Shavlik White Papers

Thinking Like a Hacker

Thinking like a successful hacker is not much different from thinking like a good developer. The most successful hackers follow a specific methodology that they have developed over time. They apply patience and carefully document every step of their work, much like developers.

The hacker's objective is to compromise the intended target or application. The hacker begins with little or no information about the target; however, by the end of the analysis, the attacker will have constructed a detailed roadmap that will allow them to compromise the target. This can only be achieved through careful analysis and a methodical approach to investigating the soon-to-be-victim.

The hacker's systematic method generally covers these seven steps:

1. Perform a footprint analysis
2. Enumerate information
3. Obtain access through user manipulation
4. Escalate privileges
5. Gather additional passwords and secrets
6. Install backdoors
7. Leverage the compromised system

This report shows you how hackers approach the tasks of breaking into networks and systems and compromising software applications. By knowing more about the hackers' methodology, you can beat them at their own game.

View this report by entering your information below. It will not be shared with anyone else.