When I wrote the first edition of this book, one of the first people I gave a copy to was my mom. She didn’t, and still doesn’t, have a clue what most of it means, but she was thrilled and kept saying, “You’re an author…” like I had cured a disease or saved a baby from a house fire. At the time I felt weird about it, and I still do. Looking back on the opportunity I was given—almost out of the blue—by Tim Green and McGraw-Hill Professional, I just can’t believe the entire thing came to pass. And I’m even more surprised I had anything to do with it.
Those who know me well understand what is meant when I say I’m just not capable of doing this. I don’t have the patience for it, I’m not anywhere near the smartest guy in the room (and right now the only one in this room with me is our cat, Neo), and my Southern brand of English doesn’t always represent the clearest medium from which to provide knowledge and insight. It still amazes me it all worked then. And I’m floored we’re here again with another version.
I tried with all that was in me to provide something useful to you, dear reader and CEH candidate, in previous versions of this book. I’ve learned a lot (like having a static study book for an ever-changing certification leaves you open to horrendous book review cruelty), and hope this one helps me learn even more. We’ve put a lot of effort into tidying up loopholes and adding salient information in this version. In many cases I succeeded. In others, I probably failed miserably. Thankfully there were many, many folks around me who picked up the slack and corrected—both technically and grammatically—any writing I’d screwed up. Somehow we all pulled it off, and there are tons of people to thanks for that.
This book, and its previous editions, simply would not have been possible without our technical editor, Brad Horton. I’ve known Brad since 2005, when we both served time in “the vault” at Marshall Space Flight Center, and I am truly blessed to call him a friend. I’ve said it before, and I’ll state it again here: Brad is, without doubt, the singularly most talented technical mind I have ever met in my life. He has great taste in bourbon (although not so much with scotch), roots for the right team, and smacks a golf ball straighter and truer than most guys I’ve seen—on and off TV. He is a loving husband to his beautiful wife, a great father to his children, a one-of-a-kind pen tester, and a fantastic team lead. He even plays the piano and other musical instruments like a pro and, I hear, is a fantastic bowler. I hate him. ;)
His insights as a pen-test lead were laser sharp and provided great fodder for more discussion. Want proof he’s one of the best? I’d be willing to bet none of you reading this book has ever actually relished a full critique of your work. But I do. Brad’s edits are simultaneously witty, humorous, and cutting to the core. If someone had bet me four or five years ago that I’d not only enjoy reading critiques of my work but would be looking forward to them, I would be paying off in spades today. You’re one of the absolute bests, my friend...for a government worker, anyway. Roll Tide.
On another front, nothing like this can be accomplished without the support and understanding of a good employer. I would not—could not—have even started this version without my employer’s acceptance and accommodation of the effort needed to pull this off. HPE is a great company to work for and I’m blessed to be a part of the organization. My boss, Ruth Pine, is quite possibly the best leader I’ve ever worked for, and the people I work with on a daily basis were instrumental in answering questions and helping with source material. Jack Schatoff, Brian Moore, and Daniel Carter are great people and helped out more than they know.
Finally, there is no way this book could have been started, much less completed, without the support of my lovely and talented wife, Angie. In addition to the unending encouragement throughout the entire process, Angie was the greatest contributing editor I could have ever asked for. Having someone as talented and intelligent as her sitting close by to run things past, or ask for a review on, was priceless. Not to mention, she’s adorable. Her insights, help, encouragement, and work while this project was ongoing sealed the deal. I can’t thank her enough.