Hacking and Security review

Are you looking for a single reference that teaches ethical hacking, penetration testing, and practical cybersecurity skills at a professional level?

Overview of “Hacking and Security: The Comprehensive Guide to Ethical Hacking, Penetration Testing, and Cybersecurity (Rheinwerk Computing) First Edition”

This book aims to be a broad, practical guide that covers the spectrum from fundamentals to advanced offensive and defensive techniques. You’ll find it positions itself as both a learning textbook and a hands-on field guide for security practitioners, students, and curious professionals.

The tone of the book is practical and command-line-focused, with examples, lab exercises, and tool walkthroughs. While it claims to be comprehensive, you should expect a mixture of conceptual explanations and step-by-step instructions to help you practice and internalize the techniques.

Who this book is for

This book targets a wide audience, including aspiring ethical hackers, security analysts, penetration testers, system administrators, and security-aware developers. If you want to understand how attacks work so you can harden systems, it’s designed for you.

You should have some basic comfort with computer systems, networking concepts, and at least introductory familiarity with Linux and the command line. The book helps you move from beginner-intermediate to more advanced practitioner levels but assumes you can pick up technical examples quickly.

Prerequisites and assumed knowledge

The authors assume you know basic networking (IP addresses, TCP/UDP), operating system concepts, and how to use a terminal. You’ll get the most value if you’re comfortable with virtual machines and installing software for labs.

If you’re brand new to computing, you can still benefit from the conceptual chapters, but you’ll likely need supplemental beginner resources to run the hands-on labs without frustration.

Scope and main topics covered

The book covers both offensive and defensive angles: reconnaissance, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, post-exploitation, web application security, network security, wireless security, social engineering, and defensive strategies like detection and remediation. You’ll also find material on legal and ethical considerations, reporting, and how to structure engagements.

It includes examples featuring common tools (like Nmap, Metasploit, Burp Suite), scripting snippets, and typical lab scenarios. The goal is to help you replicate real-world testing workflows and to demonstrate how findings translate into practical remediation.

Structure and learning path

The organization generally follows a learning path from foundations to advanced techniques, with separate sections for tools and methodologies. This lets you either read cover-to-cover or jump to focused chapters depending on your needs.

Each chapter tends to include background context, step-by-step examples, and suggested exercises. This mixture helps reinforce learning by alternating theory with practical application, so you can both understand concepts and try them in a lab.

Part: Foundations and mindset

You’ll find foundational chapters that explain the attacker mindset, threat modeling, and the ethics and legality of hacking. These sections prepare you to think like a tester and emphasize responsible disclosure and scope control.

These chapters are essential because they frame every subsequent technical exercise within an ethical and professional context. That helps you avoid common mistakes and keeps assessments lawful.

Part: Reconnaissance and information gathering

The reconnaissance content explains passive and active information gathering: OSINT techniques, DNS enumeration, network mapping, fingerprinting, and scanning strategies. You’ll learn how to profile targets efficiently and reduce noise in your tests.

You’ll get examples of command-line scanning workflows, scripts for automating repetitive tasks, and guidance on what information matters most during different phases of an engagement.

Part: Vulnerability discovery and assessment

Here, the book covers vulnerability scanning, manual verification strategies, and the difference between false positives and exploitable findings. You’ll learn how to validate scanner results and prioritize what to report.

This part is practical and helps you build a repeatable process for triaging and categorizing risks based on exploitability and impact.

Part: Exploitation and post-exploitation

You’ll find detailed walkthroughs of classic exploitation scenarios, privilege escalation techniques, and how to maintain access safely during an authorized test. The book balances exploit mechanics with defensive implications so you understand both attack and mitigation.

Post-exploitation chapters often explain lateral movement, persistence, credential harvesting, and proper cleanup procedures to return systems to a safe state after labs.

Part: Web application security

The web security section covers common vulnerabilities (OWASP Top Ten), secure coding issues, and practical testing techniques using proxies and automated tools. You’ll learn how to validate input validation, authentication problems, and business logic flaws.

Expect both manual attack chains and examples using tools like Burp Suite. The focus is on teaching you to reason about application behavior rather than memorizing a checklist.

Part: Network and wireless security

This area covers classical network attacks (ARP spoofing, MITM, weak protocols) and wireless-specific threats (WEP/WPA cracking, rogue access points). You’ll learn how networks can be manipulated and how to detect and prevent those manipulations.

Practical lab steps show how to set up test environments, capture traffic, and interpret packet captures to find suspicious activity.

Part: Social engineering and human-focused attacks

You’ll see sections on phishing, pretexting, phone-based attacks, and how to test human factors without crossing ethical lines. The book emphasizes consent, clear rules of engagement, and safe simulation techniques.

This content is useful because many real compromises begin with human error, so you’ll learn how to combine technical and non-technical assessments to get a fuller security picture.

Part: Defensive measures and detection

Defense-oriented chapters discuss hardening systems, building detection capability, log analysis, and incident response basics. You’ll learn to interpret attacker techniques into practical controls like patching, segmentation, and monitoring.

The book helps you think about security from both a preventive and reactive standpoint, which is key for building resilient environments.

Part: Reporting and professional practice

You’ll find guidance on writing actionable reports, communicating with stakeholders, and structuring remediation advice. This section also covers how to manage engagements, establish scope, and document your methods responsibly.

Being able to translate technical findings into business risk is central to effective security work, and the book gives practical templates and examples to help you.

Tools and technologies discussed

The authors include a broad set of tools used by security professionals: scanning tools (Nmap), vulnerability scanners, exploitation frameworks (Metasploit), web proxies (Burp Suite), packet analysis (Wireshark), password-cracking tools (Hashcat), and scripts in Python and Bash.

You’ll get annotated examples showing how to configure these tools for specific tests and how to combine them into a workflow. The coverage is practical and assumes you’ll run the same tools in lab environments.

Table: Quick breakdown of the book at a glance

Aspect	What you get	Practical value
Scope	Offensive & defensive coverage, legal/ethical guidance	High — broad enough for full assessments
Depth	From fundamentals to advanced techniques	Medium-High — more practical than purely academic
Labs	Step-by-step examples and exercises	High — encourages hands-on learning
Tools	Coverage of mainstream pentesting tools	High — relevant to real engagements
Prerequisites	Basic networking, command line, VM skills	Medium — some prior knowledge helps
Audience	Students, security pros, admins, devs	Broad — useful at multiple levels
Readability	Friendly, practical, example-driven	High — approachable for technical readers
Updatedness	First Edition — may lack latest CVEs/2024-specific tool changes	Medium — foundational concepts remain valid

Hands-on labs and how helpful they are

The labs are one of the book’s strong suits: you’ll be walked through realistic scenarios, from initial discovery to exploitation and reporting. They emphasize reproducibility using VMs and safe environments.

You should be prepared to spin up Linux virtual machines, install software, and follow command-line instructions. If you do, the labs will accelerate your practical competence far more than passive reading.

Code and scripts included

Expect sample scripts in Python and Bash to automate scanning, parsing results, and basic exploitation tasks. The scripts are generally compact and well-commented so you can adapt them to your environments.

You’ll find value in those snippets as templates to build your own tooling and to understand how small automations speed up assessments.

Coverage of ethics and legality

The book places clear emphasis on responsible testing: defining scope, obtaining authorization, following local laws, and avoiding destructive actions. You’ll get practical tips on how to handle findings ethically and how to structure lawful engagements.

This is particularly important because learning offensive techniques without ethics can lead to serious legal and professional consequences; the book tries to make that line clear.

Real-world applicability

You’ll be able to apply the core techniques to real assessment tasks, especially at smaller-scale engagements or internal red-team/blue-team exercises. The methodology sections are designed to mimic professional workflows.

However, for highly specialized environments (cloud-native infrastructures at scale, very new attack vectors), you’ll need to combine this book with more focused, up-to-date resources.

Strengths of the book

• Breadth and practical focus: You get both offense and defense with practical workflows. You’ll appreciate having a single reference that covers many typical engagement needs.
• Hands-on labs: The exercises reinforce learning and let you practice in controlled setups. You’ll learn by doing rather than simply reading.
• Ethical emphasis: Clear rules of engagement and legal guidance reduce risk when you practice techniques. You’ll be better prepared to act responsibly.
• Tool-focused tutorials: You’ll learn how to configure and chain common tools into efficient testing processes. That practical knowledge is immediately usable.

These strengths make the book a solid choice for learners who want to build competency that transfers to job tasks.

Weaknesses and limitations

• First Edition: The book may not reflect the very latest tool versions or the newest classes of vulnerabilities that emerged after publication. You should supplement it with up-to-date blogs, CVE feeds, and tooling docs.
• Not a deep dive on every topic: Because it’s comprehensive, some sections are necessarily shallower than specialized monographs. If you need exhaustive material on, for example, advanced exploit development or cloud-native attacks, you’ll need additional resources.
• Lab setup expectations: Some readers may struggle if they lack experience with virtualization or dependency management. You’ll need to be comfortable installing and configuring environments.
• Tool reliance: While tools are useful, the book sometimes emphasizes tools over building conceptual models; you’ll need to ensure you understand why techniques work, not just how to run commands.

Understanding these trade-offs helps you set expectations and plan supplementary learning where needed.

How this book compares to other popular resources

Compared to shorter or more domain-specific books, this guide is broader and more practice-oriented. Compared to extremely focused exploit development texts, it sacrifices depth for breadth.

If you already own an OWASP/ web-focused text or an exploit-writing manual, this book functions well as a bridging resource that ties different disciplines together. It’s less focused than an entire book on reverse engineering, but more applied than purely theoretical cybersecurity tomes.

Practical tips for getting the most out of the book

• Set up a lab before you start: Use virtual machines and snapshots so you can revert and experiment safely.
• Work through the exercises: Typing commands and fixing errors will teach you more than passive reading.
• Keep a notes file: Document command sequences, mistakes, and why certain steps worked — that personal log becomes a powerful reference.
• Pair the book with online resources: Follow tool documentation, recent CVE write-ups, and active blogs for the latest context.
• Practice responsible testing: If you practice on networks you don’t own, obtain explicit permission and follow a clear rules-of-engagement framework.

These habits will significantly accelerate how quickly you convert book knowledge into real-world skills.

Who should buy this book

You should buy this book if you want a single, practical resource that covers both attack and defense workflows and if you prefer a hands-on approach. It’s a good fit for students, SOC analysts, junior penetration testers, or system administrators seeking to harden systems.

If your focus is ultra-specialized (e.g., kernel exploitation, advanced reverse engineering, or offensive cloud-native attacks at scale), you may want to treat this book as a foundational stepping stone rather than your only resource.

Pricing and value

Value depends on how you use the book. If you actively perform the labs and supplement with current sources, it’s a high-value purchase because you get a broad set of practical skills. If you only skim and don’t practice, the value decreases.

The price will vary by retailer and format (print vs. eBook). Consider the book’s lab utility and the cost of additional online materials and lab infrastructure when evaluating overall investment.

Updates and future editions

As a first edition, expect future revisions to refine examples, update tools, and incorporate the latest vulnerability classes and defensive practices. You should watch for new editions or companion online resources from the publisher for updated labs and errata.

In the meantime, keeping a habit of checking official tool documentation and recent write-ups will keep your learning current.

Example use cases and learning outcomes

• If you’re preparing for an entry-level pentesting role, you’ll gain a structured methodology for assessments and practical exposure to key tools.
• If you’re a system administrator, you’ll learn attack patterns to better configure defenses and monitoring.
• If you’re a developer, the web application chapters will improve how you design input validation, authentication, and session controls.
• If you’re a student, the labs and scripting examples give you a tangible portfolio of skills and exercises to discuss in interviews.

These outcomes make the book a practical career tool, not just an academic text.

Common questions answered within the book

• How do you perform safe reconnaissance without violating privacy or law? The book provides rules-of-engagement templates and ethical constraints.
• How do you validate a vulnerability rather than rely on automated scanner results? You’ll get manual verification steps and heuristics.
• What’s a professional way to report findings to non-technical stakeholders? The reporting chapter offers templates and language for clear, actionable remediation.

By addressing these everyday concerns, the book helps you operate professionally during real engagements.

Recommended supplemental resources

You’ll get the most from the book if you pair it with:

• Online CVE and vulnerability research feeds for the latest examples.
• Tool-specific documentation for the latest features and flags (Nmap, Burp Suite, Metasploit, Hashcat).
• Capture-the-Flag (CTF) platforms and intentionally vulnerable VMs (e.g., OWASP Juice Shop, Metasploitable) for continued practice.
• Community blogs, security mailing lists, and vendor advisories for real-world case studies.

Combining these will keep your practical skills sharp and current.

Final verdict

If you want a friendly, practical, and comprehensive entry point into ethical hacking and cybersecurity, this book is a solid choice. You’ll appreciate the hands-on labs, the focus on professional conduct, and the wide coverage across attack and defense disciplines.

Use it as a core reference and lab manual, then augment it with up-to-date sources and specialized texts as your interests sharpen. With consistent practice, the book will help you build a practical skillset that employers value.

Quick recommendation checklist

• You should buy it if: you want practical, tool-driven learning and are ready to set up labs.
• Consider waiting or supplementing if: you need the absolute latest vulnerability coverage or deep specialization in one narrow domain.
• Best approach: read sequentially at first, then use the book as a reference for targeted tasks.

If you follow the labs and continue practicing, you’ll convert the book’s content into real, demonstrable cybersecurity competence.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.