The Best Cybersecurity books to read

In this article we will look at the best cybersecurity books. It is no secret that cyber security has been growing over the past decade and is not going to slow down anytime soon.

Books on cyber security can be great tool to protect, learn and potentially build a career in a field that is with any doubt, expanding.

In this article we provide the best cyber security books that you should consider reading to keep yourself informed and educated.

These books cover topics which range from (but not limited too): internet security, web security, IT security, network security, computer security, cyber related books, security books and cyber attack books.

Best Cyber Security books

The cyber security textbook listed below are not in any order. Each book has its own areas which carries advantages and relevance to the reader. Let us have a look at 10 of the best books on cyber security.

Cult of the Dead Cow

Cult of the Dead Cow is the most ancient, prestigious and renowned American hacking gang ever. Although it was largely anonymous to date, it was founded by its members as the hacktivism idea, published the finest password-testing tool and devised the greatest way to control computers from afar for years, pushing major firms to work harder to safeguard consumers.

They helped establish Tor, the Internet’s most important data protection tool, and helped build cyberweapons that enabled US security without harming anyone.

The CDC is full of eccentric characters, activists, artists and even future politicians, with its beginnings in the first days of the Internet.

Many have become top executives and consultants in Washington and Silicon Valley on the corridors of power.

One of the most famous is the former Texas congressman and current presidential contender, Beto O’Rourke, who set up his time with CD to start a technology company and launch an alternative magazine in El Paso.

Today’s organisation and its supporters fight election disinformation, make personal data more secure and fight to keep technology strong rather than monitoring and tyranny. Cult of the Dead Cow demonstrates how governments, companies and criminals have gained enormous control over people and how they may be combated.

Reviews:

“The author narrates a fast-paced story about how a little-known movement that could trace its roots to the psychedelic rock of the 1960s-one visionary was the son of the Jefferson Airplane’s drummer, while another was a lyricist for the Grateful Dead-would eventually serve as security advisory for the Pentagon, the cybernetics industry, and geopolitical forces around the globe… A quick tale of black hats and white hats, with a lot of gray area in between.”–Kirkus Reviews

“An invaluable resource. The tale of this small but influential group is a hugely important piece of the puzzle for anyone who wants to understand the forces shaping the internet age.”–New York Times Book Review “This dramatic story of how the Internet’s first hackers learned to handle their outsized abilities can help us grapple to control the power of today’s technology titans.”–Bruce Schneier, Harvard fellow and lecturer and author of Click Here to Kill Somebody

The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography

Simon Singh gives his first book since Fermat’s bestseller Enigma the first extensive history of encryption, charting its developments, and showing the dramatic codes of consequences on wars, countries and life. The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy: from Mary of the Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies gain the Second World War, to an incredible (and incredibly simple) logistical breakthrough which secured internet trade.

Clear technical, mathematical and profiles of outstanding individuals who have written and violated the most challenging codes of the world are presented throughout the work. This book will always affect your understanding of history and what motivates it, is accessible, inspiring and amazingly far-reaching. It also causes you to worry how private your e-mail is.

Reviews:

“It would be hard to imagine a clearer or more fascinating presentation. . . . Mr. Singh gives cryptography not only its historical dimension but its human one.” —The New York Times

“Entertaining and satisfying. . . . Offers a fascinating glimpse into the mostly secret competition between codemakers and codebreakers.” —USA Today

“A good read that, bless it, makes the reader feel a bit smarter when it’s done. Singh’s an elegant writer and well-suited to the task of leading the mathematically perplexed through areas designed to be tricky.” —Seattle Weekly

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker

A Kevin Mitnick Plaque would be installed next to the entrance if it were a hall of renown or disgrace for computer hackers. Although other nerds were filled with password options, this skilled break artist penetrated Sun Microsystems, Digital Equipment Corporation, Nokia, Motorola, Pacific Bell and other huge companies’ digital secrets. His Ghost in the Tale in Wires presents an action image of a lonely man, driven by a love of sniffing, not materials. (The capers of P.S. Mitnick had previously had two novels and a movie as their topic. The most thorough first-person account to date.)

Reviews:

“Intriguing, insightful and extremely educational into the mind of one who truly mastered the art of social engineering with the use of a computer and modern day technologies. I strongly believe that one can learn a great deal about protecting themselves once they understand how another one perpetrates the crime.”–Frank W. Abagnale, author of Catch Me if You Can

“A gripping story…. Fascinating and filled with insights.”–Jesse Singal, Boston Globe
Praise for Ghost in the Wires

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“Mr. Mitnick portrays himself as worth rooting for, a savvy master rodent in a cat-and-mouse game, grinning past his whiskers as he stole the cheese from under the nose of the helpless fat cats.”–Steven Levy, Wall Street Journal

“Ghost in the Wires reads like a contemporary über-geeky thriller…. For those interested in computer history, Ghost in the Wires is a nostalgia trip to the quaint old days before hacking (and hackers) turned so malicious and financially motivated.”–J.D. Biersdorfer, New York Times Book Review

The Art of Invisibility

Kevin Mitnick shows what happens without your notice and teaches you “the art of the invisible” in this powerful yet practical book. Mitnick is the most well-known computer hacker in the world – and once the most popular. At some time he was three years from the FBI and has hacked into some of the most powerful and apparently insubstantial agency and enterprises in the country. However, Mitnick has since been rehabilitated and is widely seen as a computer safety expert. He understands exactly how and what to do to prevent vulnerabilities being exploited.

In the art of inventiveness In straightforward step-by-step directions, Mitnick offers both online and real world techniques and cheap solutions for protecting yourself and your family. He even speaks about advanced “élite” procedures that can increase your privacy when correctly employed. Invisibility is not just for heroes—privacy in this modern era is a power that you deserve and need.

Reviews:

Praise for The Art of Invisibility

“How would it feel to find out that your neighbor and friend has secretly observed you in your own home for years? The place that should be most private to you was not, and the intruder’s devices themselves weren’t something you’d ever have thought to look for. This kind of behavior is the opposite of giving normal people freedom and security, of valuing and respecting them as humans–and it’s happening more and more. The answer to peeping eyes and cyber theft is to move society toward greater cyber-security and it all starts with essential education about being private and invisible in our daily lives. Kevin’s book is the must read in this new world.”–Steve Wozniak, cofounder, Apple Inc.

“The FBI’s most-wanted hacker.”–Wired

“Who better than Mitnick — internationally wanted hacker turned Fortune 500 security consultant — to teach you how to keep your data safe from spear phishing, computer worms, and Fancy Bears?”—Esquire

Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking

Social Engineering: Human Hacking’s science shows the craftsmen’s side—why can you hack into anything when you can just beg for access?

In this book, renowned specialist Christopher Hadnagy explains the most frequently used techniques which fool even the most robust security personnel, and shows you how these techniques are employed in the past. Undetectable through firewals and virus software social engineering is based on human fault in order to access sensitive spaces.

The way we decide as human beings influences everything from feeling to safety. Hackers have been looking since the beginning for ways of making use of these decision-making processes and having you do action that does not serve your interests. In this new Second Edition, tales, anecdotes and scientific studies have been updated with the latest ways for sharing choices.

There is no hackable software, no hardware upgrades, no Code that can lock information permanently if a person is a “system” at issue. Nets and systems can also be hacked but can also be secured. The key weapon of malevolent social engineering is human nature and emotion, and this book shows you how to identify, foresee and resist such manipulation by placing you in a suitcase.

Reviews:

Fascinating book covering psychology, science, body language and street smarts

“I came to this book having listened to some podcasts and read a few blogs and books on social engineering, including all of Kevin Mitnick’s books. This book is a real eye opener and is very methodical in its treatment of the topic. Everything in the book seems genuine and rooted in the real experience of the author. I’ve no doubt that if you put into practice just a small number of his techniques, you would be successful. Its got practical uses also outside of the area of penetration testing too – such as for getting a better understanding of how to more effectively deal with high pressure situations.” – Harvey Green (Amazon Verified Purchase)

Perfect read for wannabe social engineers, and those working in SE already

“This is a great introduction to social engineering, or reminder for those already working in the field. The examples and real life stories help bring the points raised to life. I can’t recommend this book enough. “ – Steve Mair (Amazon Verified Purchase)

Fascinating book covering psychology, science, body language and street smarts

“ I came to this book having listened to some podcasts and read a few blogs and books on social engineering, including all of Kevin Mitnick’s books. This book is a real eye opener and is very methodical in its treatment of the topic. Everything in the book seems genuine and rooted in the real experience of the author. I’ve no doubt that if you put into practice just a small number of his techniques, you would be successful. Its got practical uses also outside of the area of penetration testing too – such as for getting a better understanding of how to more effectively deal with high pressure situations. “ – Harvey Green (Amazon Verified Purchase).

The Hacker Playbook 3: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing

The Hacker Playbook 3 (THP3) will push your offensive game back to the pro level for the third season. You may position yourself in the heart of the action for victory with a combination of fresh methods, assaults, exploits, tips and tricks.

This book mainly aims at answering queries as to why things are still broken. How do we continue to see enormous security violations in big businesses and governments with all the varied safety products, secure code reviews, in-depth defensive and penetration test requirements? The fundamental issue we have to ask is: are all the guarantees that we put in place? It’s all about The Hacker Playbook 3 – Red Team Edition.

We all know penetration tests today, but what’s a Red Team exactly? Red teams mimic sophisticated attacks in the actual world to see how successfully defence teams in your company react if you are violated. You discover answers to questions like, do you provide the appropriate tools, skills and people to identify and mitigate these threats in your incident response teams? How long would these chores take and is it sufficient? You, as a Red Teamer, come here to test the entire security software correctly and validate it.

Review:

Fantastic Book. Tips & Tricks. VM for practice

At the time I bought THP2 and I loved it. A friend who bought THP3 left it to me and seeing all the new material that it incorporates, I also bought it. Although I have already read it, it is just to buy my copy of the book. I recommend it for everyone who starts or even has some experience and if you like this series of books, I would also recommend the Sparc Flow books. I hope there is a THP4 and that it was focused on how to defend our Microsoft infrastructure, what events to monitor, solutions to consider to fight against redteam, etc. (Okay, there is a lot of information on Google but … what would Peter Kim do? This book, unlike the rest I have read, includes virtual machines to do the practices and is a great success. –  Fco. Jabier C. (Amazon Verified Purchase).

Good for beginners

Very detailed – Adam (Amazon Verified Purchase).

So far so good

I’ve been reading the book for a while and just finished the discovery section. So far I’m pleased with the content of the book, it can sometimes be a little light on description and instructions, but overall it’s very informative and the tools that are described within are very useful. It’s one of the better books I’ve read about pen testing, I’d give it a 4.5/5 and definitely recommend it to people who have a decent understanding of computers and security but are light on practical knowledge and experience of pen testing. –  John Smith (Amazon Verified Purchase).

Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking

In penetration testing, Georgia Weidman, a security researcher and coach, offers you a study of essential skills which each aspiring expert requires. This book is easy to start with and helps you explore Kali Linux, an operating system which has pre-loaded helpful computer security tools such as Metasploit and Wireshark. You will get knowledge on a goal collection, social engineering, network traffic capture, vulnerability analysis, exploit development and more. Even sophisticated issues, such as mobile security devices and anti-viral software, are discussed in handy examples.

Reviews:

A concise and approachable introduction to pentesting

This is probably the best introduction to pentesting book out there, and in the absence of a guide aligned with Offensive Security’s notorious and esteemed OSCP certification, it is also the best option for anyone preparing for that course. Admittedly some of the links no longer work, but workarounds for them are easy to find if you have a search online, which is probably a skill you should be getting comfortable with if you’re going down this road anyway. Weidman has mentioned on her Twitter feed that she’s currently researching new vulnerabilities and material for the second edition, but I wouldn’t expect to see that in the near future. Check out her free videos on Cybrary as well – her Advanced Penetration Testing course closely mirrors the layout of this book. –  T Tennyson (Amazon Verified Purchase).

Essential reading to learn Pentesting

I decided to learn Pentesting/Ethical Hacking as a retirement project and this is the only book that actually starts at the begining, and explains in detail how to setup a testing lab on a single machine, so you can actually do some REAL testing. I’m also impressed that the book sticks to it’s title and is about Pentesting and doesn’t waste hundreds of pages on Coding which is how other Pentesting books fill far too many pages. I have several other Pentesting books but this way ahead of them all. –  artuk (Amazon Verified Purchase).

An eye-opening read showing how easy it can be to get into pentesting

“A very informative read which filled in some gaps in my security knowledge, having worked on the “other side” as a firewall engineer.Some of the assets required for the exercises in the book were no longer available in their original locations. However, I saw a tweet from the author in 2018 saying to just email her and she would send a link over. I did this and Georgia responded within 3 hours, which was impressive. I believe she is working on an updated version of the book, which I will buy as soon as it is out. ” – Marc McLaughlin (Amazon Verified Purchase).

Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide

“Metasploit Framework’s Best Guide.” —HD Moore, Metasploit’s Founder The Metasploit Framework quickly and very painlessly detects, exploits and shares vulnerabilities. But although Metasploit is widely used by security pros, it is difficult for the first time to comprehend the programme. Metasploit: This is filled by Penetration Tester’s guide, which teaches you how to use the framework and to interact with Metasploit’s lively community.

You will understand the conventions, interfaces and module systems of the Framework when you start simulated assaults once you have established your base for penetrating testing. You will continue to use advanced technology such as network recognition and listing, customer-side attacks, wireless attacks and targeted assaults on social engineering.

Learn how to:

Uncontrolled, misconfigured and unpatched systems are found and exploited. Recognize your objective and locate important information Bypass anti-virus technology and bypass safety measures Integration of Metasploit with Nmap, NeXpose and Nessus to automate discovery Use the Meterpreter shell to perform further network attacks Utilities, third-party programmes and plug-ins are automatically installed Learn how to create your own modules and scripts for your own Meterpreter. You’ll even touch on zero-day research exploitation, create a fuzzer, put existing vulnerabilities into the framework and learn how to hide your tracks. Metspaid: The Penetration Tester Guide takes you here and beyond, be it to safeguard your own networks or test anyone else.

Reviews:

“It’s a great book to get people started, has examples to walk through, and includes more advanced topics for experienced users.”
— Dark Reading

Perfect for someone who is just starting out in security. This book has the honor of being named “the best guide to the Metasploit framework” by Metasploit founder H.D. Moore himself. Not only does the book provide a great crash course into using the powerful Metasploit framework, but it’s also useful for doing vulnerability research.
–Britt Kemp, Bishop Fox Labs

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition [With CDROM]

Hacking is the skill of solving a creativity challenge, be it finding an unorthodox solution to a tough problem or using troubleshooting. Many call themselves hackers, but very few have the necessary solid technical basis to push the limit genuinely.

The author, Jon Erickson, shows how esoteric hacking techniques truly function, rather than just teach how to operate current exploits. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd edition presents the foundations of C programming from a hacker’s point of view to convey the art and science of hacking in a way accessible to everyone.

Use it to follow the examples in the book by filling gaps in your knowledge and exploring hacking techniques yourself. Get your hands dirty debug code, overflow buffers, hijack network traffic, overcome safeguards, take advantage of cryptographic faults, and maybe even develop new vulnerabilities. You will learn in this book how:

• C, assembly language, and shell scripting programme computers
• Corrupt system memory to use buffer overflows and strings in arbitrary code
• Register the processor and the system memory with a debugger to learn more about what happens.
• Intelligent common safety measures such as inexecutable stacks and detecting systems for incursion
• Use a port binding or connect-back code to contact a remote server and change the logging behaviour of a server to disguise your presence
• Redirect network traffic, disguise open ports and hijack TCP access
• Encrypted wireless communications via FMS attack, and by employing a password probability matrix accelerate raw force attacks

Hackers always push the limits, examine the unknown and their work evolves. Hacking: the art of exploitation, the second edition, gives you a full understanding of the programming, machine architecture, network connections and existing hacking techniques, even if you don’t already understand what to programme. Combine this knowledge with the Linux environment and your own imagination is all you need.

Review:

“A security professional’s paradise, burrowing down to the code level of dozens of different loopholes and explaining the underlying logic behind the attacks.”
–Wired

Excellent introduction

The techniques themselves and the systems at which they are targeted are (largely) long gone, but it is a great introduction to the basic techniques. For those worried about the fact that the CD is out of date, I found it was straightforward to get hold online and upload the required software (VirtualBox and the book code) at no cost. – J. Reffin (Amazon Verified Purchase).

Cyber Security Policy Guidebook

Cyber security policy guidebook details and discerns, in a simple language, current issues related to organisational cyber security policies globally, drawing on many experiences from academia, industry and public service – and provides readers with an educational background on history and current approaches to cyber security. It contains detailed explanations as well as the advantages and disadvantages of several topics and records policy choices for clarity solely with regard to policy. The Guidebook also explores the organisational problems of implementation and provides readers with positive and adverse effect descriptions of some policy options.

Detailed chapters are within which:

Explain what cyber security and cyber security policies are all about. Discuss how cyber security policy objectives are to be defined Train the reader on cyber security decision making procedures To describe cybersecurity policy concerns a new framework and nomenclature Show how the United States government addresses cyber security policy problems The cyber security policy guidebook offers students, academics, and technicians the essential information to make educated judgments on cyber security policies, in terms of the layman’s terminology and illustrations that assist clarify complicated issues.

Review:

“This very readable and organized guidebook equips readers with a consistent methodology for turning their answers to those questions into cyber security policy.”  (Computing Reviews, 24 April 2013)

Best Cybersecurity books: Product details of all the books

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