Chapter 1: The Ins and Outs of Shellcode
Welcome to the first chapter of the book, and more importantly, the start of your journey of learning about shellcode and how it can be applied in offensive security.
When you think about offensive security, the first thoughts that may come to mind are penetration testing, hacking, exploits, and so on. One thing that all of those have in common is the use of shellcode. Shellcode is extremely helpful – it can be used in various ways to either perform an exploit, obtain a reverse shell, or control the targeted computer, among other things.
When learning about something new, the best way is to start from the bottom up. This means that you need to get a good solid foundation of the topic and then add to that knowledge as you progress. It can be likened to building a house, where you start with the foundation and then work your way up to the roof. So, in this chapter, we will focus on gaining a good understanding of shellcode.
We will cover the following topics:
- What is shellcode?
- Breaking down shellcode
- Exploring the common types of shellcode
