Top 15 Ethical Hacking Books For Beginners [2024]

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Updated: April 29th, 2022

Top 15 Ethical Hacking Books For Beginners [2024]

Ethical Hacking is a set of activities to protect computers, systems, or networks from any unauthorized access and attack.

The development of cyber-attacks and the increasing number of computer systems and networks which are vulnerable has made the need to learn ethical hacking a necessity.

Getting started in the field of ethical hacking can be challenging. To succeed, you need a strong foundation. Reading books on the topic is one of the best ways to gain the knowledge you need.

If you plan to learn more about Ethical Hacking, these books provide an excellent place to start.

1. Hacking: The Art of Exploitation

Written by: Jon Erickson
Page counts: 488
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book provides unconventional solutions, resources, and insights about ethical hacking.

”Hacking: The Art of Exploitation” is a book by Jon Erickson about computer and network security.

It provides a detailed and practical approach to exploitation techniques. The book covers all topics such as buffer overflows, shellcode, network security, and cryptography.

Read this book ➜

2. The Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Discovering and Exploiting Security Flaws 1st Edition

Written by: Dafydd Stuttard and Marcus Pinto
Page counts: 768
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book teaches the readers how to find and exploit security flaws in web applications, so that their data is always safe.

In this practical book, the latest step-by-step techniques for attacking and defending web applications have been completely updated to keep up with ever-evolving threats.

The author used real-world examples, screenshots with code extracts to help you understand what each one means so that it's easier for your organization or project defenses against these vulnerabilities.

Read this book ➜

3. Penetration Testing – A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking

Written by: Georgia Weidman
Page counts: 528
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book is full of practical tips and tricks to help you protect your systems against hackers.

The book is ideal for beginners who want to learn about ethical hacking and penetration testing. It covers all the basics of hacking and penetration testing and provides a detailed step-by-step guide to carrying out these tasks.

Read this book ➜

4. The Hacker Playbook 2: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing

Written by: Peter Kim
Page counts: 358
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: The book is well-explained, starting from the setup of a whole environment and going on to exploit it.

“The Hacker Playbook” is the ultimate hacking guide for beginners and experts alike. It provides detailed instructions on how to find, attack, protect against viruses & other security risks as well as offer helpful advice from top hackers in their field!

Read this book ➜

5. Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook (5th edition)

Written by: Shon Harris, Allen Harper, Daniel Regalado, Ryan Linn, Stephen Sims, Branko Spasojevic, Linda Martinez, Michael Baucom, and Chris Eagle
Page counts: 640
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: Instead of just focusing on software tools, the authors have explained the understanding of how systems operate and what their vulnerabilities are.

The Fifth Edition of The Ethical Hacker's Handbook offers a comprehensive and up-to-date guide on how hackers operate, with special attention paid to the latest techniques they use.

The book helps the reader understand hacking methods and tools needed to protect their Windows or Linux-based system.

Read this book ➜

6. The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing

Written by: Patrick Engebretson
Page counts: 225
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book is the ultimate resource for anyone who wants to learn more about internet security and testing their own connection.

Penetration testing and hacking are becoming more popular as hackers find new ways to break through security measures.

This book serves as an introduction for those who want a general understanding of what it takes, from beginning all the way through with steps required along each stage in order to successfully complete your task at hand!

Read this book ➜

7. Hands-On Ethical Hacking and Network Defense

Written by: Michael T. Simpson, Kent Backman, and James Corley
Page counts: 480
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book provides a thorough discussion of the tools and methodology used by ethical hackers to penetrate computer systems.

The book "Hands-On Ethical Hacking and Network Defense" provides the reader with an in-depth look into what ethical hackers do and how important they are.

This book will teach you everything there's need-to know when it comes down to protecting yourself with regards towards the online threats.

Read this book ➜

8. The Hacker's Underground Handbook

Written by: David Melnichuk
Page counts: 122
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book gives you a pretty good insight into what hackers are really thinking and yet filled with actionable advice.

The Hacker's Underground Handbook is the perfect introduction to hacking for beginners. Each introductory chapter includes a real-world example that makes it easy and interesting, while also assuming no previous knowledge of this fascinating field!

Read this book ➜

9. Black Hat Python: Python Programming for Hackers and Pentesters

Written by: Justin Seitz
Page counts: 192
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book teaches you how to use Python for offensive security purposes.

You will explore the darker side of Python's capabilities with this book—writing network sniffers, manipulating packets and more!

This book will teach you how to break through any security system, no matter what it is. It's filled with hacks and penetration tests that could save your life in an emergency!

Read this book ➜

10. Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide

Written by: David Kennedy, Jim O'Gorman, Devon Kearns, and Mati Aharoni
Page counts: 328
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book provides an excellent crash course on how it all works. With this book, you will be able to do both vulnerability research and exploit writing with ease.

Metasploit is the penetration testing community's guide. It helps you understand how to harness this powerful framework and interact with other members of our vibrant group who are making a difference in security research today!

Read this book ➜

11. Hacking Exposed 7: Network Security Secrets and Solutions

Written by: Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, and George Kurtz
Page counts: 768
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: This book offers a great introduction to the subject of hacking that can keep the readers engaged. It provides high-level descriptions and a reasonable degree of technical depth into hacking.

Hacking Exposed 7 is the ultimate guide for hackers. This book is a complete guide to combating the latest threats and staying safe online.

The latest edition of this book is an essential resource for anyone who wants to be up-to-date with the most current attack vector and keep themselves safe from these evolving threats.

Read this book ➜

12. Exploiting Software: How to Break Code

Written by: Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, and George Kurtz
Page counts: 512
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: Software security lapses are a big problem and the book helps you to understand why they happen, as well as how software quality problems lead directly toward them.

This book provides in-depth coverage on the black hat techniques that hackers use, so if security is something important for business or personal reasons then this text should be read by all who seek vulnerabilities within software systems with an intention other than good faith usage!

Read this book ➜

13. The Tangled Web: A Guide to Securing Modern Web Applications

Written by: Michal Zalewski
Page counts: 320
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: In this book, every chapter contains security engineering cheat sheets that offer quick solutions for the most common problems.

The author of this book gives insight into the vulnerabilities that make hacking possible on a large scale. The solutions he provides will help you protect your data and keep it safe from prospective hackers!

Read this book ➜

14. The Hardware Hacker: Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware

Written by: Andrew Bunnie Huang
Page counts: 424
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: The Essential Guide to Electronics will help you navigate this exciting world and make sure that your electronics projects are up-to-date on all current knowledge.

The book "The Hardware Hacker" covers all topics related to reverse engineering, including practices between.

This book is a treasure trove for aspiring hackers and makers. With detailed passages on the ins-and outs of manufacturing, this book has everything you need to know about open source hardware!

Read this book ➜

15. Advanced Penetration Testing: Hacking the World's Most Secure Networks

Written by: Wil Allsopp
Page counts: 288
Buy it here: Amazon
Why readers love it: Hacking is a very popular skill in today's society, and this book takes you through one chapter after another about different hacking methods.

This book is for professionals who want to think like professional hackers and perform pen-testing on highly secure networks. The author takes you through some complex scenarios with easy-to understand instructions that will help you to face any challenge head on!

Read this book ➜

Final Thought:

Getting started in the world of ethical hacking? Start by learning from the best ethical hacking books.

In this article, we have recommended some of the top ethical hacking books for beginners. Whether you're just getting started or you're looking to take your skills to the next level, these books will give you the foundation you need to be a successful ethical hacker.

And if you want to know more about ethical hacking, Be sure to check out StarterStory.com to get inspiration.

meet the author

Samantha Walls

I'm Sam Walls, COO of Starter Story - a platform and community for entrepreneurs and future founders to learn what it takes to build a great business. I joined the Starter Story team approximately 3 years ago, with the goal of providing our readers with the best, most valuable, and inspirational content on the internet.

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