book

Mastering Python for Networking and Security - Second Edition

by José Manuel Ortega

January 2021

Intermediate to advanced

538 pages

10h 41m

English

Packt Publishing

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Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the example code filesCode in ActionDownload the color imagesConventions usedGet in touchReviews
Technical requirementsIntroduction to Python scriptingWhy choose Python?Multi-platform capabilities and versionsPython 3 featuresExploring Python data structuresListsTuplesPython dictionariesPython functions, classes, and managing exceptionsPython functionsPython classesPython inheritanceManaging exceptionsPython modules and packagesWhat is a module in Python?Getting information from standard modulesDifference between a Python module and a Python packagePython Module IndexManaging parameters in PythonManaging dependencies and virtual environmentsManaging dependencies in a Python projectGenerating the requirements.txt fileWorking with virtual environmentsConfiguring virtualenvDevelopment environments for Python scriptingSetting up a development environmentPyCharmDebugging with PyCharmDebugging with Python IDLESummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsIntroducing system modules in PythonThe system (sys) moduleThe operating system (os) moduleThe platform moduleThe subprocess moduleWorking with the filesystem in PythonWorking with files and directoriesReading and writing files in PythonOpening a file with a context managerReading a ZIP file using PythonManaging threads in PythonCreating a simple threadWorking with the threading moduleMultithreading in PythonLimitations of classic Python threadsConcurrency in Python with ThreadPoolExecutorExecuting ThreadPoolExecutor with a context managerWorking with socket.ioImplementing a server with socket.ioImplementing a client that connects to the serverSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsIntroducing sockets in PythonNetwork sockets in PythonThe socket moduleBasic client with the socket moduleImplementing an HTTP server in PythonTesting the HTTP serverImplementing a reverse shell with socketsResolving IPS domains, addresses, and managing exceptionsGathering information with socketsUsing the reverse lookup commandManaging socket exceptionsPort scanning with socketsImplementing a basic port scannerAdvanced port scannerImplementing a simple TCP client and TCP serverImplementing a server and client with socketsImplementing the TCP serverImplementing the TCP clientImplementing a simple UDP client and UDP serverImplementing the UDP serverImplementing the UDP clientSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsIntroducing the HTTP protocolReviewing the status codesBuilding an HTTP client with http.clientBuilding an HTTP client with urllib.requestGet response and request headersExtracting emails from a URL with urllib.requestDownloading files with urllib.requestHandling exceptions with urllib.requestBuilding an HTTP client with requestsGetting images and links from a URL with requestsMaking GET requests with the REST APIMaking POST requests with the REST APIManaging a proxy with requestsManaging exceptions with requestsBuilding an HTTP client with httpxAuthentication mechanisms with PythonHTTP basic authentication with a requests moduleHTTP digest authentication with the requests moduleSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsUnderstanding the Tor Project and hidden servicesExploring the Tor networkWhat are hidden services?Tools for anonymity in the Tor networkConnecting to the Tor networkNode types in the Tor networkInstalling the Tor serviceExoneraTor and NyxDiscovering hidden services with OSINT toolsSearch enginesInspecting onion address with onioffOnionScan as a research tool for the deep webDocker onion-nmapModules and packages in Python for connecting to the Tor networkConnecting to the Tor network from PythonExtracting information from the Tor network with the stem moduleTools that allow us to search hidden services and automate the crawling process in the Tor networkScraping information from the Tor network with Python toolsSummaryQuestions

Technical requirementsExtracting information from servers with ShodanAccessing Shodan servicesThe Shodan RESTful APIShodan search with PythonUsing Shodan filters and the BinaryEdge search engineShodan filtersBinaryEdge search engineUsing the socket module to obtain server informationExtracting server banners with PythonGetting information on DNS servers with DNSPythonDNS protocolDNS serversThe DNSPython moduleGetting vulnerable addresses in servers with fuzzingThe fuzzing processUnderstanding and using the FuzzDB projectSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsConnecting with FTP serversUsing the Python ftplib moduleUsing ftplib to brute-force FTP user credentialsBuilding an anonymous FTP scanner with PythonConnecting with SSH servers with paramiko and pysftpExecuting an SSH server on Debian LinuxIntroducing the paramiko moduleEstablishing an SSH connection with paramikoRunning commands with paramikoUsing paramiko to brute-force SSH user credentialsEstablishing an SSH connection with pysftpImplementing SSH clients and servers with the asyncSSH and asyncio modulesChecking the security in SSH servers with the ssh-audit toolInstalling and executing ssh-auditRebex SSH CheckSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsIntroducing port scanning with NmapScan modes with python-nmapImplementing synchronous scanningImplementing asynchronous scanningWorking with Nmap through the os and subprocess modulesDiscovering services and vulnerabilities with Nmap scriptsExecuting Nmap scripts to discover servicesExecuting Nmap scripts to discover vulnerabilitiesSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsUnderstanding vulnerabilities and exploitsWhat is an exploit?Vulnerability formatsIntroducing the Nessus vulnerability scannerInstalling and executing the Nessus vulnerability scannerNessus vulnerabilities reportsAccessing the Nessus API with PythonInteracting with the Nessus serverIntroducing the OpenVAS vulnerability scannerInstalling the OpenVAS vulnerability scannerUnderstanding the web interfaceScanning a machine using OpenVASAccessing OpenVAS with PythonSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsUnderstanding vulnerabilities in web applications with OWASPTesting XSSAnalyzing and discovering vulnerabilities in CMS web applicationsUsing CMSMap Other CMS scannersDiscovering SQL vulnerabilities with Python toolsIntroduction to SQL injectionIdentifying pages vulnerable to SQL injectionIntroducing SQLmapUsing SQLmap to test a website for a SQL injection vulnerabilityScanning for SQL injection vulnerabilities with the Nmap port scannerTesting Heartbleed and SSL/TLS vulnerabilitiesVulnerabilities in the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocolFinding vulnerable servers in the Censys search engineAnalyzing and exploiting the Heartbleed vulnerability (OpenSSL CVE-2014-0160)Scanning for the Heartbleed vulnerability with the Nmap port scannerScanning TLS/SSL configurations with SSLyzeSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsExploring security in Python modulesPython functions with security issuesInput/output validationEval function securityControlling user input in dynamic code evaluationPickle module securitySecurity in a subprocess moduleUsing the shlex moduleInsecure temporary filesStatic code analysis for detecting vulnerabilitiesIntroducing static code analysisIntroducing Pylint and DlintThe Bandit static code analyzerBandit test pluginsDetecting Python modules with backdoors and malicious codeInsecure packages in PyPiBackdoor detection in Python modulesDenial-of-service vulnerability in urllib3Security in Python web applications with the Flask frameworkRendering an HTML page with FlaskCross-site scripting (XSS) in FlaskDisabling debug mode in the Flask appSecurity redirections with FlaskPython security best practicesUsing packages with the __init__.py interfaceUpdating your Python versionInstalling virtualenvInstalling dependenciesUsing services to check security in Python projectsSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsVolatility framework for extracting data from memory and disk imagesInstalling VolatilityIdentifying the image profileVolatility pluginsConnecting and analyzing SQLite databasesSQLite databasesThe sqlite3 moduleNetwork forensics with PcapXrayGetting information from the Windows registryIntroducing python-registryLogging in PythonLogging levelsLogging module componentsSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsExtracting geolocation informationExtracting metadata from imagesIntroduction to EXIF and the PIL moduleGetting the EXIF data from an imageExtracting metadata from PDF documentsIdentifying the technology used by a websiteExtracting metadata from web browsersFirefox forensics with PythonChrome forensics with PythonSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Technical requirementsEncrypting and decrypting information with pycryptodomeIntroduction to cryptographyIntroduction to pycryptodomeEncrypting and decrypting information with cryptographyIntroduction to the cryptography moduleSteganography techniques for hiding information in imagesIntroduction to steganographySteganography with StepicGenerating keys securely with the secrets and hashlib modulesGenerating keys securely with the secrets moduleGenerating keys securely with the hashlib moduleSummaryQuestionsFurther reading
Chapter 1 – Working with Python ScriptingChapter 2 – System Programming Packages Chapter 3 – Socket ProgrammingChapter 4 – HTTP ProgrammingChapter 5 – Connecting to the Tor Network and Discovering Hidden ServicesChapter 6 – Gathering Information from ServersChapter 7 – Interacting with FTP, SFTP, and SSH ServersChapter 8 – Working with Nmap ScannerChapter 9 – Interacting with Vulnerability ScannersChapter 10 – Identifying Server Vulnerabilities in Web ApplicationsChapter 11 – Security and Vulnerabilities in Python ModulesChapter 12 – Python Tools for Forensics AnalysisChapter 13 – Extracting Geolocation and Metadata from Documents, Images, and BrowsersChapter 14 – Cryptography and Steganography
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Content preview from Mastering Python for Networking and Security - Second Edition

Chapter 4: HTTP Programming

This chapter will introduce you to the HTTP protocol and cover how we can retrieve and manipulate web content using Python. We also take a look at the standard urllib library, as well as requests and httpx packages. In addition, we'll look at the third-party requests module, which is a very popular alternative to urllib. It has an elegant interface and a powerful feature set, and it is a great tool for streamlining HTTP workflows. Finally, we will cover HTTP authentication mechanisms and how we can manage them with the requests module.

This chapter will provide us with the foundation to become familiar with different alternatives within Python when we need to use a module that provides different functionality to make ...