Customer Reviews

Hack Proofing Your Network: Internet Tradecraft

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you know nothing about hacking, this book might be a good start. However, there are plenty of web sites that will do a better job (and they are free).
The reputation of the authors made me hope for a much more in depth look at hacking techniques. Instead, they touch on most subjects way too lightly, and making several failed attempts in explaining some basic networking concepts.
What I thought to be the most value when reading, was the promise of a website with all the links mentioned in the book. As of today, this site is "under construction" without any useful information at all! (www.internettradecraft.com)
In short, if you want to get a basic feel for what hacking is about, and want to get it without using a webbrowser, read this book. If you're looking to expand your knowledge or get definate answers, look elsewhere.

This book was obviously not meant to inspire any crackers, nor to educate the hardcores. What it does is bring the rest of us up to speed without us having to learn the hard way. While some arrogant hackers/crackers may think that this book is a sissy-handbook, not all of us care to spend endless hours of our precious free time trying to reinvent the wheel.

Having said that, this book covers a lot of ground, and balances the technical details of hacking with the overall picture of what security truly is: a process.

Example-Do you know what a buffer overflow REALLY is? I kind of did, but now I know exactly how it works.

Example2-Why is physical security so important? This is part of the overall process, but it ties directly into the previous example.

My conclusion is that if you work in the field, you should buy the book. This goes for the techie-oriented businessman too, because you'll learn how to cry BS. Not everything you'll read in there will be useful to you, but much of it will be applicable and some things might prevent you from making some really naive decisions (like trusting patches).

I'm an experienced system administrator with a very strong background in security, and I was honestly on the fence with regards to full disclosure prior to reading this book. I knew it was necessary for me to know everything to protect my systems, but I was terrified by the thought of the uninitiated being able to by a book or surf the web and then hack my network. But afer reading this book, I really don't think there is any other way. The authors repsonsibly and accurately detail the techniques and tools used to hack into systems, always with an eye towards preventing such catastrophies.

As a technical writer wishing to learn more about network security, I found this book helpful. I feel it is also of use to sys admins wanting to know more about trying to "hack-proof" their networks. While other books may give more in-depth info, this one covers a lot of basic information. Areas such as the "politics of hacking," the laws of security, different types of attacks, diffing, cryptography, buffer overflow, packet sniffing, spoofing, etc. are covered here.

There's also chapters devoted to the infamous "security holes" on every computer and how to deal with attacks or viruses. As others have pointed out, this may not be THE DEFINITIVE book on network security, but it does offer a good general approach to it.

I was really pleased reading this book to find that it is filled with actual techniques that can be used to defeat hackers, and not just filled with hype about the dangers of cyber space. The authors are expert hackers, and the insight they provide into how real world attacks work is pretty amazing.

I just finished reading Hack Proofing Your Network, and I found the information to be invaluable. The book is written by an all star team of hackers, and those of us responsible for protecting systems from attacks had better undersand the techniques used by intruders. The book provides insight into the various types of hacks and provides real solutions for defending against them. I'll bet Microsoft ordered a few copies for their library this week.

OK, I did it again, I bought another useless 'hackers book'. As before, it is basically my fault, since I chose to (by my own free will). Unlike before, however, the disappointment is a lot higher, since the authors (I know their works) are capable of a far better product. It can be the diversity of styles, or some kind of auto censure, or whatever, but the book looks basically naive, and the content is very weak. It seems to me as if while trying to be formal, the authors banalized and/or obscured the issues under discussion. The bottom line is a mosaic of generic topics that you can easily find (better treated) following common security links. As for the claims of Mr. Russell (back cover), besides being truly OPTIMISTIC, they seem like referring to a different book! I am still amazed by a the fact that he can really believe that after reading the book, the term 'blind spoof' will be correctly understood! Half page of obscure information (using a non-representative example) with at least a misplaced term, doesn't seem the way to explain this kind of spoof (you can find better information in Morris original document). Besides, the 'explanation' aims to describe some scanning possibilities instead of real blind attacks. Not a mention to modern forms of prevention (e.g., Syn-Cookies, Firewalling, etc.).
Still a good idea, I keep looking forward for a 'better' second edition.

Note1: The original of this review deserved 21 helpful votes. Unfortunately when I edited it to correct misspellings, Amazon reset the counter :-((
Note2: The second edition is now out (March 2002), and for what I know, it seems to be a very useful and up to date publication. :-))

If you're a script-kiddie you can stop here, because while offering no real new information, I think this book is still valuable for the fact it disspells a lot of rubbish which the Media has put out there and Joe-average now belives.

It presents debate on disclosure and the basic laws of security which many of us live by, but a new breed of 'secuirty professional' seem blisfully unaware of.

Knowing how to "Install NT... [because you've] got an MCSE" is no way to lock down a server, you have to actually know something more than how to follow a wizard. Few people appreciate the bigger picture and what they're opening themselves up to every day.

If this sounds like you - read this book.

better than exposed. much more detail, but too little reference material.

I thought this was really good and well written. I thought it would be a little more "sexy" than it is (you know, more stories of hacking and more about these characters), but realized that what makes it a useful book is the practical approach it takes.

There's something here for everyone, but it will appeal to intermediate folks the most I think.