Welcome to the third edition of your Cyber-Security Playground Guide.

Would you like to acquire an impressive online skill such as writing a virus? Have you always wanted to understand how people get your information? Are you interested in increasing your personal security online or your hacking toolkit? If you can say "yes" to any one of these questions, then Hacking is the book for you. In this book, you will learn several skills and techniques that you need to acquire in order to become a successful computer hacker. Hacking is a term that has been associated with negativity over the years. It has been mentioned when referring to a range of cybercrimes including identity theft, stealing of information, and generally being disruptive. However, all this is actually a misconception and misunderstanding - a misuse of the word hacking by people who have criminalized this skill. Hacking is actually more about acquiring and properly utilizing a programming skill. The intention of hacking is for the improvement of a situation, rather than of taking advantage of a situation. This book provides a holistic view of everything that is entailed in hacking, explaining both the negative side of hacking and the positive side. The details that are discussed in this book include how to acquire the right hacking skills, and how to then develop these skills over a period of time. These details are laid out in topic-specific chapters.