Book Review: Hack Notes - Linux and UNIX Security

[windex82]

Hack Notes - Linux and UNIX Security
Nitesh Dhanjani (7-07-222786-9)
198 Pages

First off, this is more of a quick reference type of book then anything, portable reference as the book even puts it. The book is an excellent reference as its split into three parts: Techniques and Defenses, Host Hardening, and other for wireless, nasl howto, and zaurus pda hacking. It begins by demonstraiting how an intruder will generally go about collecting information about your network. Including how to find other networks owned by the same company using several techniques, footprinting the network and identify os types. The author does an excellent job of decribing the whys and hows of each technique, in easy to read and understand formats. The book covers how to identify the services on a machine including port info and specific server versions, as well as how to prevent several forms of server software from displaying their banner or how to remove it all together. The next section on host hardning covers default setttings that can lead to insecurities by various common softwares such as bind, sendmail, and samba. priviledge auditing and logging. This section also covers patching. This second section actually only coveres the misc. hardening techs that didnt fit in in the first section, so if you look at the table of contents it looks like the hardening section dosnt cover much, the real problem is that the bulk of the info is in the first section.

I cant say much about the special section as I have no access to a wireless network or a sharp pda, so i just skimmed through them.

All in all if your looking for a security reference check this one out, the author writes with a short, sweet and to the point style yet is still very readable.

PS: Sorry im not a writer, and its not a very good review but i thought others might like to hear what someone else thought of this book.

[Munck]

Thanks for the review, I think I'll check it out
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