Last time we went over the C programming language in an introductory article specifically focusing on getting the security professional on the road to coding (or at least the road to understanding). This time around we extend the series of coding articles for non-programmers with an area of high interest in the infosec community, reverse engineering.

This paper is intended as an introduction to reverse engineering for someone who has no experience whatsoever on the subject. You should have some basic knowledge of C programming, and access to a Windows or Linux box (preferably both) using the x86 architecture (i.e., your average computer). No knowledge of assembly code, registers, or the like is assumed, although it helps. The "Introduction" section of the paper is intended for the newcomer who has little or no understanding of what reverse engineering is and may be skipped by those looking for more technical details.

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (14)

Editor's Note: We're proud to be able to bring you the first article in this great, new column from Craig Heffner. This column is aimed squarely at those in the InfoSec field who are tired of hearing that you truly can't be a security professional without knowing how to code.

Why even learn to program at all?

Not everyone will have a need to learn programming. I'm sure there are many people who are quite accomplished in the field of computer security and have never written a program. Personally, I constantly find myself modifying programs to add or change their functionality, or just writing my own. And needless to say, if you are going to be doing any type of exploit discovery, you will need some programming knowledge.

Without raising the "to code or not to code" argument, here is the way I look at it: hacking is about controlling a computer and making it do what you want - often when it is not designed to do so. A computer by itself is nothing but a bunch of silicon, wires, and metal. Software controls the computer, and, if you can control software, well...there ya go. :)

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (13)

Learn BackTrack Inside & Out
Directly from Mati at ChicagoCon 2008s

The Ethical Hacker Network (EH-Net) proudly releases the only Official Version of BackTrack 2 that not only adds Metasploit 3 to the toolset but is also packaged as a VMware Virtual Appliance. Here are just a few of the features added by the projects lead developer, Mati Aharoni, specifically for the EH-Net Community:

• Metasploit updated to latest svn, all dependencies upgraded
• Added fabs patches for msfgui
• Aircrack-ng updated to 1.0 svn, all dependencies upgraded
• Tcpdump patched (security fix)
• Firefox updated to latest
• Firefox links, favorites and home page
• A few more lib fixes for old nasties in BT2 final

del.icio.us Slashdot It!

Discuss in Forums (30)

For those of you who are not familiar with BackTrack, here's a brief description directly from the project's web site, http://www.remote-exploit.org/:

BackTrack is the result of merging the two innovative penetration testing live linux distributions Auditor and Whax. Backtrack provides a thorough pentesting environment which is bootable via CD, USB or the network (PXE). The tools are arranged in an intuitive manner, and cover most of the attack vectors. Complex environments are simplified, such as automatic Kismet configuration, one click Snort setup, precompiled Metasploit lorcon modules, etc. BackTrack has been dubbed the #1 Security Live CD by Insecure.org, and #32 overall.

Review of Course Offered at ChicagoCon 2009s 

When looking at the hot security topics of the day, penetration testing AKA ethical hacking has got to be near the top of everyone's list. With the onslaught of compliance regulations, this self-testing process is virtually required by law. As with any technical process (even one as sexy as legal hacking for a living), there is bound to be standards, training and, of course, certifications to go along with it. This one is no different. As we all know, a certification is not the end all - be all in the IT world. And as most know, I am fond of saying that a certification is a baseline of knowledge and by no means meant to be an indicator of expert status. But you have to start somewhere.

OK... so I want to be a professional hacker. Where do I start? Who offers this training? With all popular IT fields, there are a multitude of certifications. Which one do I choose? If I have no experience, how do I start? If I have IT experience, where do I jump in? Well, without causing a huge debate, a lot of companies now use the format of sending their staff to a highly regarded training facility with the end goal of attaining some type of certification. Like it or not, that is the reality. A recent US DoD report (Document 8570.01-M) states their intentions to require certifications for security positions. So let's just continue with the assumption that no matter where you end up on your road to becoming a professional penetration tester, training and a certification is likely somewhere in your plans.

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (16)

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (9)

Overview of Video

In this video we explore the revised MSFWeb interface for the Metasploit Framework 3.0. We specifically take a look at running auxiliary modules against a server running MSSQL, and then we'll take a look at using the MSFweb GUI to run the idq exploit with the meterpreter payload. What is unique about the idq bug is that it will NOT give you administrator or system on the box, but you can use the rev2self command in meterpreter to elevate your privileges from IUSR_MACHINENAME to SYSTEM. While we're at it, we also dump the hashes using hashdump for a little extra fun.

Editor's Note: Check your volume as the music may be a little loud. Chris is a wee bit of a headbanger! An "alternative" headbanger, but a headbanger nonetheless. 

Enjoy and keep an eye out for future videos. Feel free to post comments and suggestions for future videos.

Thanks,
Chris Gates

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (9)

By Brian Wilson, CCNA, CCSE, CCAI, MCP, Network+, Security+, JNCIA

Disclaimer: This paper and the topics covered in the paper are just for educational purposes and should not be tried on a network without permission from owner of the network/service you plan on testing. I hold no responsibility for any actions or damage that might accrue if you try anything explained in this paper.

Ok... We all have heard of Vonage and the other VoIP providers that will give you unlimited phone services over your broadband connection using your regular old phone. But there are other services that are similar but have a few extra fun options. Let's take a look.

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (26)

EH-Net Exclusive
First 4 Chapters of Daemon

WARNING: The following sample chapters contain adult content. Some content may be unsuitable for those under the age of 18. Those who are under 18, please visit www.disney.com. You have been duly warned.

del.icio.us

Discuss in Forums (7)

New book NOW AVAILABLE from our own wireless guru, Dan Hoffman!

New Radio Interview on Monday June 18.

Catch Dan and EH-Net Editor, Donald C. Donzal, live from 5:00 - 6:00 PM PST on the Computer Outlook Radio Program discussing Dan's book and ChicagoCon. If you miss it, find it in the Archives.