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Professional Apache Security
The book walks through the most common tasks of an Apache administrator. It covers, for example, proper installation and maintenance, common practices in security and remote attacks. Some basic notions of system administration are also given, for those areas which affect the web server behaviour.
Topics of specific interest for security freaks include system hardening, intrusion detection mechanisms, monitoring and logging, server chroot()ing, session tracking, cryptography and SSL.
Throughout the book there are descriptions of common attacks like Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), CGI vulnerabilities, Denial of Service (DoS), Distributed DoS (DDoS), Reflection DDoS (RDDoS), cookie spoofing and session hijacking. Script kids be warned: there's no easily exploitable information on how to attack a web server inside the book.
What's to like
The book is well written, and an enjoyable read. It uses a very precise and yet friendly language to guide its readers through the covered subjects. Using this straightforward approach, it explains some thorny topics starting from basic notions and assuming no previous knowledge.
The explanation of essential topics like the HTTP protocol and server architecture, forms and CGI mechanisms, system configuration, etc. are nicely integrated with more tangled and scarcely documented issues. It is worth mentioning:
- the chapter on "jailing" the web server (which explains in detail how to correctly prepare a complete yet secure chroot'ed "sandbox" for Apache);
- the chapter on prevention of XSS attacks (explaining these types of attacks, and how to write CGI scripts to avoid them);
- the appendix dealing with usage and configuration of mod_rewrite.
Everything is supplemented with hands-on examples, information and tricks valuable to the intermediate reader; the clear explanations of basic topics will provide complete instructions for the beginners.
Further pro's of the book include updated information (issues related to Netscape 7, IE 6, Mozilla 1.0, Apache series 1.3 and 2.0), coverage of less known topics (e.g.: P3P) and a wealth of references to the relevant sources of information like RFCs, W3C specifications and CERT Advisories.
What's to consider
The downside of writing for both beginners and intermediate readers in just 360 pages is that the depth of the information provided is necessarily limited. The book is clearly targeted to less experienced system administrators, who will be able to quickly grasp the most important concepts revolving around Apache security and secure administration. Intermediate users are likely to find some paragraphs quite trivial, however they will be rewarded by the many pearls of wisdom offered in the more detailed sections. Expert system administrators might be disappointed by the lack of more in-depth and hard-core technical explanations.
The summary
The best aspect of the book is that it assembles basic notions, rarely available information and hints derived from the authors' experience to produce a neat, clearly written and comprehensive guide to Apache security. This will enable beginning web admins to understand the key points in managing and securing a web server, while providing experienced ones with a quick reference to the most important security practices.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Installation
Chapter 2: Secure administration
Chapter 3: HTTP Security and Cross-Site Scripting Attacks
Chapter 4: Authentication and authorization
Chapter 5: System security
Chapter 6: Apache in jail
Chapter 7: Denial of service attacks
Chapter 8: Cookies
Chapter 9: CGI security
Chapter 10: Logging
Chapter 11: Session tracking
Chapter 12: Apache and cryptography
Chapter 13: SSL and Apache
Appendix A: Security resources
Appendix B: Apache with mod_rewrite
Appendix C: Sample SSL Accelerator implementations
You can purchase Professional Apache Security from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
The saltines can be particularly nasty. Don't even get me started on the TownHouse.
*shudders*
I always thought that "crackers" were people who remove the copy protection from programs.
Maybe a matter of symantecs... whatever.
I'm waiting for the "unprofessional" edition to come out, complete with ketchup stains.
>> So, what's next on the crackers' list of challenges to prove their bravery
Posting something like 'linux is gay' as AC on slashdot.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
About $8.00 to the cover price :)
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Slashdot Gets Hacked
Monday September 14, 02:52PM
Just close port 80 for all traffic. It works everytime (except when the firewall blows up).
Computers and air conditioners are both the same.
Yeah, as opposed to what, "Amateurish Apache Security"? From the same series as "Half-assed Programming in 10 minutes a day"?
-Andrei
About US$20, I'd wager.
!#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
Unlike a lot of people on Slashdot, I'm a hobbyist/amateur sysadmin (or is that term even appropriate?), and this book is probably just what I need.
No, I'm sorry - this book is only for professionals. "Professional Apache Security" - see? Move along...
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Just reading a book won't save you from the next cracker attack.
Wait a sec... Then why are you showing us this book??