New look at the (in)security of networked computers

books:


	• Silence on the Wire: A Field Guide to Passive Reconnaissance and Indirect Attacks Michal Zalewski No Starch Press, 2005 - 312 pages average customer review:based on 24 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

New look at the (in)security of networked computers

I am a student studying information security and I've read many books lately on the subject. Silence on the Wire is truly a unique book, and a nice change from the conventional reading material. Michal is a known expert in his field, and you can find many of his works and research in a simple search. His book focuses on the basic, yet most overlooked computer and network designs that can be attacked. In Silence on the Wire, Michal takes us on a long, treacherous journey of a packet, from when the data is first entered to its final destination. Along the way, we look at flaws in the design of computers and networks and how they are eventually exploited.

I held off reading this book all summer, after trying to read through the second chapter and finally getting frustrated with it. Chapter two is the book's downfall, as it spends entirely too much time getting to "the point" (as Richard Bejtlich puts it). Michal's explanations here were too confusing and will lose almost any reader. I think the section on the Turing Machine can be skipped over, unless you slow down and take notes and draw yourself diagrams of the information. Only then, will you probably understand what it's getting at. I'm happy to say though, reading the rest of the book was fairly easy; anybody with a background in network computing and security will be able to follow along.

Silence on the Wire is a fascinating read and I definitely recommend it to anybody who is interested or responsible for information security. Michal hopes his book will give you a new perspective on security and explore the relationships and interactions between components. I am glad I got to read this book and hope one day to contribute my own research to the topic.

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Interesting

This is one of those books that you go HMMMMMM!!! Very Interesting, but most of the things in the book are hard to understand. Also, he jumps around alot like if he's having a conversation rather than an inside manual to Attacks.

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super

Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!

Interesting and detailed

Zalewski offers a nice overview of passive information extraction techniques. Each section covers one approach to the problem of determining something about someone's computer use without being detected. He provides an overview of the technology involved and then talks about how to exploit it.

Sometimes his technology overviews are more suited to a neophyte, other times they correctly cover some arcane aspects of a standard. His writing style is familiar and easy going - no hard to read slogs in this book. Some of his analysis is dated and the techniques may not apply today, but they got me thinking of other things to look into.

I learned a few things from this book. Anytime I can remain entertained while that happens I consider it a win.

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Something to have in mind

Maybe not all of the possible threats described are real today, but one really get a glimpse into a world where the major objective is to exploit possibilities not intended to be there. People populating this world think differently than the rest of us, and an explanation of how they think is both scary and enlightening. Michal Zalewski walks us through various scenarios in an easy to understand and an often humorous way.

reviews: 1, page 2, 3, 4, 5

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