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Renowned hacker Kevin Mitnick has compiled a collection of stories of some devious and/or high-profile hacks. This book is not a how-to guide for hacking, so if that is what you are after, I suggest looking elsewhere. The stories cover casinos, prisons, aircraft companies, newspaper companies, banks, medical companies, and so on- indeed, no-one is safe from hacking, no matter how thick and strong of an electronic barrier you may build.
The prose was at times a little rough around the edges, but not too distracting from the overall message of the book. Some hacks may take months or years to pull off, but others can happen by a variety of means in as little as a few days. Without being overly technical, though there is a good deal of jargon, Mitnick relays the stories behind the headlines that some of you might remember.
Penetration tests and social engineering are also discussed (though not as much as Mitnick's other book The Art of Deception), which I found to be the most enthralling part of the book. The now-benevolent Mitnick ends each chapter with his analysis of the hacks, how they could have been prevented (a.k.a. how to prevent history from repeating itself), and any additional insights he might have.The book is overall a quick and easy read, and the stories are written with the feel of a crime novel- full of gripping, can't-wait-to-see-what-happens intrigue.
I can't help but be impressed at the capabilities of motivated people with a little bit of technical know-how, whether they are acting maliciously or not.I found the book to be both entertaining and technically helpful, and I would recommend it to anyone who uses a computer. The stories presented what happened in the hacks, but not how to do it.
The Art of Intrusion was the most enjoyable. I was getting involved in a security start-up and I wanted to come up to speed on the security industry. It felt more like a fun beach read than an educational book on security and computer hacking. A little about me - I am geeky but I do not write code. I read a collection of books that were written in a broad range of styles. I love true crime and books that get you inside of people's heads (especially criminal minds) and this book did just that and it sucked me right in. Like John Viega's "The Myths of the Security", this book does not require any expertise about security in order to read it but it was very educational and engaging to read.
A must read for any IT professional. This book illustrates common security vulnerabilities through exciting (and true) stories, with analysis at the end of each story. Mitnick also gives advice on how to prevent or neutralize the security threats.
I enjoyed this book. I think Kevin Mitnick is an interesting character in the security scene. It is amazing what one can get away with most of the time.
This book is full of examples of exploits in the computer world that involves different aspects such as "social engineering" as a method to hack someone's system. Some of these stories are astounding.
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