Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies, and Thieves (Paperback)

~ (Author), Daniel J. Ryan (Author), Julie J. C. H. Ryan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Computer security holds a unique position among information technology disciplines. Because threats to systems are so numerous and varied, you can spend years studying them (and general strategies for counteracting them) before you start to work with specific security tools. Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies and Thieves is a guide to computer security that remains one step back from security software itself. In place of specific how-to information, readers learn about the motives of online attackers and the strategies they use to gain unauthorized access to systems and data, plus overarching concepts like public-key cryptography. They also find out about defensive and forensic strategies for preventing attacks and limiting their potency when they occur.

The authors of this book--a cryptographer, a couple of mathematicians, and a handful of others--employ a very text-heavy presentation style that's best suited to attentive study. The prose tends to be dense and a bit academic, and certain conceptual diagrams approach inscrutability. Still, security is a complicated matter, and a simplistic treatment wouldn't be as useful. It's possible to scan the index for a topic that interests you--keystroke biometrics, say--and find a definition and a statement of pros and cons. You'll also find endnote references to more specialized works but little mention of software products that implement the ideas the authors explain. --David Wall

Topics covered: Computer and network security, including risk management, security policy, cryptography, access control, authentication, biometrics, actions to be taken during an attack, and case studies of hacking and information warfare.

Product Description

Learn to stop digital espionage-before it happens! Manage your way to security in an increasingly interconnected world. Network data has become increasingly valuable in today's public and private sectors, as has become painfully clear to those in Fortune 500 companies and to those in top branches of government who store information digitally. But exactly how safe is the informaton that is accessible from a network? According to the expert authors of Defending Your Digital Assets Against Hackers, Crackers, Spies & Thieves and RSA Security, the most trusted name in e-security, NO data is safe. In fact, digital espionage, theft and destruction occur every day, and most attacks go undetected until it is too late. This groundbreaking new work discusses the growing vulnerabilities due to interconnectivity and the importance of protecting digital information. It offers detailed explanations of how and why attacks in progress, and quickly recover business operations. This is the first title from RSA Press, the new publishing group from RSA Security. RSA Security helps organizations build secure, trusted foundations for e-business through its two-factor authentication, encryption and public key management systems.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies (January 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072122854
• ISBN-13: 978-0072122855
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,966,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Guide to Computer Security, May 22, 2000

By	Sean Foster-Nolan "sfoster-nolan" (N. Weymouth, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

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

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth The Effort, July 5, 2000

By	E. McDaniel (Frederick, MD) - See all my reviews

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Proper Planning Improves Information Security, February 21, 2000

By	"comsec" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

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.