The intent of this book is to teach you about the true spirit of hacking. We will look at various hacker techniques, from the past to the present, dissecting them to learn how and why they work. I ncluded with this book is a bootable LiveCD containing all the source code used herein as well as a preconfigured Linux environm ent. Exploration and innovation are critical to the art of hacking, so this CD will let you follow along and experim ent on your own. The only requirem ent is an x86 processor, which is used by all Microsoft Windows m achines and the newer Macintosh com puters—just insert the CD and reboot. This alternate Linux environm ent will not disturb your existing OS, so when you're done, just reboot again and rem ove the CD. This way, you will gain a hands-on understanding and appreciation for hacking that m ay inspire you to im prove upon existing techniques or even to invent new ones. Hopefully, this book will stim ulate the curious hacker nature in you and prom pt you to contribute to the art of hacking in som e way, regardless of which side of the fence you choose to be on