As you work through this book, you will learn how to use different tools in a controlled environment. In order to have a controlled environment, we will need to build one.
There are three options that we have for building a penetration lab. These are as follows:
- Using a cloud provider: Cloud providers such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud give you the flexibility and scalability of deploying systems at a fraction of the cost compared to purchasing dedicated hardware. The only catch with using a cloud provider is that you would probably require permission to perform penetration tests on your deployed services.
- Using a high-powered laptop or desktop with virtualization software: As high-powered laptops and desktops are relatively cheap, this would be the option that many prefer. By using virtualization software such as Microsoft...
