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5 comments about The Personal Internet Security Guidebook: Keeping Hackers and Crackers out of Your Home (The Korper and Ellis E-Commerce Books Series).

1. I was very impressed with the way the author was able to simplify the discussions around securing your computers, whether it be at home or a laptop on the road. The list of reference websites was amazing and proves that the author took the time to research the book carefully. He did not just give simple instructions for securing the computer. He actually took the time to explain what everything was and why it was important to make the changes. Good book for novices at home and can help fill in the gaps for more knowledgeable people. An excellent resource and reference. I recommend it.



2. This book contains some useful information, simply presented, but it is so poorly written and edited that I kept thinking that it was meant to be a parody, doing for computer books what "Spinal Tap" did for rock documentaries.

   The text appears not to have been edited, or even proof-read: In a chapter describing the history of the Internet, Vinton Cerf is sometimes "Cert" and sometimes "Cerf," even on the same page! In one case, the author states "So Cerf (yes dudes, not SERF!) and Kahn developed a new protocol..." and a few paragraphs later, "You see, the original model that Cert and Kahn put together...." (P.11). These quotes also give a good taste of the author's writing style, which might be described as "faux au courant."

   Beyond that, the material is very disorganized. Every page seems to be peppered with seemingly random footnotes, often providing trivial information, while many obscure acronyms are never even explained at all.

   The book is 200 pages long, much of it taken up with screenshots and diagrams. 40 of those pages are devoted to a list of security-related hardware and software tools with descriptions obviously copied from the vendor's advertising materials, and much of it already out-of-date. The foreword is by the CEO of Linksys. whose products are featured in many screenshots, and who is further flattered with a 2/3 page bio (more than is devoted to all three authors combined on the back cover), leading me to believe that the book is a Linksys commission with some additional support from the other sources mentioned.

   The book is a quick read, and it might appeal to the dumb and dumber crowd, but I wouldn't trust it or recommend it for anyone else.




3. This book was very useful ---- I found that I get attacked every day --- due to logs on my router. I agree with one of the other reviews -- too much Linksys stuff ... but still a great book and provided me with the information I needed to block these constant attacks on my cable modem line.



4. I was able to use the advise from this book to setup my home router. I have been watching the logs and it is amazing how many times on any one day that I get attacked. I have a cable modem at my apt. This book was great on the details about how to setup the home router.



5. This book is poorly written and contains very little useful information. It spends far too much time describing trivial differences between various computer & network configurations, and too little time really discussing security. When it comes to discussing security tools (in an appendix), it simply lists all of the available products, with little to no comparisons or recommendations. The average user will get nothing from this book, and is better off spending the money on a firewall or screensaver.

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5 comments about Halting the Hacker: A Practical Guide to Computer Security (Bk/CD-ROM).

1. I got this book to become more familiar with network security. It goes over some good topics and really helps you to understand the "secure your system" concept. However, this book is a basic overview for the network manager and I would suggest that you find some other book to go with if you wanna buy it..



2. This isn't a heavily technical book. Unlike many of the other security books I've reviewed, this isn't full of tcpdump traces and the like. It is, however, a really excellent overview of security that can introduce a system administrator or a general manager to the subject.

   There are actually a very few pages that deal with things like disabling unused services, but that's just 14 pages from a 337 page work, and those are really more illustrative than specific. Instead, this covers the who, the how and the why of hackers, the legal climate, and includes examples of actual incidents.

   Perhaps a good indication of the target audience is the Glossary, which includes definitions for "back door", "client/server", "Kerberos", "newsgroup" and "Trojan horse".

   If you are looking for programmer level information, this isn't what you want. On the other hand, this is much more technical and focused than something you might read in Newsweek or your Sunday newspaper.

   Recommended for business owners and managers who need to understand computer security even though others may actually implement it, or as a base introduction for technical people with no previous exposure.




3. This new expanded edition of Halting the Hacker came out in 2002 and is nearly double the size of the original edition. It takes the insight of how hackers attack systems from Pipkin's first edition and delves into the details of how to protect your Unix and Linux systems.

   Real-life stories about hackers and companies who were hacked are sprinkled throughout the book making it an easy read for anyone, not just techies. The tools discussed (and which come with it on the included CD-ROM) makes it a valuable resource for everyone who deals with Unix/Linux systems.

   Highly recommended!




4. It is ironic that the advent of the computer promised to dramatically reduce paper usage; today's 1,000-page-plus computer-security tomes have probably single-handedly deforested whole regions of the earth. A happy exception to this trend of titanic texts is Halting the Hacker. Which is relatively concise yet highly informative.

   It provides a good overview of core information security issues and concepts. It takes a big-picture approach to information systems security, not bogging down the reader in arcane minutiae.

   Halting the Hacker delves into more intricate details and includes a CD-ROM with many security tools.

   Overall, it is valuable for anyone needing to know about information systems security without sacrificing a forest in the process.




5. This review is a collaborative writing project completed by the students in a "Technology and Ethics" class at DeVry University in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is based on a quick look at the book under consideration.
   
   This book has several virtues. It provides a simple step-by-step process to keep hackers out. It also provides supportive links where you can download software to protect your hardware as well as business information. The simple wording allows you to concentrate on your work while helping you protect what you are working on.
   
   Although this book is outdated, it would still be helpful in setting up a security policy. The illustrations in this book would not be suitable for some business environments; however they would be useful for the individual computer user.
   
   I would recommend this book to beginners in the computer technology field. This book comes with a useful CD-ROM that contains software and added resources.

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1 comments about Combating Computer Crime: Prevention, Detection, Investigation.

1. I'm computer security specialist. My primary occupation is writing security policies for large companies. When I visited my friend (non computer oriented) I found this book on his shelf. I told him that I cannot leave him without this book. He didn't know why he has this book, and was sure that didn't buy it!

   Book is really great. Tells exactly WHAT should I do and gives me enourmous help. If anyone read "Security policy made easy" by Charles Cresson Wood should try to find this book.