As the cliché reminds us, information is power. In this age of computer systems and technology, an increasing majority of the world's information is stored electronically. It makes sense then that as an industry we rely on high-tech electronic protection systems to guard that information. As a professional hacker, I get paid to uncover weaknesses in those systems and exploit them. Whether breaking into buildings or slipping past industrial-grade firewalls, my goal has always been the same: extract the informational secrets using any means necessary. After hundreds of jobs, I discovered the secret to bypassing every conceivable high-tech security system. This book reveals those secrets, and as the title suggests, it has nothing to do with high technology. As it turns out, the secret isn't much of a secret at all. Hackers have known about these techniques for years. Presented in a light, accessible style, you'll get to ride shotgun with the authors on successful real-world break-ins as they share photos, videos and stories that prove how vulnerable the high-tech world is to no-tech attacks.

As you browse this book, you'll hear old familiar terms like "dumpster diving", "social engineering", and "shoulder surfing". Some of these terms have drifted into obscurity to the point of becoming industry folklore; the tactics of the pre-dawn information age. But make no mistake; these and other old-school tactics work with amazing effectiveness today. In fact, there's a very good chance that someone in your organization will fall victim to one or more of these attacks this year. Will they be ready?

. Dumpster Diving
Be a good sport and don't read the two "D" words written in big bold letters above, and act surprised when I tell you hackers can accomplish this without relying on a single bit of technology (punny).
. Tailgating
Hackers and ninja both like wearing black, and they do share the ability to slip inside a building and blend with the shadows.
. Shoulder Surfing
If you like having a screen on your laptop so you can see what you're working on, don't read this chapter.
. Physical Security
Locks are serious business and lock technicians are true engineers, most backed with years of hands-on experience. But what happens when you take the age-old respected profession of the locksmith and sprinkle it with hacker ingenuity?
. Social Engineering with Jack Wiles
Jack has trained hundreds of federal agents, corporate attorneys, CEOs and internal auditors on computer crime and security-related topics. His unforgettable presentations are filled with three decades of personal "war stories" from the trenches of Information Security and Physical Security.
. Google Hacking
A hacker doesn't even need his own computer to do the necessary research. If he can make it to a public library, Kinko's or Internet cafe, he can use Google to process all that data into something useful.
. P2P Hacking
Let's assume a guy has no budget, no commercial hacking software, no support from organized crime and no fancy gear. With all those restrictions, is this guy still a threat to you? Have a look at this chapter and judge for yourself.
. People Watching
Skilled people watchers can learn a whole lot in just a few quick glances. In this chapter we'll take a look at a few examples of the types of things that draws a no-tech hacker's eye.
. Kiosks
What happens when a kiosk is more than a kiosk? What happens when the kiosk holds airline passenger information? What if the kiosk holds confidential patient information? What if the kiosk holds cash?
. Vehicle Surveillance
Most people don't realize that some of the most thrilling vehicular espionage happens when the cars aren't moving at all!

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 10 Ratings

Almost as good as the live No Tech Hacking talk - 2008-06-08
Reviewer Rating:
No Tech Hacking (NTH) again demonstrates that the fewer the number of authors a Syngress book advertises, the better the book. With security star Johnny Long as the main author, the book adds a section in Ch 5 (Social Engineering) by Techno Security organizer Jack Wiles. The "special contributors" no doubt worked with Johnny to answer his questions, but it's clear that relying on a primary author resulted in a better-than-average Syngress title. (Harlan Carvey's Windows Forensic Analysis is another example of this phenomenon.)

I liked NTH. The book makes a good companion to titles like The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion by Kevin Mitnick, and The Art of the Steal by Frank Abagnale. (Mitnick wrote the foreword for NTH.) Johnny Long is a great author who knows how to tell a story in a captivating way. I agree with some of the criticism levied by previous reviewer Chris Gates about the badge story on p 24. If you aren't supposed to display a badge outdoors (true), and you aren't supposed to display it indoors (false), where do you display it? Maybe Johnny meant a badge-wearing employee should have noticed someone photographing her badge?

I dropped one star for two reasons, and could have dropped two stars if I didn't think Johnny Long is a great author otherwise. First, I was very disappointed to see 75 pages of Google Hacking reprinted as Ch 6 of NTH. The 285 page NTH would have been 210 without Ch 6, and definitely would not have merited the price on the back cover. This reprinting tendency is another Syngress problem.

Second, this book should have been published in color. A great deal of the book shows photographs or screen captures taken by the author while conducting penetration tests. The impact would have been much greater in color. Consider keeping the same price but removing Ch 6 and publishing in color next time. If Syngress has anything like a star author, it's Johnny Long. People attending his No Tech Hacking talks would snatch a color edition up without thinking twice. If you need a good example of a modern color security book, check out Security Data Visualization by Greg Conti, published by No Starch.

Overall, anyone who has some military experience in OPSEC (operational security) will recognize most of the vulnerabilities and exposures identified in NTH. If you need a way to teach your employees how to resist No Tech Hacking, this book is a great teaching tool.

An essential read for any Ethical Hacker/Red Team - 2008-04-15
Reviewer Rating:
It has been proven over the past few decades that physical security is one of the most over sighted areas in Information Security. It a system can be physically accessed, all the firewalls and other network devices mean nothing.

This book and its authors are all experts in their prospective areas of security. I can state that I have had the pleasure of interacting in one form or other with most of the authors over the last few years and I can attest that knowledge that is shared within the cover are only a glimpse of their individual knowledge set.

This book capitalized on the mind set of a hacker by thinking "outside of the box".

Great - 2009-10-11
Reviewer Rating:
Making you pay attention to the obvious. Things that you would normally gloss over, suddenly you start seeing once you read this book.

No Tech Skills - 2009-09-08
Reviewer Rating:
This is a great book for any security related field. It introduces you to the simple techniques of getting information in easy to accomplish ways with little complex technical skills. The original purpose written by the author of the book is to explain defensive techniques and methodology to the simple techniques that can be used to circumvent technology and people security to gain information from targets.

Very good with some shortfalls - 2008-10-17
Reviewer Rating:
Excellent content on what should be obvious security measures. It's a pretty quick read relying heavily on photographs. The two shortfalls were the price and the proofing. I would say $35-40 would have been a more appropriate price range. I was very suprised to see a large number of significant typos, to include misspelling of section and paragraph titles. Still a worthwhile purchase.

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