Page 25 - Hands-On Bug Hunting for Penetration Testers

Joining the Hunt Chapter 1

What You Should Already

Know ` Pentesting Background

This book assumes a familiarity with both web application engineering and the basics of
web application security. Any experience with the frontend technologies that will provide
the interface and context for many of your discoveries is an asset, including a basic
understanding of HTML/CSS/JS, and the DOM; the client-server relationship, session
management (cookies, TTL, and so on); and the browser environment. In addition, a
general acquaintance with the RESTful API architecture, popular application frameworks
and languages (Django/Python, RoR/Ruby, and so on), common application security
techniques, and common vulnerabilities, will all be handy. You might be a full-time
security researcher, a moonlighting web application engineer, or even just a programming
enthusiast with a light background and a historical interest in security d you'll all find
something useful within these pages. If you're just beginning, that's OK too d working
through the step-by-step walk-through in later chapters will help you develop as a security
researcher; you just might need to fill in the gaps with outside context.

In addition to these topics, it's assumed you'll also have experience using the command
line. While many great graphic tools exist for conducting and visualizing penetration
testing engagements, and we'll use many of them, the CLI is an invaluable tool for
everything from package management, to real-time pentesting execution, to automation.
And while many of the tools used will have a compatible Windows counterpart, the actual
engagements will be conducted (for the most part) on a 2015-generation MacBook Pro
loaded with High Sierra (10.13.2), if you are working on a Windows PC, you can still
participate by using a virtual machine or emulation software.

Setting Up Your Environment ` Tools To

Know

All of the tools we'll use in this book will be free d you shouldn't need to purchase anything
outside of this work to recreate the walk-throughs. In the survey of other security software
not used directly in our engagements in $IBQUFS , Other Tools, there will be a discussion
of other technologies (paid and free) you can leverage for extra functionality.

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