RE: Building a 'security consultant' laptop

[Michael Cunningham <crayola () optonline net>]

> be used for security testing purposes (penetration testing, forensics,
> etc). Also planning to add a pcmcia wireless card (any recommended?

Forensics work is going to require quite a bit more then your
standard laptop setup. You are going to need a scsi bus, ide bus, cdrw,
dvdr,
dvdrw, zip drive, etc. You need to be able to acquire the data from the
suspects storage medium and create an exact bit by bit copy of it.

Usually forensic folks lug around a mini tower with all sorts
of goodies (and more) plugged in to make data acquisition easier.

I have run firewire, usb, and scsi pcmcia cards off my laptop in the past to
gather forensic data and analyze it. It worked okay, but a luggable
PC would have been a much better solution IMHO.

Regarding penetration testing - I would go with the latest of everything..
Redhat 9.0, Windows XP pro, etc. If you are going to be scanning for rouge
access points (your need for a wireless card) You are going to have to buy
two
cards.. an 802.11b and 802.11g. I would actually recommend buying a handheld
Ipaq for wireless scanning (needs a pcmcia card) since trying to scan
a corporate campus walking around with a notebook is a real pain. Brand
wise..
go for a Lucent card (excellent signal strength) and buy/make an external
antenna for it.

Mike
--
Michael Cunningham (CISSP, SCNA, SCSA, CCSA)


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