Authors:
Paperback, 300 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Publication Date: 2001-10-18


Reviews :

    "Hacker's Challenge" will consist of 20-25 hacking scenarios followed by the solution for each. The challenges/chapters are organized by increasing levels of complexity, and covers many hot topics, including Web content, VPNs, Denial of Service, wireless issues, e-commerce, email attacks and more. It includes input from top names in the industry - in addition to Mike Schiffman, consultants from the top security firms, such as Guardent, Foundstone, @Stake, SecurityFocus.com, In-Q-Tel, Arbor Networks, LoudCloud and more contribute their expertise. It is intended for a broad audience - "Hacker's Challenge" is for anyone who wants to solve the latest hacking challenges. It is a great companion to "Hacking Exposed" - an entire book of hands-on scenarios that compliment the "Hacking Exposed" text....

    Mike Schiffman has hit upon a great formula for Hacker's Challenge. Rather than try to research, fully understand, and adequately explain attacks that have taken place on other people's networks--the approach taken by too many writers of books about computer security--Schiffman lets network administrators and security experts tell their stories first-hand. This is good. What's better is that Schiffman has edited each of their war stories into two sections: one that presents the observations the sysadmin or security consultant made at the time of the attack, and another (in a separate part of the book) that ties the clues together and explains exactly what was going on. The challenge in the title is for you to figure out what the bad guys were doing--and how best to stop them--before looking at the printed solution. Let's call this book what it is: an Encyclopedia Brown book for people with an interest in network security.

It doesn't really matter, from a value-for-money standpoint, whether your skills are up to the challenge or not. The accounts of intrusions--these are no-kidding, real-life attacks that you can probably learn from, by the way--are written like chapters from a novel (though log file listings, network diagrams, and performance graphs appear alongside the narrative text). Recall every time you've seen a movie or read a book with computer scenes so technically inaccurate they made you wish for a writer with a clue. Schiffman and Hacker's Challenge is what you wished for. --David Wall

Topics covered: The sorts of attacks that black-hat hackers (everyone from script kiddies to accomplished baddies) launch against Internet-linked computers and networks. Everything is presented from the perspective of the defenders--i.e., the network administrators--who have to look at log files and process activity to figure out what's going on....

Authors: Eric S. Raymond.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly
Publication Date: 1999-10
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    "This is how we did it." --Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel

It all started with a series of odd statistics. The leading challenger to Microsoft's stranglehold on the computer industry is an operating system called Linux, the product of thousands of volunteer programmers who collaborate over the Internet. The software behind a majority of all the world's web sites doesn't come from a big company either, but from a loosely coordinated group of volunteer programmers called the Apache Group. The Internet itself, and much of its core software, was developed through a process of networked collaboration.

The key to these stunning successes is a movement that has come to be called open source, because it depends on the ability of programmers to freely share their program source code so that others can improve it. In 1997, Eric S. Raymond outlined the core principles of this movement in a manifesto called "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," which was published and freely redistributed over the Internet.

Mr. Raymond's thinking electrified the computer industry. He argues that the development of the Linux operating system by a loose confederation of thousands of programmers--without central project management or control--turns on its head everything we thought we knew about software project management. Internet-enabled collaboration and free information sharing, not monopolistic control, is the key to innovation and product quality.

This idea was interesting to more than programmers and software project leaders. It suggested a whole new way of doing business, and the possibility of unprecedented shifts in the power structures of the computer industry.

The rush to capitalize on the idea of open source started with Netscape's decision to release its flagship Netscape Navigator product under open source licensing terms in early 1998. Before long, Fortune 500 companies like Intel, IBM, and Oracle were joining the party. By August 1999, when the leading Linux distributor, Red Hat Software, made its hugely successful public stock offering, it had become clear that open source was "the next big thing" in the computer industry.

This revolutionary book starts out with "A Brief History of Hackerdom"--the historical roots of the open-source movement--and details the events that led to the recognition of the power of open source. It contains the full text of "The Cathedral & the Bazaar," updated and expanded for this book, plus Mr. Raymond's other key essays on the social and economic dynamics of open source software development.

Open source is the competitive advantage in the Internet Age. The Cathedral & the Bazaar is a must for anyone who cares about the computer industry or the dynamics of the information economy. Already, billions of dollars have been made and lost based on the ideas in this book. Its conclusions will be studied, debated, and implemented for years to come....

    It may be foolish to consider Eric Raymond's recent collection of essays, The Cathedral and the Bazaar, the most important computer programming thinking to follow the Internet revolution. But it would be more unfortunate to overlook the implications and long-term benefits of his fastidious description of open-source software development considering the growing dependence businesses and economies have on emerging computer technologies.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar takes its title from an essay Raymond read at the 1997 Linux Kongress. The essay documents Raymond's acquisition, re-creation, and numerous revisions of an e-mail utility known as fetchmail. Raymond engagingly narrates the fetchmail development process while elaborating on the ongoing bazaar development method he uses with the help of volunteer programmers. The essay smartly spares the reader from the technical morass that could easily detract from the text's goal of demonstrating the efficacy of the open-source, or bazaar, method in creating robust, usable software.

Once Raymond has established the components and players necessary for an optimally running open-source model, he sets out to counter the conventional wisdom of private, closed-source software development. Like superbly written code, the author's arguments systematically anticipate their rebuttals. For programmers who "worry that the transition to open source will abolish or devalue their jobs," Raymond adeptly and factually counters that "most developer's salaries don't depend on software sale value." Raymond's uncanny ability to convince is as unrestrained as his capacity for extrapolating upon the promise of open-source development.

In addition to outlining the open-source methodology and its benefits, Raymond also sets out to salvage the hacker moniker from the nefarious connotations typically associated with it in his essay, "A Brief History of Hackerdom" (not surprisingly, he is also the compiler of The New Hacker's Dictionary). Recasting hackerdom in a more positive light may be a heroic undertaking in itself, but considering the Herculean efforts and perfectionist motivations of Raymond and his fellow open-source developers, that light will shine brightly. --Ryan Kuykendall...

Authors: Siva Vaidhyanathan.
Paperback, 272 pages
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication Date: 2005-05-10


Reviews :

    ...

Authors: Steve Weisman.
Paperback, 224 pages
Publisher: FT Press
Publication Date: 2008-01-28
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    This is the eBook version of the printed book. If the print book includes a CD-ROM, this content is not included within the eBook version. Scams are everywhere...now discover exactly how to protect yourself!

• The truth about recognizing today's newest scams--online and off
• The truth about safeguarding your money, health, and reputation
• The truth about phishing, vishing, pharming, slamming, and more

Scams have always been with us, and they always will be - except now, technology makes scammers' jobs even easier, enabling them to reach out from anywhere around the world, and take advantage of more people than ever before. No matter how smart you think you are, you can easily become a victim: in fact, scammers have discovered that educated, sophisticated individuals are among their best targets. The Truth About Avoiding Scams arms you with everything you need to protect yourself: real, up-to-the-minute knowledge, and the "internal sensors" you need to sniff out even the subtlest, most well-crafted scams. Consumer finance expert and nationally syndicated radio host Steve Weisman offers quick, bite-size, just-the-facts information about every type of fraud, from identity scams to computer-based fraud, travel and health scams to phony educational loans and scholarships. Weisman exposes the new epidemic of "affinity fraud," where "people just like you" target you based on your ethnicity, racial group, church, club, or fraternal organization. You'll find up-to-the-minute guidance on avoiding illegitimate online dating services; "cramming" and other phone frauds; tax and Social Security scams; employment, home repair, and investment scams; and a whole lot more. Unlike some books on scams, this one's simple to read, simple to use, up to date, and complete: the only guide you need to keep yourself safe! ...

Authors: Leslie M. Orchard.
Paperback, 602 pages
Publisher: Wiley
Publication Date: 2005-09-09


Reviews :

    Now you can satisfy your appetite for information

This book is not about the minutia of RSS and Atom programming. It's about doing cool stuff with syndication feeds-making the technology give you exactly what you want the way you want. It's about building a feed aggregator and routing feeds to your e-mail or iPod, producing and hosting feeds, filtering, sifting, and blending them, and much more. Tan-talizing loose ends beg you to create more hacks the author hasn't thought up yet. Because if you can't have fun with the technology, what's the point?

A sampler platter of things you'll learn to do

• Build a simple feed aggregator
• Add feeds to your buddy list
• Tune into rich media feeds with BitTorrent
• Monitor system logs and events with feeds
• Scrape feeds from old-fashioned Web sites
• Reroute mailing lists into your aggregator
• Distill popular links from blogs
• Republish feed headlines on your Web site
• Extend feeds using calendar events and microformats

...

Authors:
Hardcover, 232 pages
Publisher: Greenwood Press
Publication Date: 2008-11-30


Reviews :

    There are today no more compelling sets of crime and security threats facing nations, communities, organizations, groups, families and individuals than those encompassed by cybercrime. For over fifty years crime enabled by computing and telecommunications technologies have increasingly threatened societies as they have become reliant on information systems for sustaining modernized living. Cybercrime is not a new phenomenon, rather an evolving one with respect to adoption of information technology (IT) for abusive and criminal purposes. Further, by virtue of the myriad ways in which IT is abused, it represents a technological shift in the nature of crime rather than a new form of criminal behavior. In other words, the nature of crime and its impacts on society are changing to the extent computers and other forms of IT are used for illicit purposes. Understanding the subject, then, is imperative to combatting it and to addressing it at various levels. This work is the first comprehensive encyclopedia to address cybercrime. Topical articles address all key areas of concern and specifically those having to with: terminology, definitions and social constructs of crime; national infrastructure security vulnerabilities and capabilities; types of attacks to computers and information systems; computer abusers and cybercriminals; criminological, sociological, psychological and technological theoretical underpinnings of cybercrime; social and economic impacts of crime enabled with information technology (IT) inclusive of harms experienced by victims of cybercrimes and computer abuse; emerging and controversial issues such as online pornography, the computer hacking subculture and potential negative effects of electronic gaming and so-called "computer addiction"; bodies and specific examples of U.S. federal laws and regulations that help to prevent cybercrimes; examples and perspectives of law enforcement, regulatory and professional member associations concerned about cybercrime and its impacts; and computer forensics as well as general investigation/prosecution of high tech crimes and attendant challenges within the United States and internationally....

Authors: Brad Haines. Frank Thornton. Michael Schearer.
Paperback, 258 pages
Publisher: Syngress
Publication Date: 2008-06-25
Edition: Pap/Onl

Reviews :

    Kismet Hacking brings together the premiere wireless security experts to outline how to successfully use the top wireless tool, Kismet. As wireless networking continues to spread in home, corporate and government use, and as Linux continues to replace Windows for many advanced users, Kismet is increasingly the tool that they rely upon. Now with the introduction of Kismet NewCore, people who are using Kismet for applications from wireless network design to wireless security, have an improved version of their favorite wireless application. Kismet Hacking is for both new users who are just starting to use Kismet and those who have been using Kismet for years. Vital user information on getting the most out of wireless Linux setups is contained here. This book covers everything a Kismet user would need to know about Kismet, from the basic installation to advanced subjects such as creating Wireless Intrusion Detection Systems....

Authors: Michael Hyatt.
Hardcover, 279 pages
Publisher: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: 2001-03-25


Reviews :

    This book is a report of how the government, industry, individuals, and interest groups have access to personal information about you. The book contains valuable information that will help you get around Big Brother....

Authors: Aaron W. Bayles. Chris Hurley. Johnny Long. Ed Brindley. James C. Foster. Christopher W. Klaus.
Paperback, 448 pages
Publisher: Syngress
Publication Date: 2005-04-01
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    A Technical Guide to Landing (and Keeping) a Job in the Information Security Field Do you analyze every packet that crosses your home network just because you can? Do you spend countless hours coding applications for the sheer joy and challenge? Do you have a coin jar labeled "Trip to DEFCON/Black Hat Fund"? If you want to refine those skills to land a top InfoSec job and employer-funded trip to Vegas next year, you've come to the right place. The authors of this book have all succeeded in applying their inherent hacker skills to build successful InfoSec careers. From them you will learn about the variety of available jobs and the skills required to excel in each one. Also, the authors provide advice on how to develop the necessary management and personal skills required to hack your way to the top.

• Determine What You Want to Be When You Grow Up (or at Least Get Older) See how the InfoSec field has matured, and decide if this is the life for you.
• Social Engineering for Profit Use both your people and research skills to perform reconnaissance on the InfoSec job market.
• Choose the Right Path Learn what certifications, work experience, and education are required (or not) to land your dream job.
• There's No Place Like Home for a Test Lab! Build a fully functional test lab and attack machine in your basement to fine-tune both your attack and defense skills.
• Learn the Laws of Security Master the ten guiding principles of information security to outwit malicious hackers in the real world.
• Know Your Enemies Identify and understand the classes of attack: denial of service, information leakage, regular file access, misinformation, special file/database access, remote arbitrary code execution, elevation of privileges.
• Feeling Vulnerable? Navigate the dangerous waters of vulnerability disclosure from nondisclosure to full disclosure.
• Don't Trip the Sensors Use your l337 H4x0r skillz to assimilate into the workplace and hack the corporate ladder.
• Master Incident Response Develop contingency plans to put out fires in the workplace without getting burned.
• Install Your Career Rootkit Since you got there, you might as well stay there!
Part I: Recon/Assessment Chapter 1: The Targets-What I Want to Be When I Grow Up (or at Least Get Older) Chapter 2: Reconnaissance: Social Engineering for Profit Chapter 3: Enumerate: Determine What's Out There Chapter 4: First Strike: Basic Tactics for Successful Exploitation Part II: Technical Skills Chapter 5: The Laws of Security Chapter 6: No Place Like /home-Creating an Attack Lab Chapter 7: Vulnerability Disclosure Chapter 8: Classes of Attack Part III: On the Job Chapter 9: Don't Trip the Sensors: Integrate and Imitate Chapter 10: Vulnerability Remediation--Work Within the System Chapter 11: Incident Response--Putting Out Fires Without Getting Burned Chapter 12: Rooting: Show Me the Money!...

Authors: Geeks On Call.
Paperback, 216 pages
Publisher: Wiley
Publication Date: 2005-12-19


Reviews :

    Bringing order to the lawless frontier

Almost daily, the boomtown growth of online activity generates more opportunities for cybercrime, identity theft, loss of data, and invasion of your privacy. To this lawless high-tech frontier comes the cavalry, mounted on (or in) blue PT Cruisers--Geeks On Call. Now they're helping you build that all-important first line of defense, with quick, easy-to-follow solutions to the most common security problems, plus simple steps you can take to protect your computer, your privacy, and your personal information--today.
* Keep your virus protection up to date
* Identify and remove spyware
* Recognize phishing scams
* Practice safe chatting and instant messaging
* Learn to encrypt data for security
* Protect your laptop and wireless connection
* Create secure passwords
* Safely use public computers

Geeks On Call(r) is the premier provider of on-site computer services. The certified, trained and tested technicians from Geeks On Call provide expert computer installation and networking services, on-site repairs, security solutions and system upgrades for residential and commercial customers numbering in the hundreds of thousands each year. Founded in 1999, Geeks On Call began franchising in 2001. For more information, call 1-800-905-GEEK or visit www.geeksoncall.com. Geeks On Call franchises are independently owned and operated....