Foreword

Information technology is a complex field, littered with the half-dead technology of the past and an ever-increasing menagerie of new systems, software, and protocols. Securing today’s enterprise networks involves more than simply patch management, firewalls, and user education; it requires frequent real-world validation of what works and what fails. This is what penetration testing is all about.

Penetration testing is a uniquely challenging job. You are paid to think like a criminal, to use guerilla tactics to your advantage, and to find the weakest links in a highly intricate net of defenses. The things you find can be both surprising and disturbing; penetration tests have uncovered everything from rogue pornography sites to large-scale ...

Get Metasploit now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.