MacDirectory Magazine

Summer-Fall 2011

MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.

Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/43027

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BOOK REVIEWS SOCIAL ENGINEERING: THE ART OF HUMAN HACKING WORDS BY RIC GETTER published a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the subject, . Whether you're involved in the field of computer security or simply curious about one of the fields least publicized risks, this is an exceptionally valuable book. Hadnagy's field of expertise is penetration testing and the vulnerabilities he focuses on are human rather than high tech. He refers to his methodology as a "framework," a compendium of social engineering techniques, some as old as the con man's art, formally cataloged and documented in one place. Combined with the author's significant writing and teaching skills, this makes such an effective source of insight into the dark arts of penetration and penetration testing. The book offers a reasonable balance of theory and practical technique. As you would imagine, the lengthy sections on psychological and sociological concepts are heavy on theory, however, even the most abstract are covered by examples of their application to real-world scenarios. At the conclusion of the book is an assortment of case studies, including profiles of some of Kevin Mitnick's most infamous deeds. Hadnagy recognizes that there is a great deal more to most of his topics than can be covered in a single volume, so he regularly provides references to the best books, authors and websites on the topic being discussed. pulls no punches. It is Recently, computer security (or the lack of it) has been in the headlines. As we were preparing this issue, Citibank, Sony, the International Monetary Fund and defense giant Lockheed reported serious intrusions. Listening to press reports, it's easy to picture cunning and stealthy hackers manipulating these systems from afar, penetrating firewalls and slipping through sophisticated network defenses. But as often as not, the critical point of vulnerability turns out to be neither hardware nor software, but human. Rather than having to hack through a firewall, it's often far easier to con your way around it. Security analyst Christopher Hadnagy has pulls no punches. It is an effective how-to manual that will work equally well for the bad guys trying to learn the scams as the good guys trying to defend against them." an effective how-to manual that will work equally well for the bad guys trying to learn the scams as the good guys trying to defend against them. As such, it is possibly one of the most dangerous books we've reviewed here. Though Hadnagy makes them easy to understand, the techniques are not easy to master and it's a good deal easier to use this training to defend against an intrusion than to perform one. Hadnagy provides us with an introduction to the basic skills that will allow you to do either, we trust that our readers will use them responsibly. by Christopher Hadnagy; $34.99, Wiley (Wiley.com) 2011; 382 pages, ISBN: 978-0-470-63953-5 38 MacDirectory S ao n m E cn kg ii nn g H e a S o c il a E n g i n e e r i n g e r i n g : T h e A r t o f H c u i a l S o c il a E n g i n e e r i n g " E n g i Se e n o n c i a l r i g S co kc i H i a n a l g E n g i n e e r i n g : T h e A r t o f H u m a n

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