Book Review: Hacking - The Art of Exploitation by Jon Erickson - Page 2

Of course, Erickson covers cryptology and countermeasures. Understanding how the hackers are getting in is, after all, designed to help you keep them out.

Hacking includes one thing that really sets it apart from others in the field - the CD-ROM. Erickson doesn't just include hacking tools; he includes a complete hacking environment on a bootable CD, including every bit of code in the book. I actually learned quicker this way - the hands-on examples make more sense if you can play with the code yourself. I could even boot to it on my ancient P-1 laptop.

I'm no hacker, unless you're talking golf. I've known hackers, and have always been impressed with what they can do with technology. After reading this book, I'm still no hacker, but I understand a bit more what fuels them, and how they do some of it. It's almost like reading a book on magic and then watching an illusionist on TV: you may never be able to duplicate their tricks, but you can at least understand a little bit of how they do it. That's what this Hacking did for me, and what it can do for anyone who reads it.

Article Author: Warren Kelly

Warren Kelly is a graduate student studying church history at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. His personal blog, View From the Pew, is a repository for his cultural criticism and theological/historical writings, and his weekly podcast features …

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