Customer Reviews

Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies, and Thieves

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As a neophyte I am tangentially aware of the importance of computer security, but reading "Defending Your Digital Assets" really brought the message home. As our world becomes more "wired", and our reliance on the information we receive through computers increases exponentially, the importance of computer security cannot be overstated.

This book is very approachable for the layperson and is an excellent primer for computer/information security overall. It was the only book I could find that that covered the topic so completely.

In addition, the book is very readable. The authors did a very commendable job in writing the book, i.e., it doesn't read like a text book.

Also, the book offers a large number of references/resources the reader can refer to for further study...as well as a glossary and a thorough appendix.

In sum, if you have a scintilla of interest in computer security, pick up this book. If you're a manager and concerned with computer security in your organization, pick up this book. If you are a student, pick up this book. In fact, if you use a computer at all, you should get this book.

The better informed we are, the harder it will be for hackers and crackers to wreak havoc on our computer systems and the information we rely on.

Thank you --Sean

I am a relative newcomer to the security field. I have been adding books to my library to help me in my job. I picked up Defending your Digital Assets and was pleasantly surprised. The sections on Security Verification of Systems and Networks and Cryptography were a rare read, and very enjoyable.

I also found the chapter on Biometric Countermeasures one of the clearest presentations on the subject, that I have found in print.

The authors clearly understand the INFOSEC field and their writing shows it. They make difficult concepts interesting. Too many books on this subject read like swiss cheese or with too much useless detail. Defending is the exception. I liked it. I recommend it.

The recent Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that crippled AMAZON.com, eBay, CNN and other major sites highlights the need for a concerted effort to protect our networked data. "Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies and Thieves" recognizes the value of network data in our public and private sectors and presents a blueprint for its defense against attacks effecting availability, confidentiality, integrity and authenticity. It advocates twelve building blocks to improve security: building the right organization, performing risk analyses, evaluating levels of impact, applying practical countermeasures, mandating vital backups, using anti-virus / intrusion detection software, establishing employee training and security programs, performing audits and continuously monitoring operations, staying on top of and reporting incidents, developing an alert system and triage responses, and finally launching a DoS attack on our own computers to determine the level of damage and potential loss of customers or revenue.

"Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies and Thieves" is unique in its coverage of the growing vulnerabilities due to interconnectivity and the importance of protecting digital information. It offers the responsible security manager detailed explanations of who does it, how and why attacks occur and gives due diligence advice on how to prevent future attacks, detect attacks in progress, and quickly recover business operations. Although NO data is 100% safe, the authors' recommendations will help organizations to maintain appropriate security levels, to provide resistance to penetration and ultimately to mitigate damage from attacks.

This book does not live up to its title and subtitle. Very general material. For example, Denial of Service Attacks are in the news these days. Looking through the index, I find four references to DOS attacks. The first on page 45 tells me that DOS attacks can be costly. The second on page 85 describes some previous DOS attacks, including one that took place 12 years ago. The next reference is on page 304 and is a historical description of DOS attacks over the past three years. The last reference on page 452 tells me that I should conduct DOS testing for my web server. Most of the book's content is similar. If this is useful to you, please buy this book. For specific help in hardening your network, please look elsewhere.