Jonathan Helmus is the author of AWS Penetration Testing, we got the chance to sit down with him and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey…
Jonathan: I was contacted by Packt. I had always wanted to write a book, but never knew where to start. I was lucky enough that the Packt team discovered me!
Q: How long did it take you to write the book?
Jonathan: Around 10 months or so.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Jonathan: Oh boy – I spent more hours researching than I did writing, that’s for sure. I have done AWS pentesting before, but knew that offensive security around AWS wasn’t really a thing. I spent a lot of time brain storming ideas on how to create frameworks and ideas around AWS pentesting before doing the hands-on part.
Most of the research I did was using formal discovery research methods I have picked up as a Ph.D. student. I also spent some time interviewing other cloud pentesters and getting an idea from them on how they did cloud pentesting.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Jonathan: A lot of the issues were in my writing style. I had to really focus on amending my academic writing style and making it work with Packt. The folks over at Packt are awesome and we all worked together to overcome the challenges together.
Q: What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?
Jonathan: Read, read, and read some more! There is no wrong way of reading – really! If you’re interested in reading a book – then the first thing to do is open the book up and get excited!
Q. How do you keep up-to-date on your tech?
Jonathan: Honestly, it’s part of my job description. Pentesters have to be up-to-date with current technology and the processes around that tech.
How would you describe you author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Jonathan: I really enjoyed it! The Packt team is honestly one of the best teams I have worked with and I would highly recommend reaching out to them if you’re interested in writing a book.
You can find Jonathan’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
