The Little Black Book of Computer Security

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 150 pages
• Published by: 29th Street Press July 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1583041206
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1583041208
• Book Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 5.6 ounces

Product Description
Every day, new reports of viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, and just plain hacker mischief appear. If you're an IT manager, it is hard to keep up and can seem like a losing battle. The hackers are winning the war -- or are they? The Little Black Book of Security tells you how to go about keeping your network hacker-free. As a concise guide to IT security presented in an easy-to-read checklist format, this book provides a quick reference to the whole range of procedures required for keeping your networks and systems safe -- despite any future changes in your hardware or software technology. Ever wonder how a hacker could break into a computer system simply by using a screwdriver? That and other technical tricks are explained here. Moreover, this book goes beyond explaining such gimmicks -- it also makes clear why taking care of physical security, creating readable IT security policy, and maintaining best practices when hiring employees are just as important as understanding the dirty tricks that hackers possess in their toolkits. Social engineering -- the low-tech but most effective way to break into a computer system -- and how to defeat it are described in detail. IT security managers and auditors will find the checklists useful for organizing a comprehensive IT security program. However, even if you just need to secure your e-mail and Web servers or want a guide to intrusion detection and incident response, The Little Black Book of Computer Security offers something of interest to any IT professional, whether that human being is a project manager, system administrator, or software developer. Handy references to useful Web sites and tools are included.

About The Author
Joel Dubin, CISSP, works as an independent computer-security consultant who is based out of Chicago. He has received multiple certifications from Sun Microsystems in the Java programming language as well as MBA and BA degrees from Northwestern University. He holds an Amateur Extra Class radio-operator license and maintains fluency in several foreign languages.

Reader Reviews
Some computer security books are written for complete novices, while others assume some level of knowledge on the part of the reader. The Little Black Book of Computer Security does neither. Joel Dubin's book is written in such a way that anybody can pick it up and use it as an action plan. Dubin does not bother going into great detail explaining the security concerns or the various steps that he includes to resolve or mitigate the issues. But, there is enough information there to point you in the right direction. That is the strength of the book really. It is small and concise, but provides the information that administrators, or I.T. managers, or even everyday computer users, need to analyze their own security and identify areas that need strengthening. If the reader is going through the Secure Your Web Site chapter and doesn't understand what the 'Root Directory' is, or what the difference between a POST and a GET command are, they will need to go elsewhere to educate themselves. But, this book will at least have let them know that those are areas they should be concerned with. The Black Book won't make you a security guru, but it can be a great tool to help you audit and lock down your computer security.