Amarjit Singh

Hi folks, consider this article the follow-up of the original series, this time I will be blogging about some really good magazines and zines where you can learn about computer and IT security. If you want to go through the previous articles in the series, you are welcome to give them a read -

• 3 Excellent sites for Hackers Perl, Reversing and Searching
• 5 hacking sites for budding hackers
• 5 more hacking sites for budding hackers
• 5 hacking sites for security basics

Anyways, on to the topic, here Phrack Its so obvious that I dont think I need to repeat it again, and again. Phrack is an ezine written by and for hackers first published November 17, 1985. Described by Fyodor as

"the best, and by far the longest running hacker zine,"

the magazine is open for contributions by anyone who desires to publish remarkable works or express original ideas on the topics of interest. It has a wide circulation which includes both hackers and computer security professionals. The zine includes interviews of Blackhats and celebrates the most advanced security articles of the time. Stephen Wyatt or The_ut once commented that he was proud of -

Reading the last 5 issues of Phrack without learning anything new

its that good :) If you are that good, I salute you teh_hax0rfor the lesser mortals, Phrack remains the wet dream of the security minded.

What you can learn here : Hacking in Pure Sense Price : Free you can visit phrack here

2600 & Cult of the Dead Cow Again, two of the old school crews which are still highly active ,specializes in publishing technical information on a variety of subjects including telephone switching systems, Internet protocols and services, as well as general news concerning the computer "underground" and left wing, and sometimes (but not recently), anarchist issues. The content is focused on DIY projects for a more motivated approach. 2600 is the more sober of the two and is a must read for anyone into pure pleasure of security, Cult of the Dead Cow is more devoted to the hactivism and anarchist issues, but nevertheless, are a must read for any budding hacker or expert alike :)

What you can learn here : Hactivism, hacking at hardware level in the form of DIY projects Price : Free you can Visit 2600 here you can Visit CDC zine here

Free Software Magazine (FSM), Also known as The Open Voice

Relatively new on the scene, FSM devotes itself to the FOSS, GNU, technical code and features regular technical columns. Also the magazine runs its own webcomic the Bizzare Cathedral which is a satire on Linux, open source and technology in particular. The magazine is the only magazine worldwide that is dedicated to the promotion of free software as a whole and has 2 primary goals -

• to promote free software and its use; and
• to educate the global community in the use of free software.

What you can learn here : Code, Linux , FOSS and Open Source in general Price : Free you can visit FSM here

Linux Journal/ Linux Format / Linux Magazine Now we have some hardcore Linux Magazines which are highly targeted to the professional Linux User. When it comes to computer security and hacking, Linux is the heart and soul of hacking and hackerdom in general. These magazines focus on Linux on a whole and explore the OS with respect to articles on all levels of developing and using Linux and the software that runs on it, including everything from how to write device drivers to how to edit photos with GIMP.

What you can learn here : Linux Linux and More Linux Price :

• Linux Journal : 8$ (approx 354 INR)
• Linux Format : 6.49 (approx 477 INR)
• Linux Magazine: 12.99$ (approx 576 INR)

you can visit

• Linux Journal here
• Linux Format here
• Linux Magazine here

HITB Magazine One of the best security magazines around, the HITB magazine aims to deliver their goal of giving researchers further recognition for their hard work, and to provide the security community with beneficial technical material . Born as the side project of Hack-In-The-Box community, the magazine covers exploits , loopholes, latest security insights and technical papers for the determined.

What you can learn here : Exploits, vulnerabilities, Technical articles, code and insights in the latest of Price : Free you can visit HITB here

Hakin9 The famed Hakin9 is a free, online, monthly publication on IT Security. The magazine is published in English and is available in the Internet as a free download. Hakin9 is a source of advanced, practical guidelines regarding the latest hacking methods as well as the ways of securing systems, networks and applications.

What you can learn here : Securing systems, exploits, at par with HITB mag Price : Free you can visit hakin9 here

InfoSecurity/Chmag (India) As a special nod to Indian security scene, these two magazines are doing a very good job in demystifying the security buzzword for the new and discusses corporate security and security in general . Clubhack Magazine is the venture of Clubhack which focuses on making hacking and information security a common sense for a common man. InfoSecurity is more targeted at security at corporate level and focuses on latest security trends.

What you can learn here : Beginning with security to the corporate level Price : Free you can visit :

• InfoSecurity here
• chmag here

I guess you will be more than happy to feast on the knowledge these fabulous sources above.