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Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent
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Exclusive Bookpool Excerpt: The Making of STC
Follow along as Mitnick, Jay Beale, Fyodor, Thor, etc.,
exchange ideas, expertise and insider knowledge on their way to building the book.
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Customer Reviews: 1 Average Customer Rating:  Write a Review and tell the world about this title! People who purchase this book frequently purchase: - Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity; Timothy Mullen, et al, $28.50, 29% Off!
- Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box; Ryan Russell, et al, $34.95, 30% Off!
- The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders, and Deceivers; Kevin Mitnick, $17.50, 36% Off!
- Rootkits: Subverting the Windows Kernel; Greg Hoglund, et al, $34.50, 37% Off!
Books on similar topics, in best-seller order:Books from the same publisher, in best-seller order:
Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent represents a new
brand of fiction -- a cyber-thriller for the truly technical. It's written
by leading counter-terrorism experts (you know them from DEFCON, Black
Hat Briefings and InfoSec) and operates on a truly global stage when the
network infrastructure of Africa is compromised and worldwide economic
disaster looks imminent. The fun parts for IT gurus are the incredibly
clever hacks and exploits, and the equally adept defenses, detailed throughout
the book.
Of course for a book like this to succeed with an audience like Bookpool's,
it has to be credible. Joe Grand, Russ Rogers, Fyodor, Jay Beale, Paul Craig,
Tom Parker, FX, 131ah, Jeff Moss, Thor, Ryan Russell and
Kevin Mitnick are among the most respected (and in some cases controversial)
figures in IT security. Technical consultants from Sensepost, a world-renowned
security consultancy in South Africa, then checked for political-socio accuracy.
One of the most unusual aspects of the book is the Appendix -- The
Making of STC. This is 60 pages of email threads between the authors
and editors as they planned what technologies to cover, exchanged ideas
and technical information and worked together to get it done. As you listen
in, you get an insider look into that community and their different personalities.
In fact, I got so hooked into reading the appendix that I asked if we
could offer it to our customers - and the folks at Syngress generously
agreed! Here is one of the exchanges in the appendix, as the authors began
to think through what to include in the book. But you can download the
whole appendix in pdf.
Enjoy.
Braulio, General Manager
Sample from the excerpt:
From: Joe Grand
/ Date: Fri Dec 5, 2003 8:57pm / Subject: RE: STC - welcome
to the show
I bet they still use dial-up modems in Africa, right? We should definitely
have some old school wardialing and voicemail box hacking I'd love to
write that stuff, since that was a nice hobby of mine.. :) I think I have
some nice printouts that could be included in there, too It would be nice
to hit a few more angles of mobile devices, since that's what I always
end up researching.. Tracking people/targets with a trojaned Palm or smartphone,
cloning someone's OTP authentication token (SecurID, CryptoCARD, Secure
Computing, etc.), weird SMS shit. Maybe something with Bluetooth since
that's so up-and-coming (though maybe not in Africa).
What about any non-traditional approaches to stealing that continent?
Social engineering? I like the idea of using that Ethopian/Africa spam
(the I NEED $2 MILLION one) for covert-channel communications (someone
mentioned that when we were toying around with the STC concept over the
summertime.)
I can't wait to see what Chef Ryan de Boar is cooking up in the kitchen
for the outline… This is going to be one damn cool book. And what will
be awesome is when the Korean translation includes a CD with all the tools
required to own your favorite country (they did that with STN - scary)…
Joe
From: Paul Craig
/ Date: Sun Dec 7, 2003 3:56pm / Subject: RE: STC - welcome
to the show
Although I am sure they use dialup modems why not focus on modern technology?
Hacking handheld devices would be fun I like that idea, a worm that replicates
over Iraq's using Bluetooth; scanning the device for accounts/passwords
etc, then emailing its findings once its connected (or docked).
Maybe hacking a Nigerian spammer stealing all of his contacts, getting
as much money as you can from them then setting him up and watching him
get busted by the cops. ATM hacking? Card duplication from a compromised
bank, or a good example of phishing.
SMS social engineering on chat lines, and simple things thrown in like
credit card frauding pizza for dinner. I would just love to see everyday
technology exploited, abused and used for the greater evil and the greater
purpose of stealing the continent. - Paul
Book Description
Unfortunately, the prospect of evil forces unleashing an all out cyber-terrorism
attack on the civilized world is no longer just a bad dream. There are now forces
at work with the motive and the means to cripple the Internet, arguably, all they
need now is the opportunity. This work of fiction is written by some of the leading
security and counter-terrorism experts in the world today, and it outlines a plot
to "own the box" on a truly global scale by compromising an entire continent's
network infrastructure. The authors bring to life a scary cast of characters and
set them on a course of imminent cyber-attack, shedding light on some of the most
lethal hacks yet imagined. In-the-know readers will recognize the technologies,
scenarios, and threatened intrusions. The first book in the "Stealing the
Network" series was called a "blockbuster" by Wired magazine, a
"refreshing change from more traditional computer books" by Slashdot.org,
and "an entertaining and informative look at the weapons and tactics employed
by those who attack and defend digital systems" by Amazon.com. This follow-on
book once again combines a set of fictional stories with real technology to show
readers the danger that lurks in the shadows of the information security industry...
Could hackers take over a continent?
Table of Contents
1. Alone
2. The Lagos Creeper Box
3. Product of Fate: Evolution of a Hacker
4. A Real Gullible Genius
5. For Whom Ma Bell Tolls
6. Return on Investment
7. h3X and the big Picture
8. The Story of Dex
9. Automatic Terror Machine
10. Get Out Quick
About the Authors
Ryan Russell (aka Blue Boar) has worked in the IT field for over
13 years, focusing on information security for the last seven. He was the lead
author of Hack Proofing Your Network, Second Edition (Syngress, ISBN: 1-928994-70-9),
contributing author and technical editor of Stealing The Network: How to Own
The Box (Syngress, ISBN: 1-931836-87-6), and is a frequent technical editor
for the Hack Proofing series of books from Syngress. Ryan was also a technical
advisor on Snort 2.0 Intrusion Detection (Syngress, ISBN: 1-931836-74-4). Ryan
founded the vuln-dev mailing list, and moderated it for three years under the
alias "Blue Boar." He is a frequent lecturer at security conferences,
and can often be found participating in security mailing lists and website discussions.
Ryan is the QA Manager at BigFix, Inc.
131ah is the technical director and a founding member of an IT
security analysis company. After completing his degree in electronic engineering
he worked for four years at a software engineering company specializing in encryption
devices and firewalls. After numerous "typos" and "finger trouble,"
which led to the malignant growth of his personnel file, he started his own
company along with some of the country's leaders in IT security.
Russ Rogers (CISSP, CISM, IAM) is a Co-Founder, Chief Executive
Officer, Chief Technology Officer, and Principle Security Consultant for Security
Horizon, Inc; a Colorado-based professional security services and training provider.
Russ is a key contributor to Security Horizon's technology efforts and leads
the technical security practice and the services business development efforts.
Russ is a United States Air Force Veteran and has served in military and contract
support for the National Security Agency and the Defense Information Systems
Agency. Russ is also the editor-in-chief of 'The Security Journal' and occasional
staff member for the Black Hat Briefings.
Jay Beale is a security specialist focused on host lockdown and
security audits. He is the Lead Developer of the Bastille project, which creates
a hardening script for Linux, HP-UX, and Mac OS X, a member of the Honeynet
Project, and the Linux technical lead in the Center for Internet Security. A
frequent conference speaker and trainer, Jay speaks and trains at the Black
Hat Briefings and LinuxWorld conferences, among others.
Joe Grand is the President and CEO of Grand Idea Studio, a product
development and intellectual property licensing firm. A nationally recognized
name in computer security, Joe's pioneering research on mobile devices, digital
forensics, and embedded security analysis is published in various industry journals.
He is a co-author of Stealing The Network: How to Own The Box (Syngress, ISBN:
1-931836-87-6), the author of Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your
Warranty (Syngress, ISBN: 1-932266-83-6), and is a frequent contributor to other
texts.
Fyodor authored the popular Nmap Security Scanner, which was
named security tool of the year by Linux Journal, Info World, LinuxQuestiosn.Org,
and the Codetalker Digest. It was also featured in the hit movie "Matrix
Reloaded" as well as by the BBC, CNet, Wired, Slashdot, Securityfocus,
and more. He also maintains the Insecure.Org and Seclists.Org security resource
sites and has authored seminal papers detailing techniques for stealth port
scanning, remote operating system detection via TCP/IP stack fingerprinting,
version detection, and the IPID Idle Scan. He is a member of the Honeynet project
and a co-author of the book Know Your Enemy: Honeynets.
FX of Phenoelit has spent the better part of the last few years
becoming familiar with the security issues faced by the foundation of the Internet,
including protocol based attacks and exploitation of Cisco routers. He has presented
the results of his work at several conferences including DEFCON, Black Hat Briefings,
and the Chaos Communication Congress. In his professional life, FX is currently
employed as a Security Solutions Consultant at n.runs GmbH, performing various
security audits for major customers in Europe.
Paul Craig is currently working in New Zealand for a major television
broadcaster, and is also the lead security consultant at security company Pimp
Industries. Paul specializes in reverse engineering technologies and cutting
edge application auditing practices.
Timothy Mullen (aka Thor) began his career in application development
and network integration in 1984, and is now CIO and Chief Software architect
for AnchorIS.Com, a developer of secure enterprise-based accounting solutions.
Mullen has developed and implemented network and security solutions for institutions
such as the US Air Force, Microsoft, the US Federal Court systems, regional
power generation facilities, and international banking and financial institutions.
Jeff Moss (aka The Dark Tangent) is CEO of Black Hat Inc. and
founder of DEFCON, is a renowned computer security scientist most well known
for his forums bringing together a unique mix in security: the best minds from
government agencies and global corporations with the underground's best hackers.
Jeff's forums have gained him exposure and respect from each side of the information
security battle, enabling him to continuously be aware of new security defense
and penetration techniques and trends. Jeff brings this information to three
continents, North America, Europe and Asia, through his Black Hat Briefings,
DEFCON, and "Meet the Enemy" sessions.
Kevin Mitnick is a security consultant to corporations worldwide
and a cofounder of Defensive Thinking, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm (www.defensivethinking.com).
He has testified before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on the
need for legislation to ensure the security of the government's information
systems.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews: 1 Average Customer Rating: Jun 18, 2004 Murali Raju
Exceptional portrayal of security threats
Unique concept, exceptional delivery through some big names in Security. I own both titles from "Stealing The Network" series and they have left me thirsty for more!
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