding python3 and use it.
the author’s language is crisp and direct.
the book encourages you to extend existing techniques to create your own exploits and play with concepts.
no prior knowledge is required network or computer hacking; the book covers all the basics needed.
the book also covers github and how to build a git-hub compatible trojan.

You can buy the book here.

5. hacking: the art of exploitation by jon erickson

Rating: 4.6

This intermediate book on piracy takes a different perspective on piracy. The author encourages you to have a strong technical foundation in addition to knowing networking and security and explains how arcane hacking techniques work. This is a hands-on, hands-on book that works your way through examples as you explore various areas of hacking. the author emphasizes the need to think like a hacker, be creative, and investigate areas never touched before.

highlights

Although the book covers a bit about c, it’s best to have a basic understanding before starting the book.
You should know the basics of python, tcp/ip, osi , and the operating system (linux).
is very insightful and insightful, so you should start the book when you have time to learn all about hacking thoroughly; it’s not a quick reference guide.
The book not only gives you use cases, but tries to build a solid foundation for you to think of your own ways to hack.
comes with a linux cd to help you practice what you read.

You can buy the book here.

6. Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook, 5th Edition 5th Edition

Rating: 3.7

The book covers all the basic concepts and then goes on to some intermediate concepts as well. so whether you’re a newbie or not, you’ll benefit from this book in some way. this is an interesting and well written book in a neat and crisp style. Although some concepts are not covered in much depth, it is enough that you start with ethical hacking, networks and cybersecurity.

highlights

the book is totally divided into five parts, where part i talks about hacking in general and preparatory work for hacking, like learning a programming language (c), using gdb, etc., the Part II begins with the basics of hacking. and penetration testing, part iii explores how to exploit systems from left to right, part iv covers some advanced malware analysis. part v talks about hackable iot.
each chapter has additional labs and exercises at the end of the lab. the authors also provide references at the end of the chapter.
Along with the various strategies and case studies, the book also explains how you should beware of cyber attacks and lists the clear distinction between ethical and unethical hacking .

You can buy the book here.

advanced ethical hacking books

So far, we’ve discussed books that cover basic and foundational concepts and a few intermediate concepts here and there. the following books go one level deeper and help readers understand piracy in a more organized and deeper way.

7. Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World’s Most Secure Networks

Rating: 4.8

The book covers some complex scenarios and techniques to deal with them. this is for professionals who want to think like professional hackers and perform penetration tests on highly secure networks. many examples in the book use c, java, javascript, vba, windows scripting host, flash, etc. the author introduces you to many standard scanning tools and library applications in these languages.

highlights

a very interesting book; it’s like reading a storybook, except it’s technical!
very relatable examples and a real opener to how vulnerable we are when we go digital.
although advanced, the book teaches you how to write custom code step by step and helps you understand the importance of penetration testing tools.
You can read the book even if you have no programming skills (but you do have some computer skills) . you can learn the languages on the go through other reference materials.
This is also a great book for those who want to get certified as a pen-tester.

You can buy the book here.

8. Software Exploitation: Cracking the Code by Greg Hoglund and Gary R. mcgraw

Rating: 4.5

The book is deeply technical and written with knowledge and education. It is for those who have some working knowledge of reverse engineering and exploitation but want to delve deeper into exploring black hat techniques for exploiting software vulnerabilities. the book emphasizes attack patterns, which we haven’t seen in any other book in such detail. the author gives many examples and case studies that are relevant in the current scenario.

highlights

The book focuses on how software quality issues can lead to security flaws and how they can be fixed quickly.
You will learn to write your own cracking tools (the book assumes you have a basic understanding of the x86 processor)
many chapters are devoted to attack patterns like stack overflow, format string overflow, url encoding, etc., and explore how to overcome them with examples from different languages like c++, java .
the author covers rootkits, their writing, call binding and many more advanced concepts in detail.

You can buy the book here.

9. Penetration Testing: A Practical Introduction to Hacking

Rating: 4.4

The book begins by explaining the fundamental skills and techniques that every pentester must possess. As the name suggests, the book contains many examples, hands-on lessons with tools, and a machine-based lab. This way, you can get a close-up understanding of how a hacker gains access to security systems, cracks network keys and passwords, and writes exploits on their own for all of the above and more.

highlights

the book is not purely technical and does not overload you with too much information and technical jargon.
the lab setup is a bit outdated (first edition), but all the relevant information is still available. you can find on the web (for example, exploit-db). Despite this, the book is well worth it!
If you are new to hacking, this book will give you a good introduction and if you are experienced, you can gain a lot of practical knowledge through the exercises and the lab.
The author’s tone is interesting and crisp and focuses on example-based learning.

You can buy the book here.

10. michal zalewski’s tangled web

Rating: 4.2

This is an exhaustive and complete guide, and not only that, but it is also written in a fascinating and engaging way. Since we all use the web for other reasons, you can relate to many scenarios covered in the book as a reader. it is a revelation of how our data is so vulnerable and what are the weak points that make hacking possible on a large scale. the book also solves these problems through various tools and techniques.

highlights

each chapter contains security engineering cheat sheets that offer quick solutions to the most common problems.
covers a wide range of basic and advanced tasks such as url parsing, mashup creation and gadget embedding, use modern security features to protect the network and its users
the book focuses on the issues facing today’s web browsers, including how they work and how to build browser applications secure, which means this is a must. has a book for web developers.
the author’s guidance and advice is outstanding and shows the author’s experience in the field.
user starts with url, html, css, etc., and explains the behavior of each and then moves on to the security features of the browser. the author also provides some forecasts about new security features (which may be old now, but worth reading!).

You can buy the book here.

more learning

If you have no programming experience before you start hacking, you should learn some basics about at least one programming language like c, c++, python, java. furthermore, you should know what a network is, dbms, and how they are structured. this will help you focus better on hacking. some of the previous books cover these topics, but having previous knowledge is a good option for your own learning.

There is a lot of material that can add value to your learning, along with these books, such as blogs and online tutorials. These are some of the best hacking courses listed by hackr.io that can further enhance your learning experience.

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Other content

10 Best Ethical Hacking Books for Beginner to Advanced Hacker

introduction to ethical hacking

types of hackers

10 best ethical hacking books

ethical hacking books for beginners and intermediates

1. practical ethical hacking and network defense

2. the basics of hacking and penetration testing – patrick engebretson

3. The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws

4. black hat python: python programming for hackers and pentesters

5. hacking: the art of exploitation by jon erickson

6. Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook, 5th Edition 5th Edition

advanced ethical hacking books

7. Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World’s Most Secure Networks

8. Software Exploitation: Cracking the Code by Greg Hoglund and Gary R. mcgraw

9. Penetration Testing: A Practical Introduction to Hacking

10. michal zalewski’s tangled web

more learning

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