Review by Andrew Johnson OSCE, OSCP, GWAPT, GPEN, et al

As stated in its tagline, Violent Python is A Cookbook for Hackers, Forensic Analysts, Penetration Testers, and Security Engineers. This is a relatively broad scope and demonstrates how Python can be used to automate and assist with tasks across a variety of diverse InfoSec disciplines. However, breadth does not preclude depth in this case; the exercises build up to a fairly advanced level. Violent Python is authored primarily by TJ O’Connor, with Rob Frost contributing a chapter on Web Reconnaissance, and Mark Baggett acting as the Technical Editor. A quick glance at their collective credentials and experience undoubtedly creates high expectations for this title.

For those unfamiliar with cookbook-style resources, the contents are made up of dozens of short, self-contained “recipes.” The objective is not to comprehensively teach Python from the ground-up, but rather present scripts that focus on a specific task. The end result is that the book demonstrates how powerful just a few dozen lines of Python code can be (even the longest of recipes rarely exceed 100 lines). However, while the aim is not to teach Python programming in general, useful tips and tricks will surely be acquired simply by working through the exercises. The recipes were created in a modular fashion, with code reusability in mind, and they can easily be incorporated into larger projects. Let’s take a closer look.