Maximum Windows 2000 Security

Rating:
Summary: Corrections
Review: First, the book is not 900 pages, it is 624.
Second, there is NO CD.
Information provided is consistant in quality of the other Maximum Security series (later editions).

Rating:
Summary: Due to lack of originality, this book fails to satisfy
Review: I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read "Maximum Windows 2000 Security" (MW2S) to learn more about Windows 2000 vulnerabilities. While the philosophy espoused in MW2S is appropriate, the book fails to deliver any original content. If you've read "Windows 2000 Security Handbook" by Cox/Sheldon, and "Hacking Exposed: Windows 2000" by Scambray/McClure, you don't need to read MW2S.

I do not feel my time reading this book was well-spent, as I'd encountered almost every topic elsewhere. The advice on how to exploit Windows 2000 web servers (ch. 13) was weaker than I'd expected. The suggested tools list in ch. 3 was incredibly sparse. I am more involved with defending Windows systems than attacking them, but I was still able to easily collect a more comprehensive Windows attack tool kit than that listed in ch. 3.

MW2S is frequently internally redundant, with multiple chapters rehashing the same advice, most of which is already published. The book also mentions a nonexistent CD-ROM and suggests readers to refer to the publisher's web site for certain links. I couldn't find anything beyond the normal book catalog entry for MW2S on that web site. I believe the book may have been rushed to publication, with loose ends left hanging.

The original "Maximum Security" was interesting because it concentrated on exploiting vulnerabilities. Five years later, its descendants are more likely to be generic security books than ground-breaking texts. I'm hoping "Maximum Network Security" (due this month) breaks this trend.

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)

Rating:
Summary: Due to lack of originality, this book fails to satisfy
Review: I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read "Maximum Windows 2000 Security" (MW2S) to learn more about Windows 2000 vulnerabilities. While the philosophy espoused in MW2S is appropriate, the book fails to deliver any original content. If you've read "Windows 2000 Security Handbook" by Cox/Sheldon, and "Hacking Exposed: Windows 2000" by Scambray/McClure, you don't need to read MW2S.

I do not feel my time reading this book was well-spent, as I'd encountered almost every topic elsewhere. The advice on how to exploit Windows 2000 web servers (ch. 13) was weaker than I'd expected. The suggested tools list in ch. 3 was incredibly sparse. I am more involved with defending Windows systems than attacking them, but I was still able to easily collect a more comprehensive Windows attack tool kit than that listed in ch. 3.

MW2S is frequently internally redundant, with multiple chapters rehashing the same advice, most of which is already published. The book also mentions a nonexistent CD-ROM and suggests readers to refer to the publisher's web site for certain links. I couldn't find anything beyond the normal book catalog entry for MW2S on that web site. I believe the book may have been rushed to publication, with loose ends left hanging.

The original "Maximum Security" was interesting because it concentrated on exploiting vulnerabilities. Five years later, its descendants are more likely to be generic security books than ground-breaking texts. I'm hoping "Maximum Network Security" (due this month) breaks this trend.

(Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publisher.)