5 comments about Killer Cruise (Jaine Austen Mysteries).

1. I am a writer who was sent the book by a writer friend of mine. I don't know the author, Laura Levine, and I don't usually do reviews. But because I laughed the whole way through, I wanted to express my admiration - writer to writer - to Levine for the craftsmanship that made it such a good read. I'd appreciate another writer doing the same if (s)he liked my work.
   
   Only one sentence in the entire book that I might have handled differently. Virtually pitch perfect. This isn't Shakespeare, but I gave you 5 stars because you aced the genre. Good job.



2. Jaine Austen is a freelance writer living in LA with her cat Prozac. Let's say she's underutilized in the marketplace, and that her Saturday nights look an awful lot like Thursdays. Her diet is so nutrient deficient that she'll probably die of everything. But the girl can solve murders. In this wonderfully funny eighth entry, Jaine agrees to teach writing to recalcitrant cruisers in exchange for a week of cramped living in a ship's bowels with Prozac who has stowed away. You've read the product description, so I won't go further on the plot line except to say that I received this book when I was laid up with a vicious flu, and for several glorious hours I forgot my misery. If you could use a laugh, or many more, this is the way to go. I love this series.



3. I looove the Jaine Austen series!!! She is funny, cute, smart - she always gets in trouble.
   I give 5 stars.



4. I found mistakes. That is something I find distracting. If a book has mistakes, I won't enjoy it. Too much in the book is not easily believed. Worse yet, the writer tries very hard to be funny. It is better when it is natural. Too many references to brownies, and that gets old.



5. VERY CUTE STORY AND IF YOU HAVE A CAT THAT GETS IT'S WAY ALL THE TIME... YOU WILL RELATE TO THIS,ALSO IF YOU ARE A PERSON WHO, EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO SLOW YOU DOWN OR GET YOU OVERLOADED AT TIMES.YOU WILL RELATE.SMILES ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

5 comments about Incident Response and Computer Forensics, Second Edition.

1. This is no doubt the best incidence reponse book out. I highly recommend this for anyone either in the field, learning to get into the field, or running a small to medium sized company without a team of experts. My entire network admin team uses this as a reference at the side of their desk.



2. I liked this book, but it is scattered in its topics. A lot of the information can be found online, and the tools aren't what we use on a daily basis. I'm not sure if any of them are commercial tools in this book.
   
   I liked File System Forensics by Brian Carrier better. Even though it had a smaller area to cover it provided a better introduction to the area and I could see how it could be used in a class better. Still, this book does have a lot of good content and makes a nice addition.



3. You must buy if you are beginner, intermedium or advanced in forensic computers.



4. Must have been 5 years ago or so when I first bought this book. I have been using it ever since. This is not a Forensics book, but it is a nice marketing ploy to add it into the title.
   This book is organized very methodologically. The book is divided into 4 parts.
   .-Introduction
   .-Data Collection
   .-Data Analysis
   .-Appendixes
   The name "introduction" may be misleading for the Part I, since this part contains very important chapters, by following the processes and recommendations of the author makes responding to an incident simpler and more productive. There is nothing worse than a group of techies declaring an incident and start shutting down servers without a plan or a process. I have seen the web services of an organization go down for a week for the lack of planning, if they had a process in place all they had to do is shut down the ports the virus was using to propagate.
   This may be an older book but it's still relevant, easy to understand and adopt. Of course NIST has the special publication SP800-61 to deal with IR and yet it is not as simple to read and understand.
   Best Fishes and thank you for reading.



5. Amazingly enough this book still has some value--human processes don't change that much. Their incident response examples seem charmingly innocent--like being called to assist a company with a single exchange server or setting a threshold of 5 affected machines. But,unless you're just nostalgic you probably want to stay away.
   
   How big a machine do you need to run your tools on? Their specification for a forensics workstation calls for a "High end processor" with "A minimum of 256MB of RAM". (Yes, that's *megabytes* and I'm sure it was a screamer in its day.) And they keep talking about these things called "floppies"... Furthermore, I'm pretty sure their 7 year old tools are going to be pretty hit or miss in terms of their value and I'm guessing that the 7 year old links to web resources are going to be a little spotty.
   
   Memo to self--check copyright dates next time.

5 comments about Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying.

1. In our technological world, this book will serve as a valuable tool for parents and educators to assist with the prevention of bullying as well as how to handle incidents of bullying. It is packed with tips, ideas, and strategies.



2. This book is a must read for teachers and parents. It is very easy to read and will give parents the information they need to get involved in thier kids lives and take control in a positive way.Kids today are more computer literate then past generations and it's time to step up and monitor what kids are doing online.



3. I was referred to this book by Marian Merritt, the Online Family Safety Expert for Symantec, Corp. It is an must-read-encyclopedia for anyone working in the schools today. It was well researched, clearly written, and I especially appreciated the samply forms for use in schools.



4. Patchin and Hinduja really bring this topic to life through their experience and in-depth analysis. I used this book to compliment a course I was taking on emerging trends in computer crime. It really highlighted all of the critical aspects that deal with this new and evolving social problem. This book provides the key concepts and strategies necessary for educators, parents, and youth to overcome the multitude of obstacles associated with cyberbullying. All of the research conducted by Patchin and Hinduja is objective and scientific. Special care is given to thorough explanations of how the research was conducted, including nominal and operational definitions, and how random samples were achieved while limiting bias. While the research is quite scientific, Patchin and Hinduja have created simple real-life tools such as internet contracts, report cards, and scenarios for discussion at home and in the classroom. The real life excerpts bring a reality and depth uncommon to books of this type. The authors' true expertise is vividly portrayed by their ability to take complex sociological and information technology concepts and boil them down into a product that can be used by the expert and novice alike. If you need to be informed about this phenomenon, this book offers a well rounded platform for informative, yet concise data on the emerging trend that is Cyberbullying.



5. Cyberbullying, Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard, explains the issue of cyberbullying thoroughly and succinctly. This book provides a comprehensive overview of a problem which has drawn national attention. With the explosion of social networking sites it is important to be aware of your children's online activities. The authors discuss these issues at length and offer pragmatic advice and guidance on how to recognize and confront this issue. "Cyberbullying" details real life accounts that offer insight into and understanding of this growing problem.
   
   This book is an excellent guide for parents and teachers alike. It is an easy read, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about this issue.

5 comments about Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations.

1. Book has turned out to be a good source of information. The image on the site needs to updated, but that's par for the course.
   
   for the value, its not bad and has good people providing tech assistance when ot was written.



2. this book covers most topics of computer forensics investigations. easy to understand, it is very good for a beginner



3. I have just finished my computer forensics certification at the University of Washington, and we used the Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations (Third Edition) as the primary text for three courses. I found it to be a comprehensive treatise of all of the skills necessary to complete a successful digital investigation. In addition, I have had a chance to review portions of the soon to be released Fourth edition, which is even better. You can't go wrong with this computer forensics book. It should be a part of every computer forensics investigator's professional library.



4. This book shipped just as promised. There were a few highlighted areas of text and you could tell it was used, but it is exactly what I was expecting and what I paid for. Shipping was quicker than I expected and I would definitely purchase form them again. Great job!



5. everything went down fine. no problems, the cd was intact and was up and running prodiscover quickly

5 comments about The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey.

1. I was really looking forward to reading this book and enjoying the stories it contains. I was never a 2600 subscriber or participant, but I was familiar with the content of the magazine and the anti-authoritarian stance taken by those behind the publication.
   
   I finally decided to get this book, knowing full well that I'd enjoy stories of hacking and phreaking in the old days. Truth be told, there is plenty of that kind material here and sharing "war-stories" while reminiscing about the glory days of this underground, obscure culture is well worth the time it takes to get through this enormous book. Many of the stories involve obsolete notions, many do not. It's a varietal hodgepodge that keeps one reading, and for that I commend it.
   
   However, the fatal flaw to this book is the fact that anyone could have made any of it up. I accept the fact that most of the material is from user contributions, sharing experiences that could not possibly be verified, and even if they could, wouldn't be anyway. I can live with that.
   
   On the other hand, the book (and 2600 in general) makes some claims so outrageous as to cast further doubt on any content contained here. For example, claiming responsibility for the dissolution of Ma Bell into the Baby Bells (telephone companies) seems like a bold claim, and I don't believe it. The reason is this; simply put, the book will spend several pages going on about some random calling to a weather and time station, but for something as large as breaking up Ma Bell, one of the biggest monopolies the US has ever seen, well, it's only mentioned in passing, given two or three lines worth of reference. It hardly seems likely that a 3 page story about kids playing on a conference call should get more attention than hackers and phreakers breaking up Ma Bell, that is of course, unless it never happened...
   
   ...and it didn't. The "divestiture" of Ma Bell came from the result of a lawsuit brought against the monopoly by the US Department of Justice in 1974, when most of the 2600 participants were either yet to be born or little children. In 1982 (2 full years before 2600 and before any of the stories contained in this book) Ma Bell willfully agreed to divest its local exchange service. Yet this happened, according to, "The Best of 2600" at the same time that their first issue came out. Factually incorrect. That the "early phreaks" as the book claims, defeated this monopoly, it's interesting that it took a lawsuit from the Justice Department if this were the case.
   
   Furthermore, looking at 2600's website, they claim to be responsible for the economic crisis of late 2008. Really? Was 2600 selling mortgage backed securities funded by participants who were bankrupt, all on a global scale? I doubt it. What next, they put Jupiter missiles in Turkey during the Cold War too? Invented the automobile? Mapped the human genome?
   
   I can overlook that much of this content could never be substantiated, but when the book makes outrageous claims that we know are completely untrue, this makes the rest of the material doubtful at very best. That's unfortunate. They should have left the user submitted stories and had readers deciding perhaps that they were mostly true, instead of preposterous brags that have us taking every bit of content with a grain of salt.
   
   Having said that, the book is still fun to read and I wouldn't doubt that there are a lot of true stories in it despite the obvious exaggerations. It's a thoroughly enjoyable, extremely unique book, and that alone earns it two stars. Despite the terrible flaws, it's still worth it to buy and read the whole thing.



2. This is a great book. I am very glad that I bought it. You won't be disapointed.



3. Un llibre interessant per tenir una idea de l'evolució de les comunicacions des del punt de vista nortamericà i underground, amb tot el que comporta. Un document escrit per gent curiosa i sense por d'experimentar, fins i tot jugant-se haver d'anar a comisaria.
   A mesura que vas llegint articles i els comentaris intructoris d'en Goldstein, et va quedant el regust d'aquesta necessitat que tenen els americans per generar llegendes arreu, però no és perfectament suportable.



4. Great way to get all the great stories from back issues of 2600 magazine. Love it.



5. 2600: A Hacker Odyssey is an invaluable tome of knowledge, history and perspective on the hacker culture. It covers several topics of hacking, social engineering, telephones, security and more. If you're familiar with 2600 magazine, this is a must have. If not, get caught up with articles going all the way back to the beginning. Magazine Editor and author Emmanuel Goldstein and his crew have gone out of their way to organize such a great resource.

5 comments about Computer Forensics JumpStart (Jumpstart (Sybex)).

1. Like the previous reviewer I agree that the book does cover a fair breadth of material but not great detail. But, as a quick search will show, there are several hundred books on the subject. Most of those books are very technical and detailed unlike this book which is a great introduction to an incredibly complex industry. If your interested in getting more information about this field before jumping in this is a must have.



2. My Univ is using this as a textbook, and its good so far, even for an experienced computer geek like myself. It is a basic one, but I would say it sets the foundation for advanced training.



3. The book is well written and easy to read.
   It presents a basic overview of the forensic investigation field.
   
   Exactly what I was looking for.



4. This book provides a comprehensive overview of computer forensics and demystifies what computer forensics examiners really do. It is a stimulating way in to the subject. I enjoy most reading about collecting evidence by capturing data images (e.g. creating the bit stream copy or forensic duplicate) and finding hidden data on hard disk (e.g. in file slack space, swap file, or from encrypted plain text information in digital image).



5. Thanks to books like this and Amazon, I am now a Criminalist without being broke.

5 comments about Real Digital Forensics: Computer Security and Incident Response.

1. This book is written in such a style that is easy to understand, yet technical and detailed enough to maintain your interest and attention all the way through.
   
   The book presents several ways of accomplishing the same tasks in a non-biased, non-vendor-specific way. It explores the use of free, open-source tools as well as commercial offerings, and drills down into forensic analysis of both Windows and Unix/Linux Operating Systems.
   
   The included CD contains actual forensic data and a few tools, which is both interesting and exciting to use while following along with the lessons in the book.
   
   After receiving this book and opening it to the first page, I was almost unable to set it down until I finished it. I received it on a Friday afternoon and I had completed reading it by the end of the weekend. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Computer or Network Security.



2. I took this book because it was told to me by my professor to purchase it.
   But after reading its content I feel its really worth buying this book.



3. Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!



4. OK. What more do you need to know? This book is written by three gentlemen who live, eat and breathe computer incident response & forensics. The fact that they present the information in a well written and easy to follow format is just a bonus! If you're one of those "I wanna do it" types like me, you'll read through the material and then tackle the provided data to see if you can solve the crime. A great starting point for future incident responders and folks who want to know more about computer forensics.



5. i like the way the book starts with step by step instructions and comes with a cd and access on the internet for further information

5 comments about Digital Fortress: A Thriller.

1. An early novel, before Leonardo Da Vinci and his mysteries, that aims first at creating a suspense packed story. Imagine the central national data storing unit in the United States, and the central intelligence computer dedicated to breaking codes and then to eavesdropping on the whole planet. Pretty fishy and pretty dangerous, particularly because over-shadowy and under-transparent. This central brain of US intelligence is under attack from a disgruntled fired Japanese agent and from a civil liberties militant who is also a computer freak and wizard who has managed to get into the sanctum. Add to that a megalomaniac paranoid boss, or sub-boss who wants to invent the absolute universal and invisible backdoor for all digitalized communication in the world, and you will have the subject matter for a catastrophic thriller, for a new Inferno under a dome, but 12 years before Stephen King. And catastrophic it is, though saved at the last minute or second though the skin of the ball-sack of everyone, including the women in the story is singed. The story is entirely built around this attack and the finding of the prime numerical key password that will stop the attack. Of course I am not going to reveal that key number, but I will admit it is a simple solution and it is amazing that all these people who have PhDs, are code-retrievers and decoding cryptographers do not know the various atomic masses of the various uranium isotopes. You do not need a PhD in nuclear physics to know that. Even Dan Brown knows it, who has no PhD in that field. But I guess we can let that go even if the last ten pages are slightly marred though we wonder what other solution they could find since that one is so obvious and neglected. Yet the novel is a lot more than just that suspense. It is haunted in fact by the fundamental syndrome that has run in American literature for decades, from post war science fiction to today's thrillers with Stephen King's Firestarter, The Stand, to only name two novels, and many other authors and titles before, in-between and after. The myth of the "shop at Langley", of the "CIA inner circle", of the "FBI profiling laboratory", or the "military scientific manipulating labs" where they study killing bacteria and other DNA frightening fantasies if not fascinating genetically modified cloning. Here Dan Brown adds to that strain of frightening inspiration the fear of ordinary people in front of computers, the fear for civil liberties, the freedom of expression, or other fundamental liberties. It is mostly paranoid, unjustified and yet so effective in the media. The sentimental, and even sentimentalese, wrapping of the story is just what it is, a fancy wrapping paper. Yet the deeply cultured nature of Dan Brown comes back sincerely when he alludes to some Spanish Renaissance phrase that has to do with marble carving. In this book, alas, that's practically the only instance of artistic reference. And that is definitely a drawback.
   
   Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Vincennes Saint Denis, University of Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID Boulogne Billancourt



2. After reading "The Davinci Code", "Angels and Demons" and "Deception Point", I felt this book did not keep the same frantic pace at the beginning. But, it did pick up and once again Dan Brown pulled off a fun read. Brown's books definitely have a common formula but I don't think it detracts from the plot.



3. I have read all of Dan Brown's books and I must admit that I have enjoyed all of them --except this one. In all of his books he makes historical, religious, or scientific blunders. His factual goofs show that he either has not done the research or does not care about what is true as long as it makes a good story. I can accept the story-trumps-facts philosophy if the story is well written, if the facts are not too off the mark, and if the author writes skillfully enough that you understand that he is taking some liberties. Unfortunately, this book fails on all accounts. The story hinges on his "scientist's" assertion that neither of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan were plutonium bombs. What!!?? Did he bother to consult a physicist, or nuclear engineer, or read about the history of the atomic bomb (e.g., "The Making of the Atomic Bomb")? His statement that the "other atomic bomb" was a "different kind of uranium" (U-238 instead of U-235) is embarrassing. I suspect that he read that the second atomic bomb was produced by irradiating U-238 to make the explosive. However, neutron bombardment of U-238 produces plutonium-239 and any residual uranium was removed. The second atomic bomb was most definitely a plutonium bomb.
   
   Perhaps this goof affects me more than it would a non-scientist, but because this "fact" was so crucial to the story, I find this goof, among the many, unforgivable.



4. Ahhh, painful!
   I engulfed Brown's "The Lost Symbol". I expected this one to be just as good. However, three chapters into it, I wanted to jump into the book and slap the characters around because they were so annoying. Everything about this book is annoying. The coincidences are just too many; the characters are predictable. I knew exactly how it will end three chapters into the book! The fact that the professor goes through all those coincidental circumstances is just ridiculous. Also, Brown keeps re-writing the same thing over and over again....I don't know how many times he described TRANSLTR to the reader...at one point, I literally said out loud: "ok, I get it, move the hell on!".
   Maybe this book sucked because it was one of his firsts...not sure. Definitely wouldn't recommend it, because the reader will be disappointed. I liked his "The Lost Symbol", "Angels and Demons", and the "Da Vinci Code". This one literally p****d me off.



5. I am a detail oriented person. I am one to truly immerse myself in a book - get lost in it - so I love descriptive details in a book. As a result, I have never had any desire to skip even a single page while reading a novel. In fact, many times, I will reread certain sections to form a very detailed "picture" in my mind of the story's setting. So, having found my self skipping ENTIRE SECTIONS of Digital Fortress, I can safely declare that this is one of the worst jobs of "unfolding" I've ever experienced. A huge fan of Angels and Demons and The Lost Symbol, I am simply shocked that this was written by Dan Brown.
   
   First of all, the attempts at being unpredictable were, well, predictable. I hate anticipating the next scene and reading on to find that I was dead on, and knowing that a third grader would have come to the same conclusion. I also hate when female lead characters are initially painted to be tough and strong but, in actions and reactions, prove to be just as weak and pathetic as the typical beautiful but useless damsel in distress. Susan may be book-smart, but her thoughts and actions are quite "stupid." I found myself calling her that outloud. In the end, it doesn't even matter as there is absolutely nothing redeeming or admirable about her.
   
   This really is a shame, because the concept and overall predicament is brilliant! Unfortunately, getting to the point is excruciatingly drawn out and painfully wordy, and the jellyfish of a heroine is annoyingly lame. Simply put, for the non-techy geek reader, huge sections in the middle of the book are "jibberish," and there is no substantial back story to make up for it.

5 comments about Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.

1. As the description mentions, Steven Levy's "Hackers" is not about computer criminals, but refers to the more traditional definition of "someone who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a computer and computer network." I purchased this book because I was intrigued with Sierra On-Line, and was interested in learning more about some of the founding software companies and people who became rich from the computer boom of the early 80s. Having just finished Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet about the creation of the Internet, and being bored out of my mind with it, I was hoping "Hackers" would be a little more exciting. Unfortunately, the first half of the book mirrors "Wizards" in a lot of ways and discusses much of the same content. What's more, before purchasing, I had no idea this book was published in 1984 and that it would naturally only discuss computers up to the early 80s.
   
   "Hackers" is divided into three parts:
   
   1. True Hackers - 1946 - mid 70s. This section focuses on the early computer pioneers at MIT, such as the Tech Model Railroad Club, the Lincoln Laboratory, and experimenting with large mainframes such as the PDP-1 and TX-0. It describes in detail how they would spend hours punching in code for these computers to come up with the simplest hacks. I struggled to get through this section. It was so incredibly detailed and filled with minutiae that it took me two months and several breaks to get through the 200+ pages. Some of it was interesting, but there was just so much information I didn't need to know or care about.
   
   2. Hardware Hackers - Mid 70s - 1980. All about the Homebrew Computer Club and the development of early personal computers, focusing on the Altair 8800, TRS-80, development of BASIC, and Stephen Wozniak's creation of the Apple and Apple II Personal Computers. This section was definitely more lively than the first, but there is still nothing that couldn't have been summed up in a 4 or 5 page magazine article or a visit to Wikipedia.
   
   3. Game Hackers - Late 70s - 1982. This section is largely about the development of the game company Sierra On-Line, although the first few chapters spend a lot of time discussing arly game development. This section was the most interesting in the book, especially to gain some insight into the culture that existed in the gamin industry back in its development, but not as exciting as I thought it was going to be. Since the book was published in 1984, there is no mention of the incredibly popular King's Quest series that launched Sierra to the top of the industry.
   
   The main underlying theme of this book is the "hacker ethic," characterized by open access to computers (no passwords), mistrust of authority, computers are beneficial to changing people's lives, and all information should be free. It is very heavily discussed throughout the book and it's implications on the industry and the people in it. If this were a thesis paper about the hacker ethic I would have given Mr. Levy an A+ for staying so on focus. Unfortunately, it's not a thesis paper. If you are purchasing this book for entertainment purposes, make sure you are REALLY interested in early hacker culture. I thought I was but the book was just too dry for me. Not to mention it was hard to keep up with the hundreds of people introduced in the book. On the plus side, it is exceptionally well-researched and hardly seems dated at all. Until I got to the last few chapters, I had no idea the book was over twenty years old.



2. Let's get this out of the way up front--the term "hackers" here refers to the original ideology of the word from the earlier days of computing, when hackers blazed the trail of our modern hardware and software systems. These are not the modern day denizen hackers of destructive, malicious infamy.
   
   Based on this understanding, this book should be required reading for anyone connected with the computing profession. It serves as a rich history of the genesis of modern day computing, from the earliest days at MIT, the birth of languages such as Lisp and BASIC, the origins of modern video games from Space War and Colossal Cave, to the natural evolution of microcomputing.
   
   Steven Levy shows us how a historical book about an industry should be written. It contains an unfolding, interrelated emotional story of people and technology. There are moments of wonder, awe, tenacity, pain, suffering, hope, idealism, and eventually, money, capitalism, and greed. Even at 450+ pages, this is one book you'll read through quickly.
   
   After reading this, you'll want to fire up Emacs, dust off Space War, and find out just how powerful this Lisp language from 1959 still really is ;-)



3. Wow. I worked at Ashton-Tate (d-Base) in 1983 for their SofTeam division.
   Obviously I missed the very start of computer hacking at MIT, but I really identified with the people portrayed. This book perfectly describes the feelings of the original hackers. All they cared about was making the computer better at what it did, to the point of artistic obsession. As the hacker ethos was slowly but steadily spread, the right people were in the right place with steadfast belief that they could succeed. It's amazing to look at the companies that are still here, knowing now how they were started, by people who got addicted to the amazing creative power on such simple computers compared to now and what mistakes were made by whom that have influenced the evolution of computers to date. This book is an excellent read for techies who like history.



4. I am only in a 5th of the book. But it is so funny and I am forthy, so I didn't have the same experiences as those guys in the beginning. But I also started with a commodore 64 and hacking programs in it. If I compare it with the computers of today, I realy have to say that people must be able to get much more out of the machines of today with some real hacking.
   I have made the same situations and feelings when I was young. I do recognize myself in some of those guys.
   I am looking forward to read the rest of the book.



5. The only thing that is missing in this wonderful book is the UNIX era, which constitutes a story by itself. I was really disappointed to see that UNIX is mentioned in only one or two pages (and nothing is mentioned about UNIX and C hackers). Other than that, I think it paints a very vivid and humane picture of a very special period of the history of computing.
   
   I would also recommend it to people who are not technical so that they can understand the mindset and psychology of hackers better. The distinction between the styles of serious business computing and passionate, obsessive, creative and innovative hacking pushing the boundaries is also made very clear in the book. That distinction still exists today, even though the flagship of modern hacking GNU/Linux is becoming more and more of a business commodity rather than a risky playground for trying out really groundbreaking ideas. I also recommend the book to programmers, hackers and technical managers so that they know more about the past of their field. The roads taken and the roads not takes.
   
   I must admit that I learned much more about the history of Homebrew Computer Club and game hacking from this book, wish it contained more stories about Commodore, ZX Spectrum and Amiga.
   
   So grab some Chinese food, set up your hacking environment, put this book on your desk and give it a go! :)

5 comments about Malware Forensics: Investigating and Analyzing Malicious Code.

1. Malware Forensics by Aquilina, Casey and Malin, is one of those fortunate instances of a technical work being on the right topic at the right time. As increasing legions of personal computers are becoming possessed by an overwhelming variety of unsolicited "warez" which steal information, consume bandwidth, and poison OSs, it is refreshing to find a work such as this, which comprehensively treats the collection, identification and forensic analysis of a broad range of malicious code from the perspectives of both the security specialist and the law-enforcement professional. Particularly useful features of the book are the "Case Scenarios" which allow the reader to identify familiar patterns in the delivery system and behavior of malware examples, the "Analysis Tips" which are enormously helpful in avoiding wasted effort, and the guidance offered in Chapter 1 for the development of a customized toolkit. I was intrigued by the thorough treatment of Memory Forensics (Chapter 3) which, alone, offers ample justification for purchasing this work. I was also impressed by Chapters 2,5,8 and 10 which illustrate how useful Linux can be in isolating and analyzing malware. This book merits being read by every active IT security professional and of being kept as an important reference and instructional work. Kudos to Curtis Rose for bringing it together. Hopefully we'll hear more from these authors separately and/or together.
   
   James C. Smith, Ph.D.



2. Relatively new to malware analysis and computer forensics, I was a bit concerned if this book would be helpful to me. I wanted a book that would serve as an introduction as well a reference guide, and this book hit the mark! Particularly useful is the book's coverage of both Windows and Linux, which makes it a nice universal reference. [Side note: As I'm primarily a Mac user, it would have been nice to see some Mac coverage as well, but maybe in the next edition?]
   The book structure and flow is intuitive and I enjoyed following the case scenarios as the basis of demonstrating the tools and techniques Although the book covers each facet of the "malware forensics" process (live response, file profiling, etc) in great detail, and with the chapters building on each other, I found it pretty easy to jump ahead to other chapters too. The book web site, (www.malwareforensics.com) was not adverstised, but easy enough to find, considering the URL is simply the book title. The site serves a good reference to bookmark because it announces the release of new or updated tools and has a lot of links to other malware/forensic resources. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Malware Forensics and I'm looking forward to the 2nd edition!"



3. As the sole network administrator in a small Internet startup, I am responsible for every facet of our IT department. In the past year, our network has encountered intrusions, mainly by vindictive ex-employees, and a myriad of viruses/trojans of which a few of our systems became zombie machines. Since our network has fallen prey to various malware, on several occasions I've been notified by law enforcement that our machines were a part of a bot net. Other times we were warned by PayPal, eBay, and other financial institutions such as Bank of America that we were hosting phishing web sites. Starting a company on limited funds and manpower as well as enduring the growing pains of maintaining a network are difficult enough by itself. A colleague from my prior company referred me this new book which he thought would be suitable to bring me up to speed on investigating malware. Together with my knowledge base and reading through several key chapters, performing a few practical hands on case scenarios, and building a live response tool kit, I feel confidant that I would be able to proficiently investigate and analyze most malware which I may encounter. At minimum, I would be able to assist or present to law enforcement my findings for further investigation.



4. Malware Forensics is an awesome book. Last year Syngress published Harlan Carvey's 5-star Windows Forensic Analysis, and now we get to enjoy this new title by James Aquilina, Eoghan Casey, and Cameron Malin, plus technical editing by Curtis Rose. I should disclose that I co-wrote a forensics book with Curtis Rose, and I just delivered a guest lecture in a class taught by Eoghan Casey. However, I still call books as I see them, regardless of the author. (Check out my review of Security Sage's Guide to Hardening the Network Infrastructure for proof.) I can confidently say that anyone interested in learning how to analyze malware, or perform incident response, will benefit from reading Malware Forensics.
   
   I imagine that code-savvy investigators probably don't need to read Malware Forensics. However, this is not a book for newbies. The target audience includes those doing intrusion analysis on Windows and Linux who want to focus directly on examining malicious code. An investigator whose world revolves around reviewing hard drives with EnCase will probably not understand Malware Forensics. An investigator who needs guidance on identifying and then understanding malware will definitely like this book.
   
   The front cover emphasizes the book's "practical, hands-on" nature. I admit that I tried to follow along in many parts, usually by retrieving various Windows tools to try on malware caught in my spam folder. I do not expect the reader to become an expert in any one area of analysis, but I do applaud the authors for exposing readers to just about every aspect of malware analysis you might expect. The book uses large and small cases, multiple sample analyses, and extensive tool output to guide readers. Even the legal chapter covers the questions most of us are likely to ask.
   
   Furthermore, how often does one read an introduction (through p xxxvi) that is educational? I loved the points about DNA tests destroying evidence and the discussion of what is "forensically sound" on p xxv, and the mention of "evidence dynamics" on p xxvi. I got the sense the authors were real forensics experts, not strictly malware geeks. The citing of non-infosec sources when making points showed me they understood the big picture (p xxxi). They also cited their tools with footnotes and URLs, and included chapter end-notes.
   
   I found very little to complain about in this book. I noticed awkward placement of commas in chapters 3 and 8. A copyeditor could have removed those. From what I can see, the authors appreciated Curtis Rose's involvement. Syngress should observe the value of an editor who seriously reviews the text. (The last page of the book even includes errata that couldn't make it into the previous text!)
   
   I am seriously considering Malware Forensics as my Best Book Bejtlich Read in 2008. If it doesn't win (stay tuned for announcements at the end of December) Malware Forensics will be one of the top four for the year.



5. This book is quite an interesting read although there are many typos. The layout of the book is great you can choose to read either the windows section of malware forensics, or the Linux version of it. This book is great in such that you are going to learn all the necessary tools needed in order to take apart suspicious processes and files.
   
   I tip my hat to the developers of this book for their great work and for sharing such an interesting knowledge and background on malware forensics.