Computer security book reviews
General security |
Malware |
Spam and phishing
With the pace at which the anti-malware & anti-spam technologies move, a good book on the subject can be a rare find. Here, we present a collection of reviews of books dedicated to the subject of information security. All books have been reviewed by experts in the field.
Know of a useful infosecurity book? Why not tell us about it so we can let others know - email: editor@virusbtn.com.
General security
Worm: The First Digital World War
by Mark Bowden
‘In 'Worm: The First Digital World War', Mark Bowden writes about the team who worked together to combat the Conficker worm, focusing on some of the principal players in the Conficker Working Group and their stories.’
Read VB's full review of Worm: The First Digital World War.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Zero day: a novel
by Mark E. Russinovich
‘If we ignore the premise that vendors are bad and the government is good at fighting malware, the rest of the book is technically believable.’
Read VB's full review of Zero day: a novel.
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Professional Cocoa Application Security
by Graham J. Lee
‘Though it's by no means a complete reference, this book is a good, clear read, combining general principles of application security and defensive programming.’
Read VB's full review of Professional Cocoa Application Security.
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Is it safe? Protecting your computer, your business, and yourself online
by Michael Miller
‘I was pleasantly surprised by this book. To find a book that's largely accurate and well written is rare enough in computing, even more so in the security field.’
Read VB's full review of Is it safe? Protecting your computer, your business, and yourself online.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Dictionary of Information Security
by Robert Slade
‘Although Robert Slade's Dictionary of Information Security has only just made it to the printed page, it replaces his online security glossary, which for several years resided at http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev/secgloss.htm.’
Read VB's full review of Dictionary of Information Security.
Buy this book on Amazon.
The Information Security Dictionary
by Urs E. Gattiker
‘Earlier this year I found myself searching for a book which would help my co-researchers (see VB, August 2004, p.10) to define some of the terms they would come across within the field of information security. It was at that moment that The Information Security Dictionary appeared.’
Read VB's full review of The Information Security Dictionary.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Malware
Worm: The First Digital World War
by Mark Bowden
‘In 'Worm: The First Digital World War', Mark Bowden writes about the team who worked together to combat the Conficker worm, focusing on some of the principal players in the Conficker Working Group and their stories.’
Read VB's full review of Worm: The First Digital World War.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Technological Turf Wars: A Case Study of the Computer Antivirus Industry
by Jessica Johnston
‘The book is an interesting, if stylistically convoluted read.’
Read VB's full review of Technological Turf Wars: A Case Study of the Computer Antivirus Industry.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses
by Markus Jakobsson and Zulfikar Ramzan (Eds)
‘Like Sergio Leone's film this book has parts that are good, parts that are bad and parts that are ugly - and thanks to the book's format these descriptions can often be applied to different parts of the same chapter. Nonetheless, Paul Baccas finds several sections of the book that are worth keeping it on his bookshelf for.’
Read VB's full review of Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses.
Buy this book on Amazon.
AVIEN Malware Defense Guide for the Enterprise
by David Harley, et al.
‘The AVIEN Malware Defense Guide has been written by members of the AVIEN/AVIEWS online communities with the aim of passing on knowledge that they believe will be both interesting and useful to those involved in the real-world battle against malware in organisations. Martin Overton suggests you find a space for it in your bookshelf.’
Read VB's full review of AVIEN Malware Defense Guide for the Enterprise.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Botnets - The Killer Web App
by Craig A. Schiller, Jim Binkley et al.
‘This book covers what has become a hot topic in the security community since the move by cybercriminals and spam gangs towards business models that involve building and exploiting vast numbers of 'zombie' machines scattered all over the globe. These machines are infected by bots and collected, used, rented and traded by cybercriminals.’
Read VB's full review of Botnets - The Killer Web App.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Computer Viruses for Dummies
by Peter Gregory
‘As a publishing phenomenon the 'for Dummies' series has run the gamut from A to Z over the academic and not so academic disciplines. Unfortunately, in running such a gamut you will perforce travel both through 'nadir' and 'zenith'. This tome leans heavily towards the former, thanks to a number of glaring errors.’
Read VB's full review of Computer Viruses for Dummies.
Buy this book on Amazon.
The Art of Virus Research and Defense
by Peter Ször
‘It has been more than six years since I started working as a virus researcher, but I remember the first few months vividly. The beginning of any job is difficult, but even more so if you have to acquire your skills using a number of highly scattered, incomplete and sometimes suspicious resources.’
Read VB's full review of The Art of Virus Research and Defense.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Vers et Virus
by François Paget
‘During the same trip I met with my friend François Paget, a well respected anti-virus expert who has been working in the anti-virus industry for around 14 years. ’
Read VB's full review of Vers et Virus.
Combating Spyware in the Enterprise
by Paul Piccard, Jeremy Faircloth
‘According to the cover blurb, this book is essential reading for 'anyone responsible for the security of an enterprise's network'. It contains some useful and interesting general material, but does it live up to its claim?’
Read VB's full review of Combating Spyware in the Enterprise.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Spam and phishing
Fighting Spam for Dummies
by John E. Levine, Margaret Levine Young, Ray Everett-Church
‘The bright yellow and black cover design and the cartoon character of Wileys For Dummies series have frequently been the subject of pastiche and pillory, and I have to admit that the prospect of reviewing this offering filled me with a little trepidation. Luckily, however, I was to be pleasantly surprised.’
Read VB's full review of Fighting Spam for Dummies.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Ending Spam: Bayesian Content Filtering and the Art of Statistical Language Classification
by Jonathan Zdziarski
‘Ever since Paul Graham posted his renowned A Plan for Spam web page, the web has been the publishing medium of choice for the hackers behind the annual Spam Conference at MIT.’
Read VB's full review of Ending Spam: Bayesian Content Filtering and the Art of Statistical Language Classification.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Greetings in Jesus Name! The Scambaiter Letters
by Mike Berry
‘If you're stuck for a last-minute Christmas gift idea, Mike Berry's new book could be the answer. Mike Berry is the creator of 'scam-baiting' website www.419eater.com, which records his (and others') attempts to fight back at the perpetrators of 419 scams. Berry has been scam baiting for several years - replying to scammers' emails, expressing an interest in their propositions and fooling them into carrying out a variety of time-wasting and humiliating acts. Now, he has compiled a book, Greetings in Jesus name!, which contains the email correspondence from just a small number of his successful baiting attempts.’
Read VB's full review of Greetings in Jesus Name! The Scambaiter Letters.
Phishing Exposed
by Lance James
‘There are several things that might put you off about this book. The back cover blurb ('Uncover secrets from the dark side'), the emphasis on attack code and a whiff of breathless, l33tspeak about some of the prose all tend to grate on the sensibilities of an ageing AV researcher.’
Read VB's full review of Phishing Exposed.
Buy this book on Amazon.
As expected, the annual VB100 test on Windows XP was an epic. A higher than usual pass rate was tempered by numerous stability issues with the products under test, prompting the unveiling of a new stability rating system. John Hawes has all the details.