Building And Automating Penetration Testing Labs In The Cloud

Take your penetration testing career to the next level by discovering how to set up and exploit cost-effective hacking lab environments on AWS, Azure, and GCP Key Features Explore strategies for managing the complexity, cost, and security of running labs in the cloud Unlock the power of infrastructure as code and generative AI when building complex lab environments Learn how to build pentesting labs that mimic modern environments on AWS, Azure, and GCP Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionThe significant increase in the number of cloud-related threats and issues has led to a surge in the demand for cloud security professionals. This book will help you set up vulnerable-by-design environments in the cloud to minimize the risks involved while learning all about cloud penetration testing and ethical hacking. This step-by-step guide begins by helping you design and build penetration testing labs that mimic modern cloud environments running on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Next, you’ll find out how to use infrastructure as code (IaC) solutions to manage a variety of lab environments in the cloud. As you advance, you’ll discover how generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, can be leveraged to accelerate the preparation of IaC templates and configurations. You’ll also learn how to validate vulnerabilities by exploiting misconfigurations and vulnerabilities using various penetration testing tools and techniques. Finally, you’ll explore several practical strategies for managing the complexity, cost, and risks involved when dealing with penetration testing lab environments in the cloud. By the end of this penetration testing book, you’ll be able to design and build cost-effective vulnerable cloud lab environments where you can experiment and practice different types of attacks and penetration testing techniques.What you will learn Build vulnerable-by-design labs that mimic modern cloud environments Find out how to manage the risks associated with cloud lab environments Use infrastructure as code to automate lab infrastructure deployments Validate vulnerabilities present in penetration testing labs Find out how to manage the costs of running labs on AWS, Azure, and GCP Set up IAM privilege escalation labs for advanced penetration testing Use generative AI tools to generate infrastructure as code templates Import the Kali Linux Generic Cloud Image to the cloud with ease Who this book is forThis book is for security engineers, cloud engineers, and aspiring security professionals who want to learn more about penetration testing and cloud security. Other tech professionals working on advancing their career in cloud security who want to learn how to manage the complexity, costs, and risks associated with building and managing hacking lab environments in the cloud will find this book useful.

Identify tools and techniques to secure and perform a penetration test on an AWS infrastructure using Kali Linux Key FeaturesEfficiently perform penetration testing techniques on your public cloud instancesLearn not only to cover loopholes but also to automate security monitoring and alerting within your cloud-based deployment pipelinesA step-by-step guide that will help you leverage the most widely used security platform to secure your AWS Cloud environmentBook Description The cloud is taking over the IT industry. Any organization housing a large amount of data or a large infrastructure has started moving cloud-ward — and AWS rules the roost when it comes to cloud service providers, with its closest competitor having less than half of its market share. This highlights the importance of security on the cloud, especially on AWS. While a lot has been said (and written) about how cloud environments can be secured, performing external security assessments in the form of pentests on AWS is still seen as a dark art. This book aims to help pentesters as well as seasoned system administrators with a hands-on approach to pentesting the various cloud services provided by Amazon through AWS using Kali Linux. To make things easier for novice pentesters, the book focuses on building a practice lab and refining penetration testing with Kali Linux on the cloud. This is helpful not only for beginners but also for pentesters who want to set up a pentesting environment in their private cloud, using Kali Linux to perform a white-box assessment of their own cloud resources. Besides this, there is a lot of in-depth coverage of the large variety of AWS services that are often overlooked during a pentest — from serverless infrastructure to automated deployment pipelines. By the end of this book, you will be able to identify possible vulnerable areas efficiently and secure your AWS cloud environment. What you will learnFamiliarize yourself with and pentest the most common external-facing AWS servicesAudit your own infrastructure and identify flaws, weaknesses, and loopholesDemonstrate the process of lateral and vertical movement through a partially compromised AWS accountMaintain stealth and persistence within a compromised AWS accountMaster a hands-on approach to pentestingDiscover a number of automated tools to ease the process of continuously assessing and improving the security stance of an AWS infrastructureWho this book is for If you are a security analyst or a penetration tester and are interested in exploiting Cloud environments to reveal vulnerable areas and secure them, then this book is for you. A basic understanding of penetration testing, cloud computing, and its security concepts is mandatory.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Manage your own robust, inexpensive cybersecurity testing environment This hands-on guide shows clearly how to administer an effective cybersecurity testing lab using affordable technologies and cloud resources. Build Your Own Cybersecurity Testing Lab: Low-cost Solutions for Testing in Virtual and Cloud-based Environments fully explains multiple techniques for developing lab systems, including the use of Infrastructure-as-Code, meaning you can write programs to create your labs quickly, without manual steps that could lead to costly and frustrating mistakes. Written by a seasoned IT security professional and academic, this book offers complete coverage of cloud and virtual environments as well as physical networks and automation. Included with the book is access to videos that demystify difficult concepts. Inside, you will discover how to: • Gather network requirements and build your cybersecurity testing lab • Set up virtual machines and physical systems from inexpensive components • Select and configure the necessary operating systems • Gain remote access through SSH, RDP, and other remote access protocols • Efficiently isolate subnets with physical switches, routers, and VLANs • Analyze the vulnerabilities and challenges of cloud-based infrastructures • Handle implementation of systems on Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Engine • Maximize consistency and repeatability using the latest automation tools

Detect and mitigate diverse cyber threats with actionable insights into attacker types, techniques, and efficient cyber threat hunting Key Features Explore essential tools and techniques to ethically penetrate and safeguard digital environments Set up a malware lab and learn how to detect malicious code running on the network Understand different attacker types, their profiles, and mindset, to enhance your cyber defense plan Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionIf you’re an ethical hacker looking to boost your digital defenses and stay up to date with the evolving cybersecurity landscape, then this book is for you. Hands-On Ethical Hacking Tactics is a comprehensive guide that will take you from fundamental to advanced levels of ethical hacking, offering insights into both offensive and defensive techniques. Written by a seasoned professional with 20+ years of experience, this book covers attack tools, methodologies, and procedures, helping you enhance your skills in securing and defending networks. The book starts with foundational concepts such as footprinting, reconnaissance, scanning, enumeration, vulnerability assessment, and threat modeling. Next, you’ll progress to using specific tools and procedures for hacking Windows, Unix, web servers, applications, and databases. The book also gets you up to speed with malware analysis. Throughout the book, you’ll experience a smooth transition from theoretical concepts to hands-on techniques using various platforms. Finally, you’ll explore incident response, threat hunting, social engineering, IoT hacking, and cloud exploitation, which will help you address the complex aspects of ethical hacking. By the end of this book, you’ll have gained the skills you need to navigate the ever-changing world of cybersecurity.What you will learn Understand the core concepts and principles of ethical hacking Gain hands-on experience through dedicated labs Explore how attackers leverage computer systems in the digital landscape Discover essential defensive technologies to detect and mitigate cyber threats Master the use of scanning and enumeration tools Understand how to hunt and use search information to identify attacks Who this book is for Hands-On Ethical Hacking Tactics is for penetration testers, ethical hackers, and cybersecurity enthusiasts looking to explore attack tools, methodologies, and procedures relevant to today's cybersecurity landscape. This ethical hacking book is suitable for a broad audience with varying levels of expertise in cybersecurity, whether you're a student or a professional looking for job opportunities, or just someone curious about the field.

Learn how to build complex virtual architectures that allow you to perform virtually any required testing methodology and perfect it About This Book Explore and build intricate architectures that allow you to emulate an enterprise network Test and enhance your security skills against complex and hardened virtual architecture Learn methods to bypass common enterprise defenses and leverage them to test the most secure environments. Who This Book Is For While the book targets advanced penetration testing, the process is systematic and as such will provide even beginners with a solid methodology and approach to testing. You are expected to have network and security knowledge. The book is intended for anyone who wants to build and enhance their existing professional security and penetration testing methods and skills. What You Will Learn Learning proven security testing and penetration testing techniques Building multi-layered complex architectures to test the latest network designs Applying a professional testing methodology Determining whether there are filters between you and the target and how to penetrate them Deploying and finding weaknesses in common firewall architectures. Learning advanced techniques to deploy against hardened environments Learning methods to circumvent endpoint protection controls In Detail Security flaws and new hacking techniques emerge overnight – security professionals need to make sure they always have a way to keep . With this practical guide, learn how to build your own virtual pentesting lab environments to practice and develop your security skills. Create challenging environments to test your abilities, and overcome them with proven processes and methodologies used by global penetration testing teams. Get to grips with the techniques needed to build complete virtual machines perfect for pentest training. Construct and attack layered architectures, and plan specific attacks based on the platforms you're going up against. Find new vulnerabilities for different kinds of systems and networks, and what these mean for your clients. Driven by a proven penetration testing methodology that has trained thousands of testers, Building Virtual Labs for Advanced Penetration Testing, Second Edition will prepare you for participation in professional security teams. Style and approach The book is written in an easy-to-follow format that provides a step–by-step, process-centric approach. Additionally, there are numerous hands-on examples and additional references for readers who might want to learn even more. The process developed throughout the book has been used to train and build teams all around the world as professional security and penetration testers.

Strengthen your security posture in all aspects of CSPM technology, from security infrastructure design to implementation strategies, automation, and remedial actions using operational best practices across your cloud environment Key Features Choose the right CSPM tool to rectify cloud security misconfigurations based on organizational requirements Optimize your security posture with expert techniques for in-depth cloud security insights Improve your security compliance score by adopting a secure-by-design approach and implementing security automation Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionThis book will help you secure your cloud infrastructure confidently with cloud security posture management (CSPM) through expert guidance that’ll enable you to implement CSPM effectively, ensuring an optimal security posture across multi-cloud infrastructures. The book begins by unraveling the fundamentals of cloud security, debunking myths about the shared responsibility model, and introducing key concepts such as defense-in-depth, the Zero Trust model, and compliance. Next, you’ll explore CSPM's core components, tools, selection criteria, deployment strategies, and environment settings, which will be followed by chapters on onboarding cloud accounts, dashboard customization, cloud assets inventory, configuration risks, and cyber threat hunting. As you progress, you’ll get to grips with operational practices, vulnerability and patch management, compliance benchmarks, and security alerts. You’ll also gain insights into cloud workload protection platforms (CWPPs). The concluding chapters focus on Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning, DevSecOps, and workflow automation, providing a thorough understanding of securing multi-cloud environments. By the end of this book, you’ll have honed the skills to make informed decisions and contribute effectively at every level, from strategic planning to day-to-day operations.What you will learn Find out how to deploy and onboard cloud accounts using CSPM tools Understand security posture aspects such as the dashboard, asset inventory, and risks Explore the Kusto Query Language (KQL) and write threat hunting queries Explore security recommendations and operational best practices Get to grips with vulnerability, patch, and compliance management, and governance Familiarize yourself with security alerts, monitoring, and workload protection best practices Manage IaC scan policies and learn how to handle exceptions Who this book is for If you’re a cloud security administrator, security engineer, or DevSecOps engineer, you’ll find this book useful every step of the way—from proof of concept to the secured, automated implementation of CSPM with proper auto-remediation configuration. This book will also help cybersecurity managers, security leads, and cloud security architects looking to explore the decision matrix and key requirements for choosing the right product. Cloud security enthusiasts who want to enhance their knowledge to bolster the security posture of multi-cloud infrastructure will also benefit from this book.

Written in an easy-to-follow approach using hands-on examples, this book helps you create virtual environments for advanced penetration testing, enabling you to build a multi-layered architecture to include firewalls, IDS/IPS, web application firewalls, and endpoint protection, which is essential in the penetration testing world.If you are a penetration tester, security consultant, security test engineer, or analyst who wants to practice and perfect penetration testing skills by building virtual pentesting labs in varying industry scenarios, this is the book for you. This book is ideal if you want to build and enhance your existing pentesting methods and skills. Basic knowledge of network security features is expected along with web application testing experience.

Explore the depths of AWS security and learn how to design, implement, and maintain a secure cloud environment using state-of-the-art AWS technology Key Features Dive into AWS security concepts and technologies that can be applied for diverse use cases Design and deploy secure AWS environments based on modern architectural principles Elevate your AWS security expertise with advanced techniques for automation and continuous improvement Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book DescriptionIf you’re trying to navigate the complex world of AWS security and fortify your organizational cloud environment, then this book is for you. Written by an accomplished cybersecurity and AWS cloud consultant, Mastering AWS Security will help you understand and master the complexities of AWS security. This book offers an in-depth and practical exploration of AWS security concepts, features, and services, focusing on how they apply to modern cloud-based application environments. As you progress, you’ll gain a thorough introduction to the art of security automation and DevSecOps. You’ll learn how to automate security tasks, integrate security into your development process, and maintain a high level of security as your applications evolve and scale. Emphasizing continuous monitoring and improvement, this book will teach you how to set up monitoring systems, interpret security data, and make informed decisions to enhance your security over time. Through real-world case studies, you’ll learn how to tackle the challenges and find solutions for securing AWS environments. By the end of this book, you’ll confidently secure your AWS environments, and stay up to date with the latest security trends and updates in the AWS ecosystem.What you will learn Discover AWS IAM, access control models, and the principle of least privilege Get to grips with VPC network security strategies and tools to protect and isolate your critical assets Leverage and orchestrate AWS security services tailored to your environment Implement encryption and data protection best practices in key AWS services Explore best practices to secure microservices and serverless architectures on AWS Implement security strategies for multi-tenant architectures Master the art of security automation and DevSecOps tooling Who this book is for This comprehensive guide is for cloud architects, engineers, DevOps professionals, and AWS enthusiasts. Cybersecurity professionals who want to learn AWS security to protect their applications, data, and infrastructure from threats, ensure compliance with regulations, and build trust with customers, will also find this book useful.