Hacking is the art of creative problem solving, whether that means finding an unconventional solution to a difficult problem or exploiting holes in sloppy programming. Many people call themselves hackers, but few have the strong technical foundation needed to really push the envelope.

Rather than merely showing how to run existing exploits, author Jon Erickson explains how arcane hacking techniques actually work. To share the art and science of hacking in a way that is accessible to everyone, Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition introduces the fundamentals of C programming from a hacker's perspective.

The included LiveCD provides a complete Linux programming and debugging environment-all without modifying your current operating system. Use it to follow along with the book's examples as you fill gaps in your knowledge and explore hacking techniques on your own. Get your hands dirty debugging code, overflowing buffers, hijacking network communications, bypassing protections, exploiting cryptographic weaknesses, and perhaps even inventing new exploits. This book will teach you how to:

• Program computers using C, assembly language, and shell scripts

• Corrupt system memory to run arbitrary code using buffer overflows and format strings

• Inspect processor registers and system memory with a debugger to gain a real understanding of what is happening

• Outsmart common security measures like nonexecutable stacks and intrusion detection systems

• Gain access to a remote server using port-binding or connect-back shellcode, and alter a server's logging behavior to hide your presence

• Redirect network traffic, conceal open ports, and hijack TCP connections

• Crack encrypted wireless traffic using the FMS attack, and speed up brute-force attacks using a password probability matrix

Hackers are always pushing the boundaries, investigating the unknown, and evolving their art. Even if you don't already know how to program, Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition will give you a complete picture of programming, machine architecture, network communications, and existing hacking techniques. Combine this knowledge with the included Linux environment, and all you need is your own creativity.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 57 Ratings

Hacking, The Art of Exploitation - 2009-10-11
Reviewer Rating:
The biggest problem I had with this book is that the Live-Cd had some sort of defect. Regardless of what I choose in Grub, it always came back with the same error. Starch Press' response was to download and reburn the cd, but that didn't change anything.

I was able to do some of the examples in Ubuntu, which I already had, but b/c of particulars in gcc and the environment in general, I wasn't able to get many of the examples to work.

The book itself is good, although requires that you sit down and work through the problems in order to understand them.

great book except live cd won't work on 64bit machines - 2009-06-02
Reviewer Rating:
It's a great book. I am a beginner at this type of stuff and it is a really helpful book. The only thing that was disappointing was that the live cd won't work on my 64 bit machine.

Clever and powerful - 2009-02-18
Reviewer Rating:
What I read is the first edition, hacking is about passion for elegance and mastery of s/w at a much deeper level, and appreciation from peers.

Any software engineer should read this book or at least get familar with the concepts presented in the book, as "An understanding of these techniques is far more powerful than the end result of any single exploit".

Ok book, but.... - 2009-06-26
Reviewer Rating:
The copy of this book that I purchased came with the cd conveniently glued to the binding. There is simply no way to extract the cd without damaging it.

Vast Knowledge - 2009-04-19
Reviewer Rating:
Great book, I have several books related to C programming, however this one which is primarily aimed at 'hacking' provides a better introduction to C than the C books! That being said it is great to read about all of the low level operations going on throughout the processor, I would suggest this to anyone looking to get serious about their programming knowledge.