Books: A User’s Report

Elizabeth Zinkann

This is my last column for Sys Admin magazine. I thank the many readers who have written throughout the years with comments, questions, and the occasional correction. I have been extremely fortunate the past 9+ years and have enjoyed corresponding with and meeting many of you. I have also been privileged to work with extraordinary editors and publishers, including Bruce and Karen Hunter, Robert Ward, Martha Masinton, Ralph Barker, Amber Ankerholz, Lori White, Michelle Parmley, Dana LaPoint, and Rikki Endsley. Thank you for a fantastic experience and I hope to see you online!
—Elizabeth

This month’s reviews concentrate on systems and their security. They include: Counter Hack: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses by Ed Skondis (Prentice Hall Series in Computer Networking and Distributed Systems, Prentice Hall), Scott Mueller’s Upgrading And Repairing PCs, 13th Edition by Scott Mueller (Que Publishing), and White-Hat Security Arsenal: Tackling the Threats by Aviel D. Rubin, Foreword by William R. Cheswick (Addison-Wesley).

Counter Hack: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses

Ed Skondis

Prentice Hall Series in Computer Networking and Distributed Systems

Prentice Hall

ISBN 0-13-033273-9

564 Pages

$49.99

http://www.phptr.com

The Internet has become a convenient and trusted tool for many users. It can (and often does), however, give the user a false sense of security. An intruder looks for weaknesses or a lax procedure in order to gain access to the system. Different types of intrusion demand individual types of responses and defenses to maintain a system’s integrity. In Counter Hack: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses, author Ed Skondis examines the various types of intruder, known vulnerabilities in the most popular operating systems, and defenses that administrators can employ to protect their systems.