15 BEST Ethical Hacking Books (2023 Update)

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Ethical Hacking is identifying weaknesses in computer systems/networks and coming with countermeasures that protect the weaknesses. Ethical hackers must get written permission from the computer owner before investigating and transparently report the findings.

Are you interested in learning the Ethical Hacking skills and looking for some excellent book that will help you skyrocket your hacking expertise? Then you have come to the right place.

Here is a curated list of the best books to learn Ethical Hacking for beginners. These books are highly recommended by Ethical Hackers and are helpful for students to grasp the programming fundamentals. These resources will guide you to build your career in this promising field and make you a better Ethical Hacker. Read more…

Best Ethical Hacking Books for Beginner to Advanced Hacker

Book Title	Author Name	Latest Edition	Publisher	Ratings	Link
Hacking: The Art of Exploitation	Jon Erickson	2nd edition	No Starch Press		Learn More
The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing	Patrick Engebretson	2nd edition	Syngress		Learn More
The Hacker Playbook 2	Peter Kim	1st edition	Independently Published		Learn More
Penetration Testing	Georgia Weidman	1st edition	No Starch Press		Learn More
The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook	Dafydd Stuttard	2nd edition	Wiley		Learn More

1) Hacking: The Art of Exploitation

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation is a book written by Jon Erickson. In this book, you will learn the fundamentals of C programming from a hacker’s perspective.

You will also know hacking techniques like overflowing buffers, hijacking network communications. You will also learn about bypassing protections, exploiting, etc. The book will give a complete picture of programming, network communications, etc.

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2) The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing

The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing is written by Patrick Engebretson. It serves as an introduction to the steps needed to complete a penetration test to perform an ethical hack from start to end.

The book teaches students how they can utilize and interpret the hacking tools required to complete a penetration test. Every chapter in this book contains examples and exercises that are designed to teach learners how to interpret results and utilize those results.

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3) The Hacker Playbook 2: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing

The Hacker Playbook provides them their game plans. Written by Peter Kim. This ethical hacking book is a step-by-step guide that teaches you plenty of hacking features. It also offers hands-on examples and helpful advice from the top of the field.

This book includes the latest attacks, tools, and lessons learned. This certified ethical hacking guide further outlines building a lab. The book walks through test cases for attacks and provides more customized code.

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4) Penetration Testing – A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking

In Penetration Testing, a security expert, researcher, and trainer is written by Georgia Weidman. The book introduces you to the necessary skills and techniques that every pentester needs.

You will also learn about forcing and wordlists, test web applications for vulnerabilities, Automate social-engineering attacks, bypass antivirus software. You will gather advanced information like how you can turn access to one machine into total control of the enterprise.

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5) The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws

The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook is a book written by Dafydd Stuttard. The book explores the various new technologies employed in web applications. The book teaches you advanced hacking attack techniques that have been developed, particularly to the client-side.

The book also covers new remoting frameworks, HTML5, cross-domain integration techniques, UI redress, frame busting, hybrid file attacks, and more. This book is the most current resource. On the critical topic about discovering, exploiting, and it also preventing web apps and security flaws.

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6) Hacking: Computer Hacking, Security Testing, Penetration Testing, and Basic Security

Hacking: Computer Hacking, Security Testing is a book written by Gary Hall. This book goes all the way from the basic concept principles to the intricate techniques methods. It is written, which suits both beginners and advanced learning.

This ethical hacking book uses a language that beginners can understand, without leaving out the intricate details required for computer hacking. This book is an ideal reference book to know how to hack and how to protect your devices.

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7) Computer Hacking Beginners Guide

Computer Hacking Beginners Guide teaches you how to protect yourself from the most common hacking attacks by knowing how hacking works! You should stay ahead of any criminal hacker to learn these techniques you can read this book.

This book covers methods and tools that are used by both criminal and ethical hackers. All the topics you will find here will show you how information security can be compromised and how you can find cyber attacks in a system. Which you are trying to protect.

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8) Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas From The Computer Age

Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas is a book written by Paul Graham. This hacking book will have a powerful impact on how we think, how we work, how we develop technology, and how we live.

The book includes topics like the importance of software design, how to make wealth, programming language renaissance, digital design, internet startups, etc.

This book includes the importance of beauty in software design, how to make wealth, the programming language renaissance, the open-source movement, digital design, etc.

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9) Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World?s Most Secure Networks

Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World’s Most Secure Networks takes hacking far beyond Kali Linux and Metasploit.

The book allows you to integrate social engineering, programming, and vulnerability exploits. The book offers a multidisciplinary approach for targeting and compromising high-security environments.

It also contains the crucial techniques that provide a more accurate picture of your system’s defense. Custom coding examples using VBA, C, Java, JavaScript, etc.

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10) The Hardware Hacker: Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware

The Hardware Hacker is a book written by Andre Huang. The author shares his experiences in manufacturing and open hardware. It allows you were creating an illuminating and compelling career retrospective.

This collection of personal essays and interviews covers topics related to reverse engineering to a comparison of intellectual property. It includes practices between, and society into the tapestry of open hardware.

This book is highly detailed passages on manufacturing and comprehensive. You can take on the issues related to open-source hardware.

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11) BackTrack 5 Wireless Penetration Testing Beginner’s Guide

BackTrack 5 Wireless Penetration Testing Beginner’s Guide is a book by Packt’s publishers. With the help book, you will grasp the concepts and understand the techniques to perform wireless attacks in your lab.

In this ethical, every new attack is described. The book gives this information in the form of a lab exercise with rich illustrations of all the steps associated. You will practically implement various attacks in your organization.

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12) Hacking: The Underground Guide to Computer Hacking

Hacking: The Underground Guide to Computer Hacking is a book written by Abraham K White. This book offers the best tools for Hacking and points out ways to protect your systems. The book provides instructions with command prompts.

The book covers topics like Hacking into Wireless Networks, Ethical Hacking, Cracking Encryption. You will also learn about other Wireless Hacking Resources and various other subjects related to Hacking.

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13) Hacking the Hacker: Learn From the Experts Who Take Down Hackers

Hacking the Hacker book is written by Roger A. Grimes. It takes you inside the world of cybersecurity. It shows you what goes on behind the scenes and introduces you to the men and women on the front lines.

The book contains information form the world’s top white hat hackers, security researchers, writers, and leaders. This book introducing the people and practices that help keep our world secure.

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14) Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook

Gray Hat hacking the book featuring 13 new chapters. This book helps you to fortify your network and avert digital and catastrophe with proven methods from a team of security experts.

You will also learn the latest ethical hacking skills and tactics. It also offers field-tested remedies, case studies, etc. This book helps explains how hackers gain access and overtake different network devices.

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15) Hash Crack: Password Cracking Manual

The Hash Crack: Password Cracking Manual is written by Joshua Picolet. It is an expanded reference book for password recovery (cracking) methods, tools, and analysis techniques.

A compilation of basic and advanced methods to penetration testers and network security professionals. This best book for ethical hacking helps you to evaluate the network security of their organization. The Hash Crack manual book contains syntax and examples.

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16) Mastering Hacking (The Art of Information Gathering & Scanning)

Mastering hacking is a book written by Harsh Bothra. By using this book, you would be able to learn about the modern Penetration Testing Framework.

It also teaches techniques, discovering all types of vulnerabilities, patching, and more. This book aims to provide the best practices and methodology in the simplified approach. It is one of the best hacking books that will help both the technical and non-technical readers.

FAQ:

🏅 Why Learn a Hacking?

Information is one of the most valuable assets of an organization. Keeping information secure can protect an organization’s image and save an organization a lot of money. Many organizations and government agencies require ethical hackers to secure their resources and systems from cybercriminals. So, there are vast opportunities and ethical hackers jobs around the world. Learning ethical hacking will help you get a job as an ethical hacker or enhance your network and data security knowledge.

📚 Which are the Best Ethical Hacking Books?

Following are some of the Best Ethical Hacking Books for Beginner to Advanced Hacker:

• Hacking: The Art of Exploitation
• The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing
• The Hacker Playbook 2: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing
• Penetration Testing – A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking
• The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws

🚀 Why Choose Ethical Hacking as a Career?

Choosing ethical hacking as a career has many benefits, like the demand of ethical hackers, higher pay scale and higher ethical hacking salary, problem-solving, etc.