Master the art of penetration testing with BackTrack Key Features Learn the black-art of penetration testing with in-depth coverage of BackTrack Linux distribution Explore the insights and importance of testing your corporate network systems before hackers strike it Understand the practical spectrum of security tools by their exemplary usage, configuration, and benefits Fully illustrated with practical examples, step-by-step instructions, and useful tips to cover the best-of-breed security assessment tools Book DescriptionBackTrack 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 appropriate testing methodology with defined business objectives and a scheduled test plan will result in robust penetration testing of your network. BackTrack 4: Assuring Security by Penetration Testing is a fully focused, structured book providing 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. The authors' experience and expertise enables them to reveal the industry's best approach for logical and systematic penetration testing. The first and so far only book on BackTrack OS starts with lab preparation and testing procedures, explaining the basic installation and configuration set up, discussing types of penetration testing (black-box and white-box), uncovering open security testing methodologies, and proposing the BackTrack specific testing process. The authors 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. The authors also provide extra weaponry treasures and cite key resources that may be crucial to any professional penetration tester. This book serves as a single professional, practical, and expert guide to developing hardcore penetration testing skills from scratch. You will be trained to make the best use of BackTrack OS either in a commercial environment or an experimental test bed.What you will learn Initiate the BackTrack OS environment in your test lab by installing, configuring, running, and updating its core system components Draw a formal BackTrack testing methodology Scope your target with definitive test requirements, limitations, and business objectives, and schedule the test plan Gain practical experience with a number of security tools from BackTrack logically divided into sub-categories of testing methodology Practice the process of reconnaissance, discovery, enumeration, vulnerability mapping, social engineering, exploitation, privilege escalation, and maintaining access to your target for evaluation purposes Document, report, and present your verified test results to the relevant authorities in a formal reporting structure Assess the various technologies comprising your target information system s environment, such as web applications, network administration servers, workstations, Cisco devices, firewalls, load balancers, routers, switches, intrusion detection and prevention devices, and many more Examine and research the vulnerability in greater detail before attempting to exploit it by taking control of the target, thus reducing any false positives Exploit human vulnerability by wrapping yourself with the art of deception to acquire the target Who this book is for If you are an IT security professional or network administrator who has a basic knowledge of Unix/Linux operating systems including awareness of information security factors, and you want to use BackTrack for penetration testing, then this book is for you.