
212 Chapter 5 • Hacking Techniques and Tools
Q: I understand that hackers can determine what OS and service I’m
running when the service identifies itself.What can I do to obscure
that information so the hacker can’t tell I’m running Brand X oper-
ating system and service?
A:You can obscure the OS and service identification, but it truly
doesn’t buy you any real security benefit.The novice intruder will
still run innumerable attack styles against you, and the seasoned
intruder will see right through the ruse. As a rule, it’s far more advis-
able to simply stay abreast of the latest vulnerabilities and current
patches on your system.The latter approach will ...