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Title: Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism by Dan Verton ISBN: 0-07-222787-7 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 19 August, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (14 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Sensationalism and hype written for the lay person..
Comment: "Internet security expert" Dan Verton is a charlaton. The guy is a journalist not an expert in network security! This book reaks of sensationalism and hype. Don't get me wrong, as far as being an interesting read I would rate it a five out of five stars, it is a very fast and fun book to read. But if you are looking for "real" information on things like cyberwarfare you would be far better off with a book written by a real computer security expert, not a journalist only interested in selling books and making a name for himself. Personally as an alternative I would recommend either "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World" by Bruce Schneier or for a more technical view check out "Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions, Fourth Edition" by Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, George Kurtz. Black Ice is just sensationalist fearmongering at it's worst...
Rating: 5
Summary: A Major Contribution to Homeland Security Scholarship
Comment: I've read this book cover to cover and I can honestly say that it was worth every penny. Based on some of the reviews I've seen on Amazon, however, it is clear that Verton is the target of either jealous competitors or people with a political axe to grind and who, having lost the debate, have retreated to the politics of personal destruction.
Verton's writing is crisp and clear. The book is intriguing and fun to read. And his research is very well done and exhaustive. Although the fictional scenarios are a little exaggerated, I took them for what they are -- examples of what could be done, not necessarily what will happen. They are an awareness tool, in my opinion, not a factual prediction of what is to come.
What really makes this book strong is the dozens of interviews with high-level officials, all of whom have been or are now directly involved in national security and cyber security. He also digs up some very serious security threats that few people give him credit for. Verton also draws upon his many years as a journalist covering these issues. That was very useful, to have pointers to all of his reporting in one place. No, he doesn't "quote himself" as one reviewer suggests here. He simply provides references to what other experts have said during previous interviews he conducted over the years.
I agree with the top experts who have endorsed this book. It is one of the best descriptions of the cyber-terrorist threat ever published. And it is written by one of the best. Don't pay attention to the reviewers here who have an axe to grind. They are simply bashing good, hard work with outright lies and distortions.
Rating: 2
Summary: Media Hype - Cashing In
Comment: Full of hype, lack of research and poor writing. His chapter on wireless security for example has many technical errors. He makes a note that wireless SSIDs are password which is not true. SSID were never designed to be passwords and have no security value whatsoever. I can only imagine that other claims in the book are also poorly researched.
Anyone who witnessed 9/11 knows that its success was attributed to the shear physical and human desctruction and the impact the video of the imploding towers played again and again on tv. I find it hard to believe that the country would be be as terrified if we couldn't access our ATM account. I'll buy the arguement that terrorists could use information warefare to enhance an attack but given limited resources, I'd rather have the money spent on where the real risks lie.
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Title: The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security by Kevin D. Mitnick, William L. Simon, Steve Wozniak ISBN: 0471237124 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 04 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly About Security in an Uncertain World by Bruce Schneier ISBN: 0387026207 Publisher: Copernicus Books Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box by Ryan Russell, Ido Dubrawsky, FX, Joe Grand, Tim Mullen ISBN: 1931836876 Publisher: Syngress Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title: The Hacker Diaries : Confessions of Teenage Hackers by Dan Verton ISBN: 0072223642 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 26 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.99 |
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Title: Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions, Fourth Edition by Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, George Kurtz ISBN: 0072227427 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 25 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
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