Maximum Linux Security: A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Linux Server and Workstation (Book with CD-ROM) [With CD-ROM]

I haven't read any books on computer security before this one, so I can't say whether or not this is the authoritative title on the subject of Linux security. I will say that I have read quite a few books on Linux in general (Linux in a Nutshell, Running Linux, etc.) and this is the best Linux book I have read so far. It taught me more about Linux system administration than any website, man page, or other book I've looked at, despite its focus on security.Aside from the excellent pointers it gave on properly administering your Linux workstation or server, it was a very fun, informative read. Mr. Anonymous is a lively technical writer, and downright funny to boot. On biometric access controls, he/she writes: "I hope you're not using your computers for illegal activity. But if you are, you may want to avoid using biometric access controls, or at least not keep logs. Nothing will kill a good clean hack like incontrovertible logs."In short, buy this if you want to get up to speed on Linux system administration in a hurry and you're already comfortable with *nix.

As one of the first to get & read this (if not review it), I can tell you that it's quite a nice book and has a prime spot on my bookshelf. There are a few things though, that people don't like about it because they don't understand what it is NOT. It cannot tell you everything about computer security, it cannot be very deep in any of the subjects it covers and it cannot compensate for dumb sysadmins. It CAN, however, give you a broad general overview of computer security and point you in the right direction to learn more. It's more like an index than an encyclopedia--you look up the topic, learn a bit about it then see the in depth references where you needed to know more. I mean, quick, what does RFC XXXX cover? Instead, this points you straight to the relevant info in the section on each topic, so you don't have to search through all the other RFCs and things and so that you find what you need, without wasting a lot of time. Oddly, where it has gained the most fame (infamy?) is that people see it as a 'tech me to hack' book. No book can do that. It's important for everyone to understand secuirty, what you do with that knowledge is up to you. Given that people can be "hackers" by merely running some program they don't understand, it's important that the rest of us understand how it works so we can stop them. That said, the book is great and has done its job in this regard--just read it.

I have spent the last six months researching Linux security and related books to apply some of the techniques on my Linux box. This was by far the most complete of anything I have found. It is well worth the price to find all this information in one complete selection. Hats off to the author it is well worth it

After reading Maximum Linux Security, I could not help but wonder how one person could write such a comprehensive book that is so rich in information. I am a systems security analyst, and I have been dealing with many of the issues that he talked about in the book, and reguardless of what I already knew, there was obviously room for improvement. I was also impressed with how up-to-date the information was. This is the most up-to-date technical book that I have ever bought.

This book covers all the concepts of computer security, since physical security and installation to Web servers and critical application servers. Including a BIG list of free software into a CD and links to related softwares, this book is the best 'how-to attack' and 'how-to protect' manual.