Fundamentals of Secure Computer Systems

Rating:
Summary: Too much on encryption not enough of the rest
Review: While I readily concede that some fundamental knowledge of data encryption is necessary in order to understand whether a computer system is secure, it is possible to overdo it. The first six chapters, forty percent of the book, cover data encryption techniques. In my opinion, this is too much. Most people concerned with computer security need only a superficial understanding of the basics of encryption, the mathematical foundations are irrelevant to them. Therefore, I believe that the author would have created a better book if less ink had been used describing encryption and more spent on other aspects of computer security.
The remainder of the book is devoted to fundamental topics such as malicious code, access control policies, e-mail security, strategies of attacking systems using weaknesses in the protocols, factors in the physical security of computer security, security issues in visiting web pages, intrusion detection systems and threats to e-commerce. In most of these areas, the coverage is nowhere near as thorough as it could be. Only fourteen pages are devoted to malicious code, which includes viruses, Trojan Horses, worms, trap doors, and root kits. Given that some of this is devoted to historical references and explanations of what they are, this is nowhere near enough text to explain this very serious threat. I could not even find the words "patch" or "Microsoft" in the index. Given that nearly all users must download updates in order to keep their systems secure, I don't see why the author considered it more important to cover the Caesar substitution cipher.
While the author does cover the basics of computer security, I strongly disagree with the points of emphasis. Too much effort is spent on encryption and not enough on the aspects of security that most users will need to understand.


Rating:
Summary: My students love this book
Review: I have taught a computer security class for several years and I have tried several different books with little success. This is the first book that my students actually found useful and understandable. No, it does not cover every topic under the sun, but it does explain the basics well. The Powerpoint lectures for each chapter that are available from the publisher are very well done. I recommend this book highly.

Rating:
Summary: Good text for intro course on Computer Security
Review: I like Tjaden's treatment of cryptography basics. Very easy to understand explanation of DES, AES, and other crypto topics. I thought some more extensive review of networking fundamentals and protocols would have been appropriate before launching into network security. Not much on the hot topics of firewalls or biometrics, and nothing at all on wireless security. OK, so maybe this book is a little light on detail. However, for $25, it's a great price for a textbook and instructors could easily augment it with additional readings and notes. I used it for a course I taught, and students seemed to like it.

Rating:
Summary: Good text for intro course on Computer Security
Review: I like Tjaden's treatment of cryptography basics. Very easy to understand explanation of DES, AES, and other crypto topics. I thought some more extensive review of networking fundamentals and protocols would have been appropriate before launching into network security. Not much on the hot topics of firewalls or biometrics, and nothing at all on wireless security. OK, so maybe this book is a little light on detail. However, for $25, it's a great price for a textbook and instructors could easily augment it with additional readings and notes. I used it for a course I taught, and students seemed to like it.