Hacking: The Next Generation

Summary

In this chapter, we looked at how the design and implementation of some of the most fundamental networking and communication protocols are inherently insecure. Even though attackers are known to be evolving and are using and abusing more complex and lethal techniques, they are unlikely to give up on the known insecure designs of older protocols. Think about it from the attacker’s perspective: why bother with sophisticated attacks when it is still so easy to penetrate the infrastructure of many Fortune 500 companies using simple attack vectors that still work?

Business organizations and citizens rely on these protocols to transfer confidential data and perform critical business transactions. A cheap laptop with a wireless network card and a little bit of patience is all a potential attacker needs to compromise the data and systems of some of the biggest corporations in the world. Unfortunately, these protocols and services are unlikely to be replaced by their secure counterparts any time soon. Fortunately, organizations and end users can learn from the content presented in this chapter and understand the tactics that potential attackers can use.