Free Computer Networking Ebooks & Reviews: Network Security

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This posting helps you to get free computer networking ebooks focuses on computer networking, computer network security, requirements for network security, tcp ip protocols, internetworking, osi model, socket programming, internet protocols, ipv6, voice over internet protocol, port authority, port forwarding, wireless networking, home networking, computer networking, client server computing, client server software, virtual private networks, socket programming, tcp/ip protocols, ATM networks asynchronous transfer mode, DNS, Parallel Virtual Machine, Networking fundamentals, SSH secure shell, IPX routing, etc.

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SSH: The Secure Shell - The Definitive Guide

by Daniel J. Barrett and Richard E. Silverman

Privacy is a basic human right, but on today's computer networks, privacy isn't guaranteed. Much of the data that travels on the Internet or local networks is transmitted as plain text, and may be captured and viewed by anybody with a little technical know-how. The email you send, the files you transmit between computers, even the passwords you type may be readable by others. Imagine the damage that can be done if an untrusted third party -- a competitor, the CIA, your in-laws -- intercepted your most sensitive communications in transit.

Network security is big business as companies scramble to protect their information assets behind firewalls, establish virtual private networks (VPNs), and encrypt files and transmissions. But hidden away from all the bustle, there is a small, unassuming, yet robust solution many big companies have missed. It's reliable, reasonably easy to use, cheap, and available for most of today's operating systems.

It's SSH, the Secure Shell.

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Maximum Security: Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Internet Site and Network

Hacking and cracking are activities that generate intense public interest. Stories of hacked servers and downed Internet providers appear regularly in national news. Consequently, publishers are in a race to deliver books on these subjects. To its credit, the publishing community has not failed in this resolve. Security books appear on shelves in ever-increasing numbers. However, the public remains wary. Consumers recognize driving commercialism when they see it, and are understandably suspicious of books such as this one. They need only browse the shelves of their local bookstore to accurately assess the situation.

Books about Internet security are common (firewall technology seems to dominate the subject list). In such books, the information is often sparse, confined to a narrow range of products. Authors typically include full-text reproductions of stale, dated documents that are readily available on the Net. This poses a problem, mainly because such texts are impractical. Experienced readers are already aware of these reference sources, and inexperienced ones are poorly served by them. Hence, consumers know that they might get little bang for their buck. Because of this trend, Internet security books have sold poorly at America's neighborhood bookstores.

Another reason that such books sell poorly is this: The public erroneously believes that to hack or crack, you must first be a genius or a UNIX guru. Neither is true, though admittedly, certain exploits require advanced knowledge of the target's operating system. However, these exploits can now be simplified through utilities that are available for a wide range of platforms. Despite the availability of such programs, however, the public remains mystified by hacking and cracking, and therefore, reticent to spend forty dollars for a hacking book.

So, at the outset, Sams.net embarked on a rather unusual journey in publishing this book. The Sams.net imprint occupies a place of authority within the field. Better than two thirds of all information professionals I know have purchased at least one Sams.net product. For that reason, this book represented to them a special situation.

Hacking, cracking, and Internet security are all explosive subjects. There is a sharp difference between publishing a primer about C++ and publishing a hacking guide. A book such as this one harbors certain dangers, including

The possibility that readers will use the information maliciously
The possibility of angering the often-secretive Internet-security community
The possibility of angering vendors that have yet to close security holes within their software

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Introduction to Securing Data in Transit

By Jennifer Vesperman

The secure transmission of data in transit relies on both encryption and authentication - on both the hiding or concealment of the data itself, and on ensuring that the computers at each end are the computers they say they are.

Authentication
Authentication is a difficult task - computers have no way of knowing that they are 'the computer that sits next to the printer on the third floor' or 'the computer that runs the sales for www.dotcom.com'. And those are the matters which are important to humans - humans don't care if the computer is '10.10.10.10', which is what the computers know.

However, if the computer can trust the human to tell it which computer address to look for - either in the numeric or the name form - the computers can then verify that each other is, in fact, the computer at that address. It's similar to using the post office - we want to know if 100 Somewhere Street is where our friend Sally is, but the post office just wants to know where to send the parcel.

The simplest form of authentication is to exchange secret information the first time the two computers communicate and check it on each subsequent connection. Most exchanges between computers take place over a long period of time, in computer terms, so they tend to do this in a small way for the duration of each connection - as if you were checking, each time you spoke in a phone call, that the person you were talking to was still that person. (Sally, is that you? Yeah. Good, now I was telling you about the kids .. is that still you?)

It may sound paranoid, but this sort of verification system can inhibit what is called a 'man in the middle' attack - where a third party tries to 'catch' the connection and insert their own information. Of course, this relies on the first communication not being intercepted.

Public key encryption (see below) is the other common means of authentication. It doesn't authenticate the sender, but it does authenticate the receiver - and if both parties exchange public keys, and verify by some independant means that the key they have is the key of the party they wish to send to, it authenticates both.

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Introduction to Intrusion Protection and Network Security

By Jennifer Vesperman

If your computer is not connected to any other computers and doesn't have a modem, the only way anyone can access your computer's information is by physically coming to the computer and sitting at it. So securing the room it's in will secure the computer. As soon as your computer is connected to another computer you add the possibility that someone using the other computer can access your computer's information.

If your network (your connected computers) consists only of other computers in the same building you can still secure the network by securing the rooms the computers are in. An example of this would be two computers sharing the same files and printer, but not having a modem and not being connected to any other computers.

However, it's wise to learn about other ways to secure a network of connected computers, in case you add something later. Networks have a tendency to grow. If you have a network, an intruder who gains access to one computer has at least some access to all of them.

Note: Note that once someone has physical access to your computer, there are a number of ways that they can access your information. Most systems have some sort of emergency feature that allows someone with physical access to get in and change the superuser password, or access the data. Even if your system doesn't have that, or it's disabled, they can always just pick up the computer or remove the hard drive and carry it out. More on this in the physical security article.

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A Beginner’s Guide to Network Security

An Introduction to the Key Security Issues for the E-Business Economy
With the explosion of the public Internet and e-commerce, private computers, and computer networks, if not adequately secured, are increasingly vulnerable to damaging attacks. Hackers, viruses, vindictive employees and even human error all represent clear and present dangers to networks. And all computer users, from the most casual Internet surfers to large enterprises, could be affected by network security breaches. However, security breaches can often be easily prevented. How? This guide provides you with a general overview of the most common network security threats and the steps you and your organization can take to protect yourselves from threats and ensure that the data traveling across your networks is safe.

Importance of Security
The Internet has undoubtedly become the largest public data network, enabling and facilitating both personal and business communications worldwide. The volume of traffic moving over the Internet, as well as corporate networks, is expanding exponentially every day. More and more communication is taking place via e-mail; mobile workers, telecommuters, and branch offices are using the Internet to remotely connect to their corporate networks; and commercial transactions completed over the Internet, via the World Wide Web, now account for large portions of corporate revenue.

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