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Assessing Network Security
Assessing Network Security starts with a nice overview of key principles of security (definitely not news for industry practitioners, but nice anyway), and then goes on to defines vulnerability assessment, penetration testing and security audit. A critically important section on reporting the findings is also nicely written, and shows that the authors are knowledgeable, and interested in showing a complete security process rather than just the looking-for-leaks part.
The authors then go into developing and maintaining pentesting skills, including advice on choosing training and resources (nice for those starting in the field). The actual pentesting process is split into non-intrusive (combining the usual "intelligence gathering" with port scans, sweeps and various host queries) and intrusive tests (such as running a vulnerability scanner, brute-forcing passwords, DoS testing and others). Some entries seem to belong in both categories (such as sniffing) but are placed into the intrusive section, for whatever reason. Up-to-date content (wireless, Bluetooth and web assessment, for instance) is well represented.
The authors also include a fairly insightful social engineering testing section (touching on dumpster diving and other non-network assessment methods). My favorite chapter was the one presenting various case studies - examples of specific threats/tests against Web, email, VPN and domain controller systems.
Among other features that I liked in Assessing Network Security were 'notes from the field' sidebars with fun stories related by authors, and FAQs at the end of each section. On the down side, the book is somewhat Windows-focused (although it is amazingly vendor-neutral in most respects, considering the source). The book is also somewhat dry, although the sidebars provide some needed relief when the text gets too process-oriented at times.
Assessing Network Security is largely about methodology, but I'd have preferred to see a bit more technical content, since it is a 600-page volume. I think the checklists present in the Appendix are a great step in that direction.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it is both a great guide and a reference for most security professionals, especially for those starting to be involved with penetration testing.
Anton Chuvakin, Ph.D., GCIA, GCIH is a Security Strategist with a security information management company and maintains the security portal info-secure.org. He wrote Security Warrior and contributed to Know Your Enemy, 2nd Edition . You can purchase Assessing Network Security from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews. To see your own review here, carefully read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Wouldn't that be sort of like George Bush writing an english book?
No, this would be more like George Bush writing a book on ethics.
Comments above that assume that just because someone works for Microsoft, they don't know how things work in reality are generalisations made out of ignorance or jealousy.
*cough*bull$hit*cough*
NO asshat. They're made out of the billions...if not trillions...of dollars ISPs and software companies waste every year providing free tech support for Microsoft users so Microsoft can spend their time and oh-so-precious profits acting like leaders instead of BEING leaders.
They're made out of the countless f$cking hours I...and thousands of others...spend every week explaining over...and over...and OVER why Outlook just eats itself randomly, and why the damned users are inundated with popups YET AGAIN...and why the OS has to be reinstalled AGAIN...and why this crashes and that crashes...and why you...
Godammit! If you were here right now I'd just explode and beat the $hit out of you. F$CK YOU!