How Cybersecurity Really Works: A Hands-On Guide for Total Beginners

Description

How Cybersecurity Really Works is an engaging introduction to the field of cybersecurity. You'll learn how attackers operate, as well as how to defend yourself and organizations against online attacks. How Cybersecurity Really Works is the perfect introduction to cybersecurity. Whether you’re a computer science student or a business professional, it will teach you the basics without all the jargon.   This beginners guide covers different types of attacks, common tactics used by online adversaries, and defensive strategies you can use to protect yourself. You’ll learn what security professionals do, what an attack looks like from a cybercriminal’s viewpoint, and how to implement sophisticated cybersecurity measures on your own devices.   In addition, you’ll find explanations of topics like malware, phishing, and social engineering attacks, coupled with real-world examples and hands-on exercises to help you apply what you’ve learned. You’ll explore ways to bypass access controls, prevent infections from worms and viruses, and protect your cloud accounts from attackers.   You’ll also learn how to:    • Analyze emails to detect phishing attempts    • Use SQL injection to attack a website    • Examine malware from the safety of a sandbox environment    • Use the command line to evaluate and improve your computer and network security    • Deploy encryption and hashing to protect your files    • Create a comprehensive risk management plan  You can’t afford to ignore cybersecurity anymore, but attackers won’t wait while you read a long technical manual. That’s why How Cybersecurity Really Works teaches you just the essentials you need to think beyond antivirus and make the right decisions to keep the online monsters at bay. About the Author Brief Contents Contents in Detail Preface A Note on the Book’s Exercises Who This Book Is For What’s in the Book? Acknowledgments Chapter 1: An Introduction to Cybersecurity What Is Cybersecurity? Cybersecurity and Privacy What Cybersecurity Isn’t Black Hats vs. White Hats Types of Black Hats Types of White Hats Exercise: Learning More About Cybersecurity and Threats Conclusion Chapter 2: Attack Targets on the Internet How the Internet Works TCP/IP: The Backbone of the Internet Public vs. Private Networks How the Internet Looks to a Black Hat The Black Hat Attack Methodology Reconnaissance Weaponization Delivery Exploitation and Installation Command and Control, and Attack on Objectives How Black Hats Find You Example 1: The Merger Example 2: Social Media Hunting How to Hide from Black Hats The Internet Is Open The Internet Is Public The Internet Is Forever Exercise: Analyzing Your Network Network Command Line Tools Using Shodan Conclusion Chapter 3: Phishing Tactics What Is Phishing? An Obvious Phish Not All Phishing Is Obvious Using Details for a More Convincing Phish Vishing and Other Non-Email Phishing How to Protect Yourself Against Phishing How Black Hats Trick You with URLs Typosquatting Complex URLs and Redirects Modifying DNS Records Hoaxes Why Black Hats Love Phishing Think Twice to Avoid Phishing Take an Alternate Route Listen to Your Spidey Sense Exercise: Analyzing a Phishing Email Phishing Email Indicators Header Analysis URL Analysis Conclusion Chapter 4: Malware Infections What Is Malware? Types of Malware Viruses Worms Trojans Ransomware Spyware and Adware Rootkits and Bootkits Polymorphic Malware How Black Hats Deploy Malware How to Defend Against Malware Exercise: Analyzing Malware and Managing Antivirus Settings Analyzing Malware in Attachments Reviewing Antivirus Settings Conclusion Chapter 5: Password Thefts and Other Account Access Tricks Authentication Types of Authentication Multi-Factor Authentication Authorization Mandatory Access Control Rule-Based Access Control Role-Based Access Control Attribute-Based Access Control Discretionary Access Control Accounting Logging Auditing Indicators of Attack Exercise: Setting Up Accounts in Windows 10 and macOS Windows 10 Access Control on macOS Conclusion Chapter 6: Network Tapping The Basics of Network Design Attacking Your Network How Black Hats See Your Traffic Man-in-the-Middle Attacks Denial of Service Distributed Denial of Service Defense Against Network Attacks Firewalls Intrusion Detection Systems Intrusion Prevention Systems Exercise: Setting Up Your Firewall Windows macOS Conclusion Chapter 7: Attacks in the Cloud How Cloud Computing Works Software as a Service Platform as a Service Infrastructure as a Service Security as a Service Attacking the Cloud Web Application Attacks Defending the Cloud Exercise: Performing SQL Injection on the Damn VulnerableWeb Application Installing Docker and the DVWA Listing Users Finding Database Table Names Finding Passwords Conclusion Chapter 8: Wireless Network Pirating How Wireless Networks Work Wireless Standards Wireless Security Wireless Authentication Wireless Encryption Wireless Attacks Rogue Access Points Disassociation Attacks Jamming Setting Up a Wireless Network with Security in Mind Exercise: Secure Your WAP Setting Up Your Access Point Setting Up Wireless Security Enabling Filtering Conclusion Chapter 9: Encryption Cracking What Is Cryptography? What We Encrypt Early Cryptography Substitution Ciphers Transposition Ciphers Modern Cryptography Symmetric Cryptography Asymmetric Cryptography Validating Public Keys Hashing What Happens When You Visit a Website? How Black Hats Steal Your Keys Cryptanalysis Asymmetric Algorithm Attacks  Protecting Your Keys How Black Hats Break Hashes Salting Your Hashes Exercise: Encrypting and Hashing Files Encrypting and Hashing a File in Windows 10 Protecting Files Using macOS Using ssh-keygen to Generate a Public Key (Windows 10 or macOS) Conclusion Chapter 10: How to Defeat Black Hats What’s the Worst That Could Happen? Risks Threats Controls Risk Management Programs Putting It All Together Exercise: Conducting a Risk Analysis Farewell and Good Luck Index