The Virtual Bookcase Reviews of 'Internet & TCP/IP Network Security':
Reviewer amazon.com wrote:The heart of this somewhat dry book is a step-by-step guide to implementing a secure Unix network. The book defines each security issue and follows with instructions on what parameters to set, what programs to run, and which files to check. This is useful but doesn't convey much high-level knowledge in the process. You could set up a whole system according to these directions and still not really understand why or how it all works. Whether you will benefit from this cookbook approach depends on your desire to explore every last corner of Unix. After covering system configuration, the book goes on to discuss several noncommercial and commercial security programs that help you analyze your network for weaknesses. Appendices introduce related topics such as the HotJava browser, the Java and JavaScript languages, the Kerberos authentication scheme, and PGP. Some of this material seems out-of-date, such as the discussion of HotJava and the fact that neither Microsoft's Windows NT nor Internet Explorer is mentioned. If the authors had left out this weaker Internet material and called this book "Securing your Unix network," it would be a solid title.
Reviewer Rob Slade wrote:
This book does cover a good deal of ground in terms of security
vulnerabilities and measures in UNIX, Internet protocols, and Internet
applications. At times, it goes well beyond the standard material,
suggesting, for example, a handy tip for increasing the security and
reducing loopholes in Perl programs.
However, the book is also inconsistent, and even undisciplined. The
level of detail varies greatly from one topic to another. A promise
to take the reader step-by-step through the secure setup of Internet
applications is really only fulfilled for ftp--and then, only for
Solaris and SunOS. Sometimes, it is difficult to follow the topical
organization within chapters. At other points, it is hard to
understand the inclusion of topics that are not discussed in terms of
security, such as the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) reference
model, or details of the header structure for TCP/IP protocol packets
and envelopes.
The strongest part of the book is the coverage of non-commercial
(SATAN, COPS, and TCP Wrapper) and commercial security packages and
tools.
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997
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