Average Rating: 4.59
Rating: 5 - Simple, concise, easy to read
Bob Toxen came out with a valuable book which is easy to comprehend, and can be implemented immediately into production systems. His examples are clear and direct to the point, which makes reading and understanding a breeze.Whether you've been working with internet security or just starting, this book is a must have!
Rating: 5 - The best on the subject; practical and thorough
Real World Linux Security (2nd ed.) far exceeded my already-high
expectations, having known the author and his expertise for a
long time. Computer security is one of my secondary fields of
expertise, as is Linux, yet I learned a lot from this book that
I had previously overlooked -- and it helped me repair a system
that crackers had attacked. Bob writes in a very readable way that manages to be simultaneously
entertaining and informative, a very rare combination. He clearly realizes that a lot of readers will be in a hurry,
looking for advice when there's already trouble brewing, so
he starts with a very terse overview, going immediately to
chapter 2 "Quick Fixes for Common Problems. Chapters 4 and 5
cover the most commonly attacked subsystems and how they're
attacked. That's already book-length; over 250 pages. It goes on
to Advanced Security Issues, Security Policies, Case Studies
(wherein I'm mentioned :-) scanning and monitoring your
system, regaining control, repairing damage, and much much
more than I can mention in the max 1000 words here. Extremely extensive, and both the table of contents and index
are well done, something important to me for quick reference.
Rating: 5 - Security that works!
This book is at the top of my list when it comes to Linux security books. It
has more information on securing Linux than any other I've read. And when I
say Linux, I mean Linux not the plethora of applications and servers that run
on Linux. Granted, it touches on some of the more "standard" servers, like
Apache, Sendmail, and Samba. But the majority of the book is dedicated to
securing Linux, servers, and applications in general. So, if you are looking
for a book to tell you how to lock-down ProFTPD, this isn't it. Because of
this limited scope, unlike other Linux security books that try to cover
everything imaginable, it manages to cover the topic thoroughly. The book starts off with "quick fixes" and then moves on to more advanced
security issues. This is done so that you can get your system relatively
secure as soon as possible, and deal with securing some of the more obscure
and complex things in a progressive nature. It deals with just about everything from making your users choose hard to crack passwords, to defining
a written security policy, to collecting information about break-ins and
getting law enforcement involved. This is a real well rounded and robust
book. Two things make this an awesome addition to any Linux user or administrator's
collection. First, the author knows Linux inside and out. I was quite
surprised to see security solutions that include kernel modifications as an
option. In addition to his knowledge of Linux, the author has a very jovial
writing style that you seldom find in books of a technical nature. I felt no
need to force myself to read this book, because the author's writing style
was engaging kept my attention. Second, the author (and Prentice Hall)
included a CD with the book that contains software that the author wrote or
modified (to extend its functionality and/or usefulness). The CD itself is
worth the price of the book alone. This book is a good buy and I would recommend picking up a copy of this book
if you are running Linux in a business or home environment.
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