The myths of security

Paperback, 238 pages

English language

Published Oct. 19, 2009 by O'Reilly.

ISBN:: 978-0-596-52302-2
OCLC Number:: 263978539

(1 review)

If you think computer security has improved in recent years, The Myths of Security will shake you out of your complacency. Longtime security professional John Viega, formerly Chief Security Architect at McAfee, reports on the sorry state of the industry, and offers concrete suggestions for professionals and individuals confronting the issue.

Why is security so bad? With many more people online than just a few years ago, there are more attackers -- and they're truly motivated. Attacks are sophisticated, subtle, and harder to detect than ever. But, as Viega notes, few people take the time to understand the situation and protect themselves accordingly. This book tells you:

Why it's easier for bad guys to "own" your computer than you think
Why anti-virus software doesn't work well -- and one simple way to fix it
Whether Apple OS X is more secure than Windows
What Windows needs to do better
How …

If you think computer security has improved in recent years, The Myths of Security will shake you out of your complacency. Longtime security professional John Viega, formerly Chief Security Architect at McAfee, reports on the sorry state of the industry, and offers concrete suggestions for professionals and individuals confronting the issue.

Why is security so bad? With many more people online than just a few years ago, there are more attackers -- and they're truly motivated. Attacks are sophisticated, subtle, and harder to detect than ever. But, as Viega notes, few people take the time to understand the situation and protect themselves accordingly. This book tells you:

Why it's easier for bad guys to "own" your computer than you think
Why anti-virus software doesn't work well -- and one simple way to fix it
Whether Apple OS X is more secure than Windows
What Windows needs to do better
How to make strong authentication pervasive
Why patch management is so bad
Whether there's anything you can do about identity theft
Five easy steps for fixing application security, and more

Provocative, insightful, and always controversial, The Myths of Security not only addresses IT professionals who deal with security issues, but also speaks to Mac and PC users who spend time online.

1 edition

MONO reviewed The myths of security by John Viega

Review of 'The myths of security' on 'GoodReads'

2 stars

This book is aimed at a more general audience so a lot of the advice seemed very practical to me. Don't open email attachments, don't install software from unknown sites, install updates, etc.

One thing I disagreed with was the advice on passwords. Instead of trying to remember a password from lyrics to a song, just use a phrase and throw in some special characters. Even the xkcd advice on passwords is more sound (using 3 or 4 random words).

If you are really paranoid, use a separate machine specifically for sensitive email, banking, etc. One thing to be make sure you do is to use https:// when accessing those websites.

I think the constant name dropping of McAfee was very unprofessional, enough to warrant a 2 star rating.

If you have a passing interest in security this book will be useful. If you are familiar with the concepts, you …

This book is aimed at a more general audience so a lot of the advice seemed very practical to me. Don't open email attachments, don't install software from unknown sites, install updates, etc.

One thing I disagreed with was the advice on passwords. Instead of trying to remember a password from lyrics to a song, just use a phrase and throw in some special characters. Even the xkcd advice on passwords is more sound (using 3 or 4 random words).

If you are really paranoid, use a separate machine specifically for sensitive email, banking, etc. One thing to be make sure you do is to use https:// when accessing those websites.

I think the constant name dropping of McAfee was very unprofessional, enough to warrant a 2 star rating.

If you have a passing interest in security this book will be useful. If you are familiar with the concepts, you won't find much new content here.

Subjects

Cybersecurity