3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not a good textbook, October 31, 2006
This review is from: Network Security First-Step (Paperback)
We are currently using this book as a text in school. The book is more like an overview (hence the title) but it's so over the entire view that it's hard to get any real substance out of it. I'd rather have just read a glossary that told me what VPNs, DMZs, firewalls and encryption are. The mispellings and other typos are enough to make me want to throw this book out of the window. Did the editor actually proofread this thing? This is an alright reference as an addition to another book but it fails to stand on it's own as a text. Big disappointment.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Filled with critical errors, July 17, 2006
This review is from: Network Security First-Step (Paperback)
I have been buying books/other items on Amazon since Amazon's inception and this is the first review I've written. I feel compelled to warn others.
I would have given this book four stars if it weren't for the errors. The intent and content are very good for beginners. Also, good writing style and easy read. However, there are so many critical errors, it drops the value of the book tremendously. As placed in an example by another reviewer, simply leaving out a word like 'not' can have a huge difference in meaning w/in a given context. This book does it over and over again.
Luckily, I have experience and know what is an error, but this is a beginner's guide so it is unacceptable to have so many of these types of errors. Since I don't know everything, there were a few occasions where I had to research what was stated to find correct information (knowing it was wrong, but not knowing the exact answer).
Unfortunately, if you are new to the subject matter this book covers, you will have problems as the book is simply inaccurate in so many vital areas. I would recommend you steer clear of this text.
If you know the material, it is a decent refresher that is a quick read.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Good First-Step for MUCH NEEDED Network Security, October 30, 2004
This review is from: Network Security First-Step (Paperback)
Network Security First-Step
(Your first step into the world of network security)
Reviewer Name: Steve Owen Scheiderer, Network Administrator
Reviewer Certification: MCSE NT 4.0, CCNA
ISBN: 1-58720-099-6
If you've ever been victimized by a hacker you're left standing there asking "How'd they do this?" and "What could we have done to prevent it?" One of the most valuable insights of Network Security First-Step by Tom Thomas is that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to begin fighting hacker attacks. Thomas introduces the reader to the techniques - often strikingly simplistic or scripted via readily available tools - of the hacker with a "It takes one to fight one!" tactic.
Although there is plethora of technical information, there is plenty of non-technical information to consider. There is something for network administrators, security experts, CEOs and average Jane and Joe user at the office (or at home). Even the most non-technical user learns the importance of and the role they play in protecting the network with a "loose lips sink ships" approach. CEOs and policy-makers learn to lead by example as they submit to best practices and written policies. This may be one of the greatest feature of the book for the more technically savvy network professional who absolutely needs to enlist the cooperation of both CEO and the average user if the network security war is to be won.
Thomas builds on years of experience to show how hackers not only are interested in "targets of choice" but also "targets of opportunity". The goal is to protect the network on various levels to guard against either type of attack from the extremely sophisticated to those inflicted on sitting ducks ("targets of opportunity"). An entire chapter (Two) is dedicated to written security polices and each chapter is full of tools to use in this quest.
Thomas' expertise simultaneously shines (especially in the "Secure IOS Template" pp. 216-228) and presents a challenge to the novice in the area of network security. At times terminology is presented prior to its definition (like "social engineering" on page 4 and definition on page 5; "choke point" on page 192 and definition on page 193). Patience will be a virtue for the reader when coming upon new terminology throughout the book. So many tools are presented that at times the reader can be left wondering "what does this tool do?" The "Acceptable Use Policy" of Granite Systems is offered "if you want to reuse this policy" (p. 54) but the reader was never told where the text (template) could be downloaded. Finally, at times chapter outlines, figures and flow of the text were hard to follow. Nevertheless, Thomas' expertise and insight make these minor challenges worth enduring and certainly this is a complex topic which a book such as this can only begin to explore.
I would definitely read other titles by this author and his team of technical editors. I give Network Security First-Step a 4.5 rating on a scale of 1 to 5. An on-line errata page would greatly assist the reader in filling in some of gaps, typos, etc. missed by the author and editors.
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