Defensive Security with Kali Purple. Cybersecurity strategies using ELK Stack and Kali Linux

Karl Lane

Defensive Security with Kali Purple combines red team tools from the Kali Linux OS and blue team tools commonly found within a security operations center (SOC) for an all-in-one approach to cybersecurity. This book takes you from an overview of today's cybersecurity services and their evolution to building a solid understanding of how Kali Purple can enhance training and support proof-of-concept scenarios for your technicians and analysts.After getting to grips with the basics, you’ll learn how to develop a cyber defense system for Small Office Home Office (SOHO ) services. This is demonstrated through the installation and configuration of supporting tools such as virtual machines, the Java SDK, Elastic, and related software. You’ll then explore Kali Purple’s compatibility with the Malcolm suite of tools, including Arkime, CyberChef, Suricata, and Zeek. As you progress, the book introduces advanced features, such as security incident response with StrangeBee’s Cortex and TheHive and threat and intelligence feeds. Finally, you’ll delve into digital forensics and explore tools for social engineering and exploit development.By the end of this book, you’ll have a clear and practical understanding of how this powerful suite of tools can be implemented in real-world scenarios.

Data Cleaning with Power BI. The definitive guide to transforming dirty data into actionable insights

Gus Frazer

Microsoft Power BI offers a range of powerful data cleaning and preparation options through tools such as DAX, Power Query, and the M language. However, despite its user-friendly interface, mastering it can be challenging. Whether you're a seasoned analyst or a novice exploring the potential of Power BI, this comprehensive guide equips you with techniques to transform raw data into a reliable foundation for insightful analysis and visualization.This book serves as a comprehensive guide to data cleaning, starting with data quality, common data challenges, and best practices for handling data. You’ll learn how to import and clean data with Query Editor and transform data using the M query language. As you advance, you’ll explore Power BI’s data modeling capabilities for efficient cleaning and establishing relationships. Later chapters cover best practices for using Power Automate for data cleaning and task automation. Finally, you’ll discover how OpenAI and ChatGPT can make data cleaning in Power BI easier.By the end of the book, you will have a comprehensive understanding of data cleaning concepts, techniques, and how to use Power BI and its tools for effective data preparation.

Mastering Flask Web and API Development. Build and deploy production-ready Flask apps seamlessly across web, APIs, and mobile platforms

Sherwin John C. Tragura

Flask is a popular Python framework known for its lightweight and modular design. Mastering Flask Web and API Development will take you on an exhaustive tour of the Flask environment and teach you how to build a production-ready application.You’ll start by installing Flask and grasping fundamental concepts, such as MVC and ORM database access. Next, you’ll master structuring applications for scalability through Flask blueprints. As you progress, you’ll explore both SQL and NoSQL databases while creating REST APIs and implementing JWT authentication, and improve your skills in role-based access security, utilizing LDAP, OAuth, OpenID, and databases. The new project structure, managed by context managers, as well as ASGI support, has revolutionized Flask, and you’ll get to grips with these crucial upgrades. You'll also explore out-of-the-box integrations with technologies, such as RabbitMQ, Celery, NoSQL databases, PostgreSQL, and various external modules. The concluding chapters discuss enterprise-related challenges where Flask proves its mettle as a core solution.By the end of this book, you’ll be well-versed with Flask, seeing it not only as a lightweight web and API framework, but also as a potent problem-solving tool in your daily work, addressing integration and enterprise issues alongside Django and FastAPI.

Pentesting Active Directory and Windows-based Infrastructure. A comprehensive practical guide to penetration testing Microsoft infrastructure

Denis Isakov

This book teaches you the tactics and techniques used to attack a Windows-based environment, along with showing you how to detect malicious activities and remediate misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.You’ll begin by deploying your lab, where every technique can be replicated. The chapters help you master every step of the attack kill chain and put new knowledge into practice. You’ll discover how to evade defense of common built-in security mechanisms, such as AMSI, AppLocker, and Sysmon; perform reconnaissance and discovery activities in the domain environment by using common protocols and tools; and harvest domain-wide credentials. You’ll also learn how to move laterally by blending into the environment’s traffic to stay under radar, escalate privileges inside the domain and across the forest, and achieve persistence at the domain level and on the domain controller. Every chapter discusses OpSec considerations for each technique, and you’ll apply this kill chain to perform the security assessment of other Microsoft products and services, such as Exchange, SQL Server, and SCCM.By the end of this book, you'll be able to perform a full-fledged security assessment of the Microsoft environment, detect malicious activity in your network, and guide IT engineers on remediation steps to improve the security posture of the company.

Cloud Forensics Demystified. Decoding cloud investigation complexities for digital forensic professionals

Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Mansoor Haqanee

As organizations embrace cloud-centric environments, it becomes imperative for security professionals to master the skills of effective cloud investigation. Cloud Forensics Demystified addresses this pressing need, explaining how to use cloud-native tools and logs together with traditional digital forensic techniques for a thorough cloud investigation. The book begins by giving you an overview of cloud services, followed by a detailed exploration of the tools and techniques used to investigate popular cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Progressing through the chapters, you’ll learn how to investigate Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and containerized environments such as Kubernetes. Throughout, the chapters emphasize the significance of the cloud, explaining which tools and logs need to be enabled for investigative purposes and demonstrating how to integrate them with traditional digital forensic tools and techniques to respond to cloud security incidents. By the end of this book, you’ll be well-equipped to handle security breaches in cloud-based environments and have a comprehensive understanding of the essential cloud-based logs vital to your investigations. This knowledge will enable you to swiftly acquire and scrutinize artifacts of interest in cloud security incidents.

iOS 18 Programming for Beginners. Learn iOS development with Swift 6, Xcode 16, and iOS 18 - your path to App Store success - Ninth Edition

Ahmad Sahar

Want to turn your app idea into reality? iOS 18 Programming for Beginners is a guide that revolves around building a journal app, designed to teach you practical iOS development skills from the ground up. Through this approach, you'll gain hands-on experience with Xcode programming and progress through building a UI and filling it with functionality.Starting with the fundamentals of Swift 6, you'll learn how to construct user interfaces using storyboards and segues before diving into essential iOS concepts like table views, data handling, and map integration. The step-by-step tutorials guide you through key tasks such as persisting data with JSON, creating custom views, and integrating media into your apps. You’ll also discover how to enhance your apps using Apple Intelligence, incorporating machine learning and smart features to create cutting-edge iOS applications. The final chapters focus on crucial aspects of app development, including Swift Testing to ensure your app is robust, and submitting your app to the App Store—demystifying the journey from development to deployment.Whether you're a beginner or transitioning to iOS development, this guide will equip you with the skills needed to create and publish your own apps.

Data Quality in the Age of AI. Building a foundation for AI strategy and data culture

Andrew Jones

As organizations worldwide seek to revamp their data strategies to leverage AI advancements and benefit from newfound capabilities, data quality emerges as the cornerstone for success. Without high-quality data, even the most advanced AI models falter. Enter Data Quality in the Age of AI, a detailed report that illuminates the crucial role of data quality in shaping effective data strategies.Packed with actionable insights, this report highlights the critical role of data quality in your overall data strategy. It equips teams and organizations with the knowledge and tools to thrive in the evolving AI landscape, serving as a roadmap for harnessing the power of data quality, enabling them to unlock their data's full potential, leading to improved performance, reduced costs, increased revenue, and informed strategic decisions.

Dream! Hack! Build!. Unleash citizen-driven innovation with the power of hackathons

Ann Molin, Johan Söderström, Love Dager, Mustafa Sherif, ...

Drawing from the combined expertise of five distinguished professionals, this book brings together diverse perspectives on hackathon innovation. Ann, founder of Hack for Earth Foundation, joins forces with serial entrepreneur and hackathon expert Love Dager and renowned urban planner Mustafa Sherif. Completing this powerhouse team are Carolina Emanuelson, a leader in talent management, and Kristofer Vernmark, a researcher at Linköping University. Together, they present the groundbreaking Dream! Hack! Build! method, equipping you with proven strategies to run successful hackathons and rapidly transform ideas into reality. The book explains why hackathons are so particularly effective in today’s fast-changing business world. Through real-life examples of citizen-driven innovation, it demonstrates how these events can drive impact and how you can apply them within your own organization. You'll gain insights into how hackathons can address complex problems and foster creative, high-impact solutions. The authors cover everything from engaging participants and creating urgent challenges to managing teams, mentors, and partners. They show you how to design an acceleration program based on proven start-up success strategies, ensuring that the ideas generated during your hackathon lead to real-world results. By the end of this book, you'll be well-prepared to lead transformative events that create lasting impact in your field.