10 Best Ethical Hacking Books for Novices to Experts

samantha-hentosh-akocAO9QCHM-unsplash
Photo by Samantha Hentosh on Unsplash

The digital world is improving at a fast pace, necessitating data security at each stage. Data must be secured at all times because everything – financial information, personal information, family, friends, and so on – is now disclosed online.

Many hackers are on the lookout for ways to steal sensitive information for a variety of reasons, including conflicts of interest, national security operations, and so on.   

The 10 Best Books on Ethical Hacking 

Let’s check out the top ten ethical hacking books, through which you will gain enough knowledge and have the ability to hack systems while also learning about any flaws that may be in existence.

1. Hands-on Ethical Hacking and Network Defense  

This is a great foundational book for rookies and the best books to learn to hack, especially for those who are new to hacking, networking, and security. The author employs straightforward language and provides comprehensive explanations of the main themes. It is a theory book with an emphasis on approaches or implementation.

2. Patrick Engebretson’s Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing  

This is a good first book to read if you want to be a penetration tester (pen-tester). Kall Linux and Backtrac, Netcat, Social-Engineer Toolkit, Nmup, and many more technologies are covered in this book. The book is well-organized, and it takes you through each topic step by step for a complete grasp. The author’s voice is both amusing and fascinating. It is a comprehensive ethical hacking course for beginners.    

3. Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws in Web Applications: The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook   

This is one of the most financially successful hacking books. It takes a down-to-earth approach. The book is comprehensive in its discussion about website security and is also very useful as a reference. The author does not spoon-feed you data; rather, he made you think thoroughly at every turn. There are several real-world great practices and instances included in the book.

4. Python Programming for Pentesters and Hackers  

This book is great for folks who have some programming expertise but none in hacking. Python is a simple language to learn, so you may learn it alongside this book. You can occasionally consult internet materials for extra information. The book is written in Python 2 and focuses on writing successful hacking tools with Python.    

5. Jon Erickson’s Hacking: The Art of Exploitation   

This intermediate hacking book takes a unique approach to hacking. Apart from networking and security, the author encourages you to have a strong technological basis and describes how obscure hacking tactics function.

6. Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook, Fifth Edition   

The book starts with the fundamentals and then progresses to more advanced topics. So, whether you’re a newbie or not, this book will benefit you in some way. This is a well-written, fascinating book with a clean and concise style.     

7. Hacking the World’s Most Secure Networks (Advanced Penetration Testing)   

The book goes over difficult scenarios and how to handle them. This course is created for professionals who wish to think like professional hackers and run pen tests on highly secure networks.

8. Greg Hoglund and Gary R. McGraw’s Exploiting Software: How to Break Code   

The book is really technical, yet it is written in a way that is both knowledgeable and instructional. It’s for people who have a basic understanding of reverse engineering and exploitation but want to delve deeper into black hat techniques for exploiting software flaws.

9. Penetration Testing: A Practical Guide to Hacking    

The book begins by outlining the basic skills and procedures that every pentester should be familiar with. The book includes many examples, practical teaching with tools, and a machine-based lab, as the title suggests. You’ll be able to fully comprehend how a hacker gains access to security systems, cracks network keys and passwords, and create your own exploits for all of the above and more in this manner.    

10. Michal Zalewski’s The Tangled Web is number ten.    

Not only is this a complete and comprehensive handbook, but it is also written in an intriguing and entertaining style. As a reader, you can connect to many of the events addressed in the book because we all utilize the internet for various reasons.