Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent

Through a series of fictional system attacks and exploits Stealing the Network: How To Own a Continent provides a basic education in network security. More than just what can happen, it details each attack so you learn the purpose of the attack as well as how it is carried out. Each of the chapters provides the fictional account of an individual who takes on a single network attack. What the reader soon discovers is that it is actually a carefully orchestrated chain of attacks with a larger purpose in mind. One of the things I really liked about the book is that it is not just a dry security book turned into a more interesting novel but it gives the reader a look at the personalities of those who get involved in these things. Each of the attacks involves real tools that can be downloaded or purchased off the Internet as well as real techniques. If you want to know how an attacker thinks and how far they will go to achieve their goals as well as some of the common techniques you can't go wrong with Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent.

I've read just about every "hacker" and security book worth reading over the past few years, and honestly, most of them really were not worth reading. But, this book is truly unique and is well worth your time to read. The security industry is incredibly complex; technically, socially, and ethically; and this book reflects that. There are many very talented (and WAY TOO MANY not so talented) people on the right, the wrong, and the in between of cyber security. The landscape of the internet changes almost every minute. This book manages to communicate the technical and social intracicies at the same time through a fairly compelling story that also encompasses very challenging, technical information. This really is a must read for anyone involved with the security community.

I read the first book in this series, and was both excited/skpetical when I saw their was a sequel coming out. I am often disapointed with sequels to books or movies, because it often seems like the creators rush out something new to try and make some quick $$. This is one of the very rare ocassions where as much as I liked the first, I like the second even better. The authors of this edition have raised the bar by interconnecting a series of short stories into a single, intriguing narrative. What's really impressive is the they accomplish this while still teaching you about network security and vulnerabilities. The details of the hacks while far-fetched in places are technically accurate and incredibly timely. As much as I liked the stories and the hacks, my favorite part of the book is actually an appendix that transcribes a series of e-mail threads amongst the authors as they wrote the book. It's rather intersesting to see the likes of Fyodor, Kevin Mitnick, Tim Mullen, Jay Beale, etc. argue about the plot, joke around, etc. This book presents an intriguing look into the minds and tactics of criminal hackers and info. sec professionals.

I have read several books featuring Ryan Russell (Stealing the Network, Hackproofing Your Network, among others), Joe Grand (Stealing the Network, Hardware Hacking), and Russ Rogers (WarDriving: Drive Detect, Defend, Security Assessment: Case Studies for Implementing the NSA IAM) and have never been disappointed. This book was no exception. The story is presented in an easy to read style and the technical details are accurate and well presented. I would recommend this book for anyone responsible for securing their networks, anyone interested in information security or vulnerability exploitation, and anyone who enjoys reading a good story. It's just a fun read.

I recently read and reviewed Stealing The Network - How to Own the Box (STN) by Syngress Publishing. Great read. When I saw there was a follow-up titled Stealing The Network - How to Own a Continent (STC), I had to read it too. Once again, a great read for computer and security people.Much like STN, STC is a series of fictional episodes involving system attacks and exploits. The episodes aren't real, but the techniques and concepts outlined are definitely true to life. The main difference between the two is that STC is a cohesive series of attacks coordinated by a mysterious person in the background who wants to disrupt a continent and make a huge financial score. So while each story in STN was a stand-alone chapter, STC is more like a mystery techno-thriller that is light on plot but heavy on technical detail.In addition to learning about attacks and how they can occur (which you can get in just about any security book), STC once again adds the color of the attacker's personality into the equation... Why they do it, what they stand to gain, and what level of effort they are willing to expend to gain their prize. I feel that most security departments fall flat in this area. They can configure and set up proper security "by the book", but they are unable to think like a cracker and anticipate the unexpected. That's probably where this book (actually, both books) adds the most value to the collection of security knowledge and wisdom that's available on the technical bookshelves today.If you're looking for a techno-thriller novel that reads like Tom Clancy, this isn't your book. But if you're looking for solid security information told in a colorful and unusual manner that will cause you to question your own security awareness, you found what you're looking for...