xx

Acknowledgments

We have many other members of the information security community 

to thank, but there are too many to list and the odds of missing someone are 
high. So thank you to our friends in the security community; hugs from all 
of us.

A very special thanks to the whole crew at No Starch Press for their 

immeasurable effort. Bill, Alison, Travis, and Tyler, it has been a pleasure 
working with you and everyone else behind the scenes at No Starch Press!

Finally, a big thank you to our families. We are all married and half of 

us have children. We spend far too long wearing down the plastic on our 
keyboards and not enough time with them. To our families, thanks for your 
understanding; we will make it up to you—as soon as we update this next 
line of code, or find the source of this memory corruption, or finish this svn 
update, or get this next fuzzer run setup, or . . .

Special Thanks

Dave (Twitter: @dave_rel1k):

 I dedicate my work on this book to my loving 

wife Erin, who tolerated late nights of me hammering away at the keyboard. 
To my three children who keep me young and old at the same time. To my 
father, Jim; my mother, Janna; and my stepmother, Deb, for being there for 
me and making me what I am today. Thanks to Jim, Dookie, and Muts for 
their hard work on the book and for being great friends! To my good friends 
at Offensive-Security; Chris “Logan” Hadnagy; my brother, Shawn Sullivan; 
and my team at Diebold. To my good friend HD Moore, whose dedication to 
the security industry is an inspiration to us all. To all my friends in life, and to 
Scott Angelo for giving me an opportunity and believing in me. Lastly, to 
God, without whom none of this would be possible.

Devon (@dookie2000ca):

 For my beautiful and tolerant wife, who not 

only supports but encourages my mania. You are my inspiration and motiva-
tion; without you by my side in these pursuits, I would never get anywhere. 
To my co-authors, thank you for having faith in a newcomer and welcoming 
me as one of your own. Lastly, an especially big thank you to Mati for not 
only getting this merry band together but for giving me a chance.

Muts (@backtracklinux):

 A special thanks to the co-authors of this book, 

whose time and dedication to it is truly inspiring. I count Jim, Devon, and 
Dave as great friends and colleagues in the security field.

Jim (@_Elwood_): 

Thanks to Matteo, Chris “Logan,” and the entire 

Offensive-Security crew. Also a big thanks to Robert, Matt, Chris, and my 
co-workers at StrikeForce. And to my wonderful wife Melissa: The book you 
hold in your hands is proof that I was not just avoiding housework all the time. 
And to Jake and Joe, please don’t tell Mom that I am just playing games with 
you when I tell her I am working. You three are the Pack-a-Punch to my life. 
And finally to my co-authors Mati, Devon, and Dave: Thanks for letting me 
put my name on this book—I really was just avoiding housework.