Cisco ASA and PIX Firewall Handbook

Book Description

The complete guide to the most popular Cisco PIX®, ASA, FWSM, and IOS® firewall security features

Learn about the various firewall models, user interfaces, feature sets, and configuration methods
Understand how a Cisco firewall inspects traffic
Configure firewall interfaces, routing, IP addressing services, and IP multicast support
Maintain security contexts and Flash and configuration files, manage users, and monitor firewalls with SNMP
Authenticate, authorize, and maintain accounting records for firewall users
Control access through the firewall by implementing transparent and routed firewall modes, address translation, traffic filtering, user authentication, content filtering, application inspection, and traffic shunning
Increase firewall availability with firewall failover operation
Understand how firewall load balancing works
Generate firewall activity logs and learn how to analyze the contents of the log
Verify firewall operation and connectivity and observe data passing through a firewall
Control access and manage activity on the Cisco IOS firewall
Configure a Cisco firewall to act as an IDS sensor

Every organization has data, facilities, and workflow processes that are critical to their success. As more organizations make greater use of the Internet, defending against network attacks becomes crucial for businesses. Productivity gains and returns on company investments are at risk if the network is not properly defended. Firewalls have emerged as the essential foundation component in any network security architecture.

Cisco ASA and PIX Firewall Handbook is a guide for the most commonly implemented features of the popular Cisco Systems® firewall security solutions. This is the first book to cover the revolutionary Cisco ASA and PIX® version 7 security appliances. This book will help you quickly and easily configure, integrate, and manage the entire suite of Cisco® firewall products, including Cisco ASA, PIX version 7 and 6.3, the Cisco IOS router firewall, and the Catalyst Firewall Services Module (FWSM). Organized by families of features, this book helps you get up to speed quickly and efficiently on topics such as file management, building connectivity, controlling access, firewall management, increasing availability with failover, load balancing, logging, and verifying operation. Shaded thumbtabs mark each section for quick reference and each section provides information in a concise format, with background, configuration, and example components. Each section also has a quick reference table of commands that you can use to troubleshoot or display information about the features presented. Appendixes present lists of well-known IP protocol numbers, ICMP message types, and IP port numbers that are supported in firewall configuration commands and provide a quick reference to the many logging messages that can be generated from a Cisco PIX, ASA, FWSM, or IOS firewall.

Whether you are looking for an introduction to the firewall features of the new ASA security appliance, a guide to configuring firewalls with the new Cisco PIX version 7 operating system, or a complete reference for making the most out of your Cisco ASA, PIX, IOS, and FWSM firewall deployments, Cisco ASA and PIX Firewall Handbook helps you achieve maximum protection of your network resources.

“Many books on network security and firewalls settle for a discussion focused primarily on concepts and theory. This book, however, goes well beyond these topics. It covers in tremendous detail the information every network and security administrator needs to know when configuring and managing market-leading firewall products from Cisco.”

—Jason Nolet, Sr. Director of Engineering, Security Technology Group, Cisco Systems

This security book is part of the Cisco Press® Networking Technology Series. Security titles from Cisco Press help networking professionals secure critical data and resources, prevent and mitigate network attacks, and build end-to-end self-defending networks.

Customer Reviews:

A excellent, detailed book on PIX Firewall configurations.......2007-05-02

The Cisco ASA and PIX Firewall Handbook by Dave Hucaby is an excellent book on PIX firewalls and covers versions 6.x and 7.x, including FWSM configurations. There is negligible coverage of ASA and readers looking for a detailed ASA book best look elsewhere. The cream of this book is really Chapter 6 - Controlling Access Through the Firewall. A detailed chapter of running the Pix in Transparent mode, Address Translation, ACL's, Content filtering, Modular Policy Framework, along with Application Inspection. The section on the Modular Policy Framework is very good and detailed. I plan to refer to this book often when troubleshooting PIX's.

There were hardly any errors or issues with this book. For example, in Chapter 7: Increasing Firewall Availability with Failover, the author writes that Stateful firewall failover packets are sent using IP Protocol 8 (EGP). I presume they meant IP protocol 105.

The authors list configuration commands for FWSM , 6.x and 7.x versions of the PIX. Personally, I'm not too fond of this approach and would rather read commands pertaining to a single version. Commands of other versions are available at the Cisco Documentation site.

More detail, please.......2007-01-12

While the book was rather detailed in several areas, I was hoping it would be more detailed on the subject of VPN. While most of it is straight forward, configuring VPN on the 5520 was a pain. Someone reading this book should be from a large enterprise, using failover, etc. Someone from a small company that is not using these features might find it to be overkill, and start looking for other books to meet their specific needs.

Complement to other sources available.......2006-08-26

I think author did a wonderful job filling in where other popular litrature about PIX left off. I read the CCSP book, and leared alot. This book filled in stuff that CCSP book just does not talk about. Not to knock the CCSP book; each auther can only fill in so much. It is a difficult decision on what to keep and what to leave off. I find the PIX and ASA book is very practical. If you want a good understanding of this platform, then you want this book as the pliers in your tool box of knowledge. Do not expect it to be swiss army tool though. I think author was especially considerate to the reader's needs to publish items that other litrature just does not cover. There is alot of good information. Nice pictures which addressed questions I had and even posted to some CCIE sites and there was no answer. Definately worth buying.

Very little on ASA.......2006-06-26

This book is very helpful for PIX firewalls, but is mislabeled for ASA. There is very little on the ASA product. Usually just a mention of command differences between ASA and PIX. If you are looking for a book on ASA do not buy this book.

One point makes this book a must have.......2006-05-27

Most commands explained have three lines:
PIX 6.3
PIX 7.0
FWSM

This allows you to work on multiple platforms easily with one handbook. Also tells you when something ISN'T supported so you don't have to go digging on the web.

Information Technology Control and Audit, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Not good for the CISA exam
Useful reference material
Finally a usable explanation of controls!
Too thin
Great resource

Information Technology Control and Audit, Second Edition
Frederick Gallegos , Daniel P. Manson , Sandra Senft , and Carol Gonzales
Manufacturer: AUERBACH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849320321

Book Description

Information Technology Control and Audit, Second Edition is an excellent introductory textbook for IT auditing. It covers a wide range of topics in the field including the audit process, the legal environment of IT auditing, security and privacy, and much more. This textbook first examines the foundation of IT audit and control, discussing what IT auditing involves and the guidance provided by organizations in dealing with control and auditability issues. It then analyzes the process of audit and review, explores IT governance and control, and discusses the CobiT framework and steps that align IT decisions with business strategy. This volume examines project management processes that ensure that projects are controlled from inception through integration. It continues by addressing auditing IT acquisition and implementation, describing risks and controls as related to the life cycle of application systems. It highlights the purchase and installation of new systems, as well as change management. The next section examines the auditing of IT operations in both standalone and global environments, covering types of IT operation, issues related to specific platforms, risk and control assessment, and audit methods and support tools. The textbook concludes with a review of emerging issues, providing undergraduate and graduate students with a thorough overview of a topic critical to organizational security and integrity.

Customer Reviews:

Not good for the CISA exam.......2007-10-02

I bought this book as an additional material to study for the CISA exam. However it didn't help me with the exam at all. Furthermore, in an attempt to cover many things, it did not cover anything in detail. This book is just an endless recollection of bullet points. On top of that, it misses very sensitive topics like disaster recovery planning.

Useful reference material.......2007-02-02

This book has some material relevant to the CISA examination based on the 2003 content areas, although it is not organized or focused as a CISA examination guide. If you are looking for CISA review material for the test, I would strongly suggest to stick with ISACA's combination of review manual and questions CD. I also searched everywhere for study aids for this grueling test and ended up using ISACA's expensive material, but it proved to be the best choice as I passed the Dec 2006 test.

However, as owner of a copy of this book, I assure you that this is an excellent reference of IT management, planning, implementation, risk assessment and control procedures for anyone in the IT business. Most of the material is still relevant as of 2007.

Finally a usable explanation of controls!.......2006-12-30

Audit is not the most exciting topic in the world, but this no fluff book really sets the standard. The care the authors took is obvious from the start, the table of contents is one of the most detailed I have ever seen, it allows the book to be used as a reference.

My favorite chapter was Quality Management, best job of making quality approachable I have seen to date. My least favorite was Project Management, it seemed to lack the application and lean to theory a bit.

I am not an auditor, but as an auditee, this book really helped me understand how they think. Recommended!

Too thin.......2006-03-24

This is a huge book but spends no more then 1 page on any topic. In my opinion the authors only have financial audit experience and little understanding of IT controls. This book shows the failure of the 'integrated auditor' as the authors are tyring to be IT auditors with little IT experience. They touch on some very good points in a few instances and, in general, the book is decent. The authors do not know much outside of the CISA, IIA and financial based certifications as they seem to think that the ISSA (Information Systems Security Assoc.) is sponsored by ISC2/CISSP's (it is not). Overall, I have not been impressed with this book.

Great resource.......2005-12-13

Not having much experience in the IT audit field, this book was a great resource and was easy to understand.

Information Security Management Handbook, Sixth Edition (Isc2 Press)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Security book
A multiple vision of IT Security
Book content is excellent, but paper quality is worst ever
Volumes vs editions
Excellent reference!

Information Security Management Handbook, Sixth Edition (Isc2 Press)
Harold F. Tipton , and Micki Krause
Manufacturer: AUERBACH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849374952

Book Description

Never before have there been so many laws designed to keep corporations honest. New laws and regulations force companies to develop stronger ethics policies and the shareholders themselves are holding publicly traded companies accountable for their practices. Consumers are also concerned over the privacy of their personal information and current and emerging legislation is reflecting this trend. Under these conditions, it can be difficult to know where to turn for reliable, applicable advice. The sixth edition of the Information Security Management Handbook addresses up-to-date issues in this increasingly important area. It balances contemporary articles with relevant articles from past editions to bring you a well grounded view of the subject. The contributions cover questions important to those tasked with securing information assets including the appropriate deployment of valuable resources as well as dealing with legal compliance, investigations, and ethics. Promoting the view that the management ethics and values of an organization leads directly to its information security program and the technical, physical, and administrative controls to be implemented, the book explores topics such as risk assessments; metrics; security governance, architecture, and design; emerging threats; standards; and business continuity and disaster recovery. The text also discusses physical security including access control and cryptography, and a plethora of technology issues such as application controls, network security, virus controls, and hacking. US federal and state legislators continue to make certain that information security is a board-level conversation and the Information Security Management Handbook, Sixth Edition continues to ensure that there you have a clear understanding of the rules and regulations and an effective method for their implementation.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Security book.......2007-01-05

Excellent very extensive security book. A very good reminder for the preparation of the CISSP exam. (is one of the official recommended books).

I passed my CISSP exam, because of this book.

Jako Boonekamp
CISSP #97956
The Netherlands

A multiple vision of IT Security.......2006-03-23

This book is an excellent example of compilation of dozens of good works on IT Security. The quality of articles and the different points of view whereupon are treated turn to it an essential work. It only has a failure: such amount of information has been packed in only a volume that has forced the publisher to reduce both the font and the thickness of the paper to the maximum. Very bad for that no longer we have twenty years and in addition we were used to mark the most interesting paragraphs with a pencil.

Book content is excellent, but paper quality is worst ever.......2005-12-16

I am reading the fifth edition of this book. In the earlier editions the book was published in three or four volumes. The fifth edition is a combination of all volumes. So that is good.

The book is a dense read. But the content is excellent. There are 163 chapters in this book. Each chapter written by different authors - experts in respective areas. So the book provides a best of breed treatment to various assorted topics. However, not all chapters are good (but most are). I'd say about 20 or so are of filler kind of chapters. Nothing really special in them. But the book is worth for the rest of the matter.

The chapters are also written to provoke further thought into each area. Kind of "first principles" approach - which I like compared to the CISSP guide approach of "here is the information, now devour it for the exam". However this book is not an exam guide (and I knew that before hand). I bought this book for the matter in it and I am very satisfied.

If you are the kind of person who want to quickly assimilate and regurgitate the matter for CISSP, then dont even bother. I am kind of person who loves to read things from the basics slowly, getting the concepts and ideas all clear in my mind and hence I plan to finish this book before reading CISSP exam guide (which by the way is also sitting on my bookshelf).

However I have a major complaint againg the publishers. Having charged One hundred thirty dollars for a 2000 page book, I'd expect the quality of paper is decent. The paper is so thin, I invariably turn two pages when I am thiking it is one page. It is so thin, even turning the page carefully damages the paper. I agree that the content is specialized and most authors hold at least two or more certifications (CISSP, CISA, SSCP etc.), but that does not warrant printing the book on really wafer thin transparent paper. Sure, the publishers need to make money, but not by compromising the quality of the paper SO MUCH.

And you'd expect this kind of book to live on your shelf for a long long time than "Teach yourself crap in 24 hours" books, but the quality of paper will make that unlikely. Hence I am giving 4 stars to a book which otherwise would deserve 6 stars

Volumes vs editions.......2005-04-19

Some of the reviewers are confusing 'volumes' with editions. Each edition of this book contains several volumes. Each volume contains new papers, adding them to the current edition of the ISMH.

The current edition of the Information Security Management Handbook is the 5th. At present, it has only 2 volumes. This CD-ROM only contains the 1st volume of the 5th edition. There is a new CD-ROM of the ISMH with a 2005 date (ISBN 0849339422) which I *think* contains the new volume 2 of the 5th edition (ISBN 0849332109)

What makes this CD-ROM valuable over the 5thED-V1 book is that it contains the contents of the 3rd and the 4th editions! I know the 4th edition contained four volumes.

Excellent reference!.......2003-09-04

Excellent reference!

This is an excellent security reference!

Book Description

Being highly flexible in building dynamic, database-driven web applications makes the PHP programming language one of the most popular web development tools in use today. It also works beautifully with other open source tools, such as the MySQL database and the Apache web server. However, as more web sites are developed in PHP, they become targets for malicious attackers, and developers need to prepare for the attacks.

Security is an issue that demands attention, given the growing frequency of attacks on web sites. Essential PHP Security explains the most common types of attacks and how to write code that isn't susceptible to them. By examining specific attacks and the techniques used to protect against them, you will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the safeguards you are about to learn in this book.

In the much-needed (and highly-requested) Essential PHP Security, each chapter covers an aspect of a web application (such as form processing, database programming, session management, and authentication). Chapters describe potential attacks with examples and then explain techniques to help you prevent those attacks.

Topics covered include:

Preventing cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities
Protecting against SQL injection attacks
Complicating session hijacking attempts

You are in good hands with author Chris Shiflett, an internationally-recognized expert in the field of PHP security. Shiflett is also the founder and President of Brain Bulb, a PHP consultancy that offers a variety of services to clients around the world.

Customer Reviews:

Overpriced.......2007-01-03

Of the 103 pages in the book there are probably only 13 of unique information and 90 pages of saying the same exact thing over and over again. Worse yet, I found the author had already released the 13 pages of useful information online for free.

Definitely wish I had browsed this one in a store before I blew $30.

Alright - not very meaty though.......2006-12-26

Alright - not very meaty. Overall I'm glad I read it though, as I picked up some useful nuggets.

==========
Update 2006-12-30 - I'd like to bump this up to four stars. The book came in handy today - I used some code in it regarding session variables.

PHP Security is a HUGE topic.......2006-09-27

This book is essential for anyone starting out in PHP, but not only for them. It offers tips for almost any skill level, maybe you know some of the ways to keep your site secure but Chris really goes in depth on some of them.

The code snippets are short, simple, but convey the point exactly as intended... and I also like Chris's method for validating tainted data, similar to a fisherman. If the fish is bad throw it back and the same goes for user input.

I still have this book for reference and have lent it to a few people which resulted in them picking their own copies... all around a great resource.

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!.......2006-06-12

Are you a developer who is writing insecure PHP code? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Chris Shiflett, has done an outstanding job of writing a practical book that will help you improve your PHP application-level security.

Shiflett, begins by giving an overview of security principles and best practices. Then, the author covers form processing and attacks such as cross-site scripting and cross-site request forgeries. He continues by focusing on using databases and attacks such as SQL injection. Then, the author explains PHP's session support and shows you how to protect your applications from attacks such as session fixation and session hijacking. Then, he covers the risks associated with the use of includes, such as backdoor URLs and code injection. Next, the author discusses attacks such as filesystem traversal and command injection. Then, he shows you how to create secure authentication and authorization mechanisms and how to protect your applications from things like brute force attacks and replay attacks. Finally, the author explains the inherent risks associated with a shared hosting environment.

This most excellent book brings long-needed security guidelines to PHP developers everywhere. More importantly, the content of this book will be an asset to your development teams.

Essential for the Beginner or Advanced PHP developer.......2006-04-11

As a very security conscious developer, I found this book to be a GREAT resource to my library. Though the book is short in length, it is very rich in content. Chris does a GREAT job of presenting the problem (citing specific examples of the exploits), showing the pitfalls, and then presenting the solutions.

He is very thorough in his descriptions, and his easy to understand writing and use of analogies made this a very simple concept to grasp. If you are a seasoned PHP developer, or just beginning programming PHP - his writing style helps you to understand the underlying attack, visuals to see it in action, and how to prevent being attacked - it is very simple, yet deep.

Reading this book has helped me to see where my applications may fall short, and what I can do to protect them. Especially in the realm of PHP developers, there are MANY Open Source options out there, and many of them lack the security that is mentioned in the chapters of this book. Don't let yourself get caught!

I recommend this book, and performing an audit of your own work. Excellent book!

Average customer rating:

The best Fire Officer I and II book available.

Fire Officers: Principles and Practice
Michael Ward
Manufacturer: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0763722472
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Product Description

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are pleased to bring you Fire Officer: Principles and Practice, a modern integrated teaching and learning system for the Fire Officer I and II levels. Fore officers need to know how to make the transition from fire fighter to leader. Fire Officer: Principles and Practice is designed to help fire fighters make a smooth transition to the fire officer. The text is the core of the teaching and learning system with features that will reinforce and expand on the essential information and make information retrieval a snap. Covering the entire scope of NFPA 1021, Standard for Fire Officer Professional Qualifications, 2003 Edition, Fire Officer combines current content with dynamic features and interactive technology to better support instructors and help prepare future fire officers for any situation that may arise.

Customer Reviews:

The best Fire Officer I and II book available........2006-12-24

After reviewing the two other books of this type available, this one is by far the best. The chapter on CRM is what makes this one heads and tails above the others. If you are thinking of buying this book to read, don't think about it anymore. Buy it!

Wireless Hacking: Projects for Wi-Fi Enthusiasts

Average customer rating:

Left wanting
Just right for me!
great book with great ideas
The title is somewhat deceptive...

Wireless Hacking: Projects for Wi-Fi Enthusiasts
Lee Barken , Eric Bermel , John Eder , Matt Fanady , Alan Koebrick , Michael Mee , and Marc Palumbo
Manufacturer: Syngress
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 193183637X

Book Description

Sales of wireless LANs to home users and small businesses will soar this year, with products using IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) technology leading the way, according to a report by Cahners research. Worldwide, consumers will buy 7.3 million wireless LAN nodes--which include client and network hub devices--up from about 4 million last year. This third book in the "HACKING" series from Syngress is written by the SoCalFreeNet Wireless Users Group and will cover 802.11a/b/g (Wi-Fi) projects teaching these millions of Wi-Fi users how to "mod" and "hack" Wi-Fi access points, network cards, and antennas to run various Linux distributions and create robust Wi-Fi networks.

Cahners predicts that wireless LANs next year will gain on Ethernet as the most popular home network technology. Consumers will hook up 10.9 million Ethernet nodes and 7.3 million wireless out of a total of 14.4 million home LAN nodes shipped. This book will show Wi-Fi enthusiasts and consumers of Wi-Fi LANs who want to modify their Wi-Fi hardware how to build and deploy homebrew Wi-Fi networks, both large and small.

* Wireless LANs next year will gain on Ethernet as the most popular home network technology. Consumers will hook up 10.9 million Ethernet nodes and 7.3 million wireless clients out of a total of 14.4 million home LAN nodes shipped.
* This book will use a series of detailed, inter-related projects to teach readers how to modify their Wi-Fi hardware to increase power and performance to match that of far more expensive enterprise networking products. Also features hacks to allow mobile laptop users to actively seek wireless connections everywhere they go!
* The authors are all members of the San Diego Wireless Users Group, which is famous for building some of the most innovative and powerful "home brew" Wi-Fi networks in the world.

Customer Reviews:

Left wanting.......2006-01-12

Lee Barkens book was a major dissappointment. The overall content lacks the descriptiveness one would expect from a book of its title. The reader is lead down an overly linear path of chaotic instruction, devoid of any explanation as to why the chosen method is presented. Wireless Hacking is lacking of any alternative solutions which might highlight or better suit the readers specific needs.

Left with no wiggle room, the reader is lead to believe that the methods presented are the best and only available, which is frequently false and completely misrepresented.

My advice is, spend your money elsewhere. There are far better resources available than what Lee Barken provides.

Just right for me!.......2005-09-30

This book sets out to educate, inspire and be a resource for building community wireless networks. For me the book lives up to my expectations. When dealing with the elements of building a wireless networks, some topics are difficult to get clear information on. Configuring m0n0wall is a good example. Try looking in the forums!
The step by step guides on specific hardware and specific releases of software may make it difficult to keep the book current but has infinitely more value to me than any attempt at a generic explanation. To illustrate this point, it is a long road to install Cacti as a network monitoring tool. You have to install Apache, PHP, Perl, RRD and Mysql before you can even start. I would never have made it, but Michael Mee's step by step guide made it a snap. Some of the software had been upgraded since the book was written but you could choose the same release as in the book. However, I found that the methodology in the book made it sufficiently clear that I could use the latest release in each case.

The fact that the book has many contributors means that each chapter is written by an expert in that particular field. These people have done it and are sharing it to the best of their ability.

There are many photographs and screen shots to make comprehension easier.

If you are interested in WiFi you should have this book on you bookshelf or closer. The word hacking in the title gives me that same feeling as when I am being followed by a State Cop! However, I suppose that others will feel different.

I hope the contributors and editor will endeavor to keep the book up to date as hardware and software evolves.

great book with great ideas.......2005-08-17

I have been wanting to build a community wireless network for a long time now, but digging through google and looking for books turned out to be difficult to find someone else doing something like me, until I found this book. Read the first 30 pages of it in the bookstore and I was hooked, I had to have it. The only problem I see with it is that they seem to do things in a cookie cutter way allowing little flexablity (the 802.11a backhaul is a good idea, but there are other ways than using hardware that is no longer being made and having to do cheap 'hacks' to get things going. I guess thats why it is called wireless 'hacking'. It assumes a good deal of prior knowledge, which for me is great since I am familiar with vi and unix, etc. but a newbie might be a bit confused. They should have made it a bit more friendly for newbies, at times I felt the whole book was somewhat of a hack, like they rushed to throw something together that people could use since nothing else exists like this book. They also seem to focus too much on configuring windows stuff which I find annoying since I use OS X/Linux. Many times it felt like hey were reading my mind, everything I have wanted to do for years, they did. It is a wee bit overpriced though, I would say it's worth $20-25.

The title is somewhat deceptive..........2005-02-13

If you're highly interested in hacking together wi-fi networks and such, you'll probably enjoy Wireless Hacking Projects for Wi-Fi Enthusiasts by Lee Barken and the SoCalFreeNet.org Wireless Users Group. I personally had hoped for something a little different, however...

Chapter list: A Brief Overview of the Wireless World; SoCalFreeNet.org: Building Large Scale Community Wireless Networks; Securing Our Wireless Community; Wireless Access Points; Wireless Client Access Devices; Wireless Operating Systems; Monitoring Your Network; Low-Cost Commercial Options; Mesh Networking; Antennas; Building Outdoor Enclosures and Antenna Masts; Solar-Powered Access Points and Repeaters; Wireless 802.11 Hacks; Index

OK, to be fair, there's a lot of technical information in this book. SoCalFreeNet.org is a group committed to building community access wireless networks in order to offer free wireless coverage for everyone in the range of the network. They go into great detail on the hardware to use, how to configure it, the reason for setting up an access portal, building a firewall for the network, and so on. If this is your interest or if you're interested in starting this type of a network in your area, I don't think there's another book out there that would help as much.

Having said that, I'd probably be a little less harsh if the book had been titled How To Build A Community Wireless Network Based On The SoCalFreeNet.org Model. Someone who is looking to play around with wi-fi in their own house, build cantennas, or possibly control devices over the wireless network will have to dig hard in the book to find what they are looking for. The information is there, but it seems to be secondary to the primary purpose (or what I perceive it to be), which is to spread wireless access to the masses.

So, depending on what you're looking for, this may or may not be a good match for you. I was expecting something different from the title and cover, and was somewhat disappointed...

Handbook of Information Security, 3-Volume Set (Handbook of Information Security)

Average customer rating:

Book Succeeds At Daunting Task

Handbook of Information Security, 3-Volume Set (Handbook of Information Security)
Hossein Bidgoli
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471648337

Book Description

The Handbook of Information Security is a definitive 3-volume handbook that offers coverage of both established and cutting-edge theories and developments on information and computer security.The text contains 207 articles from over 200 leading experts, providing the benchmark resource for information security, network security, information privacy, and information warfare.

Download Description

The Handbook of Information Security is a definitive 3-volume handbook that offers coverage of both established and cutting-edge theories and developments on information and computer security. The text contains 180 articles from over 200 leading experts, providing the benchmark resource for information security, network security, information privacy, and information warfare.

Customer Reviews:

Book Succeeds At Daunting Task.......2005-12-31

It would be a daunting task to put together a book to cover all areas of information security into a single, comprehensive reference work. Perhaps that is why it has not been done. Until now. On December 30, 2006, John Wiley and Sons will release the Handbook of Information Security (2005, Edited by Hossein Bidgoli et al, 3366 pages). With contributions from 240 contributors and extensive peer review by over 1,000 others, this book should be the definitive reference manual that sits in the office of every information technology auditor, as well as every information technology security professional who needs information without extensive digging. In fact this three volume set might easily replace many other security titles that have not been through as extensive a peer review process.

This is not to say that information may quickly become dated as technology evolves (and as I found in one section on instant messaging). This being said, this initial review will provide an overview and synopsis of Volume I: Key Concepts, Infrastructure, Standards, and Protocols.

Volume I is broken down into three parts, as follows:

Part 1: Key Concepts and Applications Related to Information Security

* Internet Basics
* Digital Economy
* Online Retail Banking: Security Concerns, Breaches , and Controls
* E-Mail and Instant Messaging
* Internet Relay Chat
* Online Communities
* Groupware: Risks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities In The Internet Age
* Search Engines: Security, Privacy, and Ethical Issues
* Web Services
* Electronic Commerce
* EDI Security
* Electronic Payment Systems
* Intranets: Principles, Privacy, and Security Considerations
* Extranets: Applications. Development, Security, and Privacy
* Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce
* Click-and-Brick Electronic Commerce
* Mobile Commerce
* E-Education and Information Privacy and Security
* Security in E-Learning
* E-Government
* E-Government Security Issues and Measures
* International Security Issues of E-Government

Part 2: Infrastructure for the Internet, Computer Networks, and Secure Information Transfer

* Conducted Communication Media
* Routers and Switches
* Radio Frequency and Wireless Communications Security
* Wireless Channels
* Security in Circuit, Message, and Packet Switching
* Digital Communication
* Local Area Networks
* Wide Area and Metropolitan Area Networks
* Home Area Networking
* Public Network Technologies and Security
* Client/Server Computing: Principles and Security Considerations
* Peer-to-Peer Security
* Security Middleware
* Internet Architecture
* TCP/IP Suite
* Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
* Security and Web Quality of Service
* Mobile Devices and Protocols
* Bluetooth Technology
* Wireless Local Area Networks
* Security in Wireless Sensor Networks
* Cellular Networks
* Mobile IP
* IP Multicast and Its Security
* TCP over Wireless Networks
* Air Interface Requirements for Mobile Data Services
* Wireless Internet: A cellular Perspective
* Security of Satellite Networks
* Ad Hoc Network Security

Part 3: Standards and Protocols for Secure Information Transfer

* Standards for Product Security Assessment
* Digital Certificates
* Internet E-Mail Architecture
* PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)
* S/MIME (Secure MIME)
* PGP (Pretty Good Privacy)
* SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
* Internet Security Standards
* Kerberos
* IPsec: AH and ESP
* IPsec: IKE (Internet Key Exchange)
* Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
* PKCS (Public Key Cryptography Standards
* Public Key Standards: Secure Shell
* Security and the Wireless Application Protocol
* Wireless Network Standards and Protocol (802.11)
* P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences Project

Why I Like This Book

The publisher of this book went to great lengths to provide diverse, complete and fully reviewed content. The authors are drawn from the private sector, two and four year teaching colleges, major research universities, the military, and the private sector. In addition, the names of every person who provided a peer review, as well as their organizations, is listed in each volume. Unlike many books I have reviewed lately, these are clearly based on documented research and each topic also provides an extensive list of references and resources that may also be consulted if need be. In short, the publisher has set a new standard for books on information security.

The Problem I Found and Why It is a Challenge

The information technology landscape is constantly shifting and changing. For that reason, it is hard to ensure that the content of a book is current. The specific problem I found was the mention of America online (AOL) offering an enterprise-strength version of AOL instant messaging for corporations. The only problem with this is that AOL discontinued its enterprise offering in June of 2004. I am not sure that given the size of this project that this could have been caught, but the author of that section should have caught it and self-corrected it. This is one example of the challenges to the long-term usefulness of this book. The publisher needs to find a way to easily publish errata and/or addenda as things change so that the book stays relevant.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

It would have been good if the book also shipped with a CD containing an on-line encyclopedia type version of the content so that organizations could license it for their enterprise (think larger information technology audit shops here), so that consultants and auditors could have quick and easy access to information when they are on the road. Hopefully the publisher will look at this option sooner than later.

The Scorecard

Double Eagle on a long par 5 playing into the wind (to win the tournament)

Computer Security Lab Manual (Information Assurance & Security)

Average customer rating:

Computer Security Lab Manual (Information Assurance & Security)
Vincent J. Nestler , Wm. Arthur Conklin , Gregory B. White , and Matthew P. Hirsch
Manufacturer: Career Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0072255080

Book Description

This lab manual provides a host of hands-on exercises that are the perfect supplement to your computer security textbook. Over 40 lab projects build from basic networking skills to identification of vulnerabilities, hardening of computer systems, and detection and incident response. This book reinforces Security+ certification objectives and prepares students to work in the real world by applying networking concepts to solve real business problems.

Amazon.com

Rather than emphasize the characteristics of attacks on computers and networks, The Practical Intrusion Detection Handbook places its focus on the tools, resources, and policies that should be in place to help security administrators do their jobs. It deals with preventing attacks, detecting and stopping them when they occur, and assessing--after the fact--the damage they cause. Throughout, the importance of record keeping is emphasized, particularly that accurate and unmuddled log files are necessary to back up legal charges or support certain firing decisions, if necessary. The business environment beyond the security officer's cubicle is also explored, including how to justify security expenditures to organizational decision makers.

This isn't exactly an academic text, but it's a step removed from the sorts of play-by-play descriptions of attacks and defenses you'll find in Stephen Northcutt's security books--reference is made to those books, as a matter of fact. This hardback volume explains the appearance of various kinds of attacks in broad terms, and shows how intrusion detection systems (IDS) can spot and record the clues (Windows NT security log entries are often used as examples). The text is conversational and liberally studded with bulleted definitions, boxed case studies, and references to Web sites and paper documents. While a working security administrator would probably want to back this book with one of Northcutt's texts and other more detailed books, The Practical Intrusion Detection Handbook makes an excellent choice for a student of business management who wants to be more than minimally informed about the operation of corporate information systems, so as to make better decisions about those systems. --David Wall

Topics covered: Intrusion detection systems (IDS) for whole networks as well as for individual computers, with emphasis on how intrusion detection works and how to configure it for maximum effectiveness and minimum false alarms. Establishing policies and setting procedures, and ways to choose IDS products and justify their purchase to management.

Customer Reviews:

School Books.......2007-01-31

This is a book that is required for my masters degree. It appears to be well organized and written in easy to understand manner.

Great IDS book for experts and beginners.......2001-06-22

This book is comprehensive and very readable. The information is excellent. Mr. Proctor's experience helps show how intrusion detection systems are used in real life through a lot of examples. My company implemented network-based IDS last year and this book really helped us understand host-based IDS. In fact it's the only book I've read on IDS that pays any significant attention to host-based IDS.

On the down side there are a few typos and the product section is a dated because several of the products mentioned have been acquired by other companies but this didn't take away from the really useful information.

I've read the other books on intrusion detection and if you've got Northcutt's book and this one you'll have all the information you need.

Hidden product advertisement.......2001-05-10

In general, Mr. Proctor`s book is well done. Unfortunately, the autor uses many definitions which are not primarily used among ID specialists. These definitions are straight from the handbooks of Cybersafe Centrax, an IDS developed by the author (e.g. Network Node Intrusion Detection; the unique definitions of realtime/batched modes...). Additionally, Mr. Proctors seems to believe that only commercial IDSs are worthy of the professionel ID analyst. He wrongly describes Snort, an OpenSource NIDS published under GPL, as shareware and mentiones it very briefly in 3 sentences. Currently, 80-90% of all detects published on lists like Incidents are detected by Snort sensors ! Since Centrax is a first rate HIDS and only a second rate NIDS, the autor seems to be a very strong supporter of HIDS. This shows clearly through the whole book. The book gives a good overview over todays ID techniques combined with excellent examples. If Mr. Proctor had desisted from placing more or less hidden product advertisement in his book he would have done all readers a big favor.

comprehensive and readable.......2000-10-26

The Practical Intrusion Detection Handbook offers a highly readable and comprehensive presentation of intrusion detection.

Security is a holistic endeavor, requiring coordination of many different components, including technology, policy, practice, behavior, and so on. This trait of security makes the topic hard to grasp, and even harder to explain to non-experts, most of whom think of security as being conferred by a single object, whether a firewall, security policy, or chief security officer. The most impressive accomplishment of this book is that helps the reader apprehend all the different aspects of intrusion detection and how they interrelate.

The book helped me organize my own thinking about intrusion detection, providing not only an overview of approaches and technologies, but presenting the organizational, operational, policy, and financial aspects of intrusion detection.

The book is an excellent complement to other books on intrusion detection, such as Network Intrusion Detection: An Analyst's Handbook by Stephen Northcutt, and Intrusion Detection by Rebecca Gurley Bace.

Paul Proctor "gets it" -- and you should get this book!.......2000-09-18

I am the officer technical lead for a 50-person military intrusion detection operation. Paul spoke at the SANS 2000 Technical Conference on 25 March 2000, right before I gave my own presentation. Even though Paul emphasized a host-based ID view, and I have network-based lineage, I found his insight and experience impressive. His new book demonstrates those qualities in spades. Chapter 6, "Intrusion Detection Myths," is particularly helpful, and his statement that "There is no such thing as a false positive" rings true.

An outstanding feature of the book is Paul's discussion of operational models for intrusion detection. Too many organizations (including my own military unit) believe intrusion detection involves little more than deploying and monitoring sensors. Paul encourages the reader to develop policy, requirements, expectations, legal considerations, and other facets of operation before spending a penny on intrusion detection products.

The main negatives for this book involve a rushed-to-production look in some places. For example, Appendix B: Commercial Intrusion Detection Vendors, is labelled on pages 338 - 346 as "Chapter 1: Fundamentals of Vibration Damping, 1.1 Introduction". Minor errors appear elsewhere. They do not detract from the book's content, and I believe the next printing should correct these typos.

Book Description

CD and DVD Forensics will take the reader through all facets of handling, examining, and processing CD and DVD evidence for computer forensics. At a time where data forensics is becoming a major part of law enforcement and prosecution in the public sector, and corporate and system security in the private sector, the interest in this subject has just begun to blossom.

CD and DVD Forensics is a how to book that will give the reader tools to be able to open CDs and DVDs in an effort to identify evidence of a crime. These tools can be applied in both the public and private sectors. Armed with this information, law enforcement, corporate security, and private investigators will be able to be more effective in their evidence related tasks. To accomplish this the book is divided into four basic parts: (a) CD and DVD physics dealing with the history, construction and technology of CD and DVD media, (b) file systems present on CDs and DVDs and how these are different from that which is found on hard disks, floppy disks and other media, (c) considerations for handling CD and DVD evidence to both recover the maximum amount of information present on a disc and to do so without destroying or altering the disc in any way, and (d) using the InfinaDyne product CD/DVD Inspector to examine discs in detail and collect evidence.

*This is the first book addressing using the CD/DVD Inspector product in a hands-on manner with a complete step-by-step guide for examining evidence discs
* See how to open CD's and DVD'd and extract all the crucial evidence they may contain
* Included free is a trial version of author's market leading software "CD/DVD Inspector"

Customer Reviews:

Great Primer.......2007-07-30

Crime scene forensics has captured the attention of nearly everyone, thanks primarily to the CSI television franchise shows. Fans tune in every week, to all three series, to find out whodunit and, more importantly, how the detectives are going to catch the bad guys. Forensics investigations have progressed past the point of simply blood, hair, and fibers. The television shows routinely show evidence being recovered from digital media that the perpetrators had thought were erased or destroyed. I enjoy the shows, but a lot of what they do with electronic media has seemed like magic. I became a doubter in that kind of recovery technology.

Paul Crowley and Dave Kleiman's new book CD AND DVD FORENSICS addresses such electronic magic. They formed a company that specializes in recovery of lost or intentionally disrupted data. With their technique and program, they can virtually look into a disc and find out not only what has on it now, but also know what has ever been on it.

We live in an era with rewritable data, and many people mistakenly believe that once they erase something from their computer or put it into the trash bin on their desktop, it's gone. Even if they delete the file from the computer, the information is not gone. With the advent of the police shows, the general public has learned that files are not erased. They get overwritten, which is vastly different. Overwritten means that parts of that file still exist on a hard drive or a flash drive. Of course, the educated criminal can install a program that will overwrite the whole drive.

CDs and DVDs are the same way. Computers burn images onto the disc surface. Some of the discs are rewritable, but they feature the same logistical programming as hard drives. Information that was previously stored on the disc is merely written over, not erased. Even though a disc has been damaged, or even thought destroyed, information can be recovered from them.

Crowley and Kleiman begin their book with a thorough discussion of what the CD and DVD media are. They explain the makeup and architecture of those discs from the ground up in terms that a generalist can understand. People who are already skilled in knowing CD and DVD composition can probably skip over this section, but I had a very vague idea of how the discs were made and archived. I found the technology fascinating, and again was overwhelmed by how much science and invention we seem to take for granted on a day-to-day basis.

Once a general understanding is achieved, the authors move on into the recovery procedures. They talk about their application, CD/DVD Inspector, and explain at length about how to use the software when recovering information.

The book is well laid out. There are plenty of margins for taking notes and for highlighting the text. Too often technical manuals have a habit of being densely printed and provide no areas in which to work. They're also hard to read.

The authors use down-to-earth language and provide plenty of illustrations to make their methodology and procedure clear. The book is extremely user-friendly and laid out so that someone who uses this technology often can easily reference the material.

As a writer, I often find myself researching many subjects. Sciences, technologies, histories, and geographies are all part of the usual retinue I have to wade through in order to create a novel. Many of the books that I use are not as generous as this one. This is one of those reference manuals I will keep near my desk.

For fiction purposes, I would have liked more information on how the evidence recovered from the discs was presented in court. How does a recovery expert persuade a jury that he knows what he's doing? How can he provide a jury a short lesson that will bring them up to speed on the technology being shown? Of course, the authors didn't write this book to provide that kind of slant with their material. But I can see that law enforcement personnel or private security agencies would want additional training in those fields as well.

CD AND DVD FORENSICS is an excellent book for the layman. Even though I doubt I will ever use the software application, it's still nice to know that I can recreate it in a fictional setting and have it right.

CD and DVD Forensics.......2007-02-21

Review of CD and DVD Forensics by Paul Crowley

An extremely technical , well written book covering all aspects of CDs and DVDs. From the opening paragraph you know that you should be a Medical Examiner to truly understand all of the ramifications of these types of storage media.
In depth coverage of the media itself, is followed by the file structure on CD and DVD media as well as potential problems you can encounter using the forensic recovery processes. Software is described that can be of assistance, types of drives, cleaning products and handling techniques, are covered in detail.
Use of the primary recovery software is covered in extreme detail over nearly 100 pages. If you are truly serious about file recovery, in a most professional manner and varied circumstances, get the book and follow the step by step processes described. This book is not meant for a casual read about CDs and DVDs.

Only worth buying if you use or want to learn the CD/DVD Inspector application.......2007-02-07

I am sure if you wish to learn CD/DVD Inspector, or use it regularly, this book is one to buy. I have also heard that this book is used as a text in a CD DVD course being offered. However, if this is not what you are doing, then I would suggest that you look elsewhere, as this is not a well rounded introduction to the field nor the output of a study. To me the CD and DVD Forensics text read more like the 'missing manual' for the application than truly useful information. I guess I was a little disappointed with this, as I don't believe the title nor the blurb conveyed the extent of the product tie in.

Physically, the book is printed on low quality paper and is quite thin, the font size used is huge and approximately 1/5 of the book is made up of the glossary and the table of contents. The photographs and images used are also of a low quality, which is a shame.

However, I will keep this book on hand because it does have some interesting information within it, and in case I ever need to use the CD/DVD Inspector application. Certainly not a well-rounded book though.

Some info on these media formats, but basically a manual for software.......2006-12-31

I got a review copy of CD and DVD forensics in the mail a couple of weeks ago, and immediately two thoughts came to mind. First, I honestly didn't ever think about these media types in a forensic examination, and so it was a bit unexpected to see a book on them. The author, Paul Crowley, does a good job of explaining why these media types are important to the forensic examiner. Secondly, I began to wonder if it would compare favorably to Brian Carrier's excellent "Filesystem Forensic Analysis". Crowley's book doesn't, but given that Carrier has set such a high bar, it's not surprising.

Chapter 1 dives right into it, covering a lot of CDROM and DVD disc physical attributes and some common layout features. Chapter 2 is a similarly thorough treatment of the logical layout and describes a lot of the fliesystems commonly found in optical media. In this chapter some additional images and illustrations would have helped.

Chapter 3 is surprisingly short, and it introduces binary forensic images. There's little treatment, if any, given to how to collect them. I'm not clear why this chapter was so short or even standalone. Chapter 4 is a bit longer, but also quite short. It covers collecting CD and DVD evidence. There are some useful tips and insights in this chapter, but again it's so short. Chapter 5, "Preparing for disc examination" is a bit longer again, and contains some useful information. There's some useful information here, and some more in depth treatment would have been appreciated.

Chapter 6 starts the real meat of the book, the CD/DVD Inspector manual. This is a lengthy chapter with good illustrations, organization, and a full treatment of the specific messages given by the software. A pretty standard overview of the software package, specific to it as well.

Chapter 7 is, sadly, a short chapter on using CD/DVD Inspector. I say this is sad because a more thorough treatment with insights and exercises would have been valuable. As it stands it's basically tossing you in the deep end. Chapter 8, "Advanced tasks with CD/DVD Inspector", is quite similar. Again, a longer, fuller treatment of the tasks would have been great.

Chapters 9 and 10 are real letdowns because they treat such important material ("Reporting your findings" and "Things to keep in mind", respectively) so cursorily. Just a few pages apiece (Chapter 10 is all of one page!). Real insights would have been valuable here.

Appendix A is useful and covers "Disk swap modifications", and finally a lengthy glossary rounds out the book.

While the material is presented clearly (both the text and the illustrations), it's not presented completely in most chapters. This feels like an exercise without much value beyond being a manual for the software and some introductions and overviews of CD and DVD filesystems. All in all this book should go back to the author for a full fleshing out. I give it three stars on the basis of its strengths, but I think it's more of a 2.5 star book overall.

If you're looking for forensics material, this may wind up on your bookshelf, but see if you can get this book at a steep discount. It's incomplete for the novice or student and focuses specifically on one software package. I hope that any future editions are more complete.

Thinly veiled ad for their product.......2006-12-09

The book has some info at the beginning, but most of the book is dedicated to showing you how to use their $549 product "CD/DVD Inspector". You're better off with something like "File System Forensic Analysis".

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