Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: Security Power Tools

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Authors: Burns, Granick, Manzuik, Guersch, Killion, Beauchesne, Moret, Sobrier, Lynn, Markham, Iezzoni, Biondi

Publisher: O’Reilly

$59.99

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (****)

If you are tired of reading some Harry Potter or some such thing, and decide to devour 780+ pages of information security how-to, this is a pretty good candidate.

The book covers everything from legal and ethical issues to pretty deep knowledge of the tools and techniques used to do infosec work. It won’t make you an expert, but it is a much friendlier manual than the included docs for a whole lot of tools.

My favorite section is chapter 10, which covers the art and science of shell code, custom exploits and some great tools for making this often tough job a whole lot easier. The diagrams and code examples in this chapter alone make the book worth the money for the reference shelf, and you would get all of the rest too!

All in all, the book is easy to read, the examples are clear and easily understood. The graphics are clean and crisp, which makes it much simpler to follow along on your own systems. Basically, as with most O’Reilly books, the layout and design is excellent.

Check it out if you are getting tired of wizards and such. The ROI is likely higher and you might even learn a new skill or two to help you in the day. In the end, that should be the measure of a good security book – right?

Book Review: IT Auditing by Davis, Schiller & Wheeler

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This book is an interesting read, especially if your organization is concerned with SOX, GLBA or other regulations. It is written in the Hacking Exposed series style and features excellent examples and a user friendly layout.

Detailed examples of how to audit systems, applications and policies lie inside. From the basics of the audit process and function to command-line details, it’s all here. All the layers of the IT department are covered, in deep enough detail to be useful.

If you are new to IT auditing, this could become your handbook. If you have been around the block a few times, it is still likely you will find something new inside. Published by McGraw Hill and Osborne, the book is well worth the $59.99 cover price. It should do fine for a fireside read.