Security Data Visualization: Graphical Techniques for Network Analysis Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Security Data Visualization (SDV) is a great book. It's perfect for readers familiar with security who are looking to add new weapons to their defensive arsenals. Even offensive players will find something to like in SDV. The book is essentially an introduction to the field, but it is well-written, organized, and clear. I recommend all security analysts read SDV.
I give five star reviews to books that meet certain criteria. First, the book should change the way I look at a problem, or properly introduce me to thinking about a problem for which I have little or no frame of reference. Although I have been a security analyst for ten years, I have little visualization experience. Author Greg Conti spent just the right amount of time explaining the field, describing key terms (preattentive processing, occlusion, brushing) and displays (star plots, small multiples, TreeMaps). I loved the author's mention of Ben Shneiderman's visualization mantra: "overview first, zoom and filter, details on demand" (p 14).
Second, a five star book should have few or no technical errors. SDV was as sound as they come, at least as far as the security and networking information goes. I can't comment on the author's synthesis of the visualization community. I also liked the case studies in Chs 3, 4, and 5. I liked reading the visualization methodology introduced in the chapter on analyzing firewall logs (Ch 7).
Third, a five star book will make the material actionable. I finished SDV thinking I could try at least some of what I read on my own network. Ch 10 talked about how to build your own visualization tool. I would have liked additional detail on using some of the tools in the book, so perhaps a future edition will expand on that point.
A fourth feature of great books is including current research and referencing outside sources. SDV cited many foundational papers and presentations on visualization in general and security visualization specifically. Chs 6 and 12 addressed these subjects in detail. Ch 11 presented readers with ideas for future projects.
Overall, it should be obvious I really enjoyed reading SDV. My only real complaint seems inherent to the field: how to analyze large data sets. The case study in Ch 5 ("One Night on My ISP") only looks at 303 packets. It is easy to dismiss it since there's hardly any data to analyze. However, I feel that the author's techniques can be creatively scaled if one maintains realistic expectations. SDV is an excellent introduction to the security visualization field and I hope to see other works from the author and others on this important topic.

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Information overload. If you're responsible for maintaining your network's security, you're living with it every day. Logs, alerts, packet captures, and even binary files take time and effort to analyze using text-based tools - and once your analysis is complete, the picture isn't always clear, or timely. And time is of the essence.

Information visualization is a branch of computer science concerned with modeling complex data using interactive images. When applied to network data, these interactive graphics allow administrators to quickly analyze, understand, and respond to emerging threats and vulnerabilities.

Security Data Visualization is a well-researched and richly illustrated introduction to the field. Greg Conti, creator of the network and security visualization tool RUMINT, shows you how to graph and display network data using a variety of tools so that you can understand complex datasets at a glance. And once you've seen what a network attack looks like, you'll have a better understanding of its low-level behavior - like how vulnerabilities are exploited and how worms and viruses propagate.

You'll learn how to use visualization techniques to:
Audit your network for vulnerabilities using free visualization tools, such as AfterGlow and RUMINT See the underlying structure of a text file and explore the faulty security behavior of a Microsoft Word document Gain insight into large amounts of low-level packet data Identify and dissect port scans, Nessus vulnerability assessments, and Metasploit attacks View the global spread of the Sony rootkit, analyze antivirus effectiveness, and monitor widespread network attacks View and analyze firewall and intrusion detection system (IDS) logs
Security visualization systems display data in ways that are illuminating to both professionals and amateurs. Once you've finished reading this book, you'll understand how visualization can make your response to security threats faster and more effective

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Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a technical person but have very little DB experience and purchased the book because I had to for a college class. I feel the book was simply OK. Some points were made well others I had to read several times. Over all the explanations were not as concise as I would like but in all fairness DB concepts are hard to explain. The overall layout was good however I think there should have been more attention during the intro to familiarize the reader with DB's and the related concepts before delving in to the details of each phase of DB creation.
My only real gripe is that a new revision is published every year and the previous version of the $100 + dollar book becomes worthless. To save money I bought the previous version and found all the material I needed. However for the final exam the instructor of the online class gave us page numbers to use as reference so I was forced to buy the latest version which was the same book with a few new references...
If you are buying this book for reference or if you are buying this because you are taking a face to face class I recommend that you buy the previous version required by the instructor at a greatly reduced cost. You may be able to do this w/ an online class if the professor (or classmates) are flexible and willing to help reconcile the different page numbers.


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Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management, Eighth Edition, a market-leader for database texts, gives readers a solid foundation in practical database design and implementation. The book provides in-depth coverage of database design, demonstrating that the key to successful database implementation is in proper design of databases to fit within a larger strategic view of the data environment. Updates for the eighth edition include additional Unified Modeling Language coverage, expanded coverage of SQL Server functions, all-new business intelligence coverage, and added coverage of data security. With a strong hands-on component that includes real-world examples and exercises, this book will help students develop database design skills that have valuable and meaningful application in the real world.

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Information Security Management Metrics: A Definitive Guide to Effective Security Monitoring and Measurement Review

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(More customer reviews)Measuring information security is the greatest remaining challenge for many of us. Metrics are essential for a scientific management approach, rather than relying purely on gut feel and guesswork. Standards such as ISO/IEC 27001 require the use of objective information about the status and effectiveness of information security controls in relation to the risks, in order to drive appropriate improvements in the Information Security Management System. However, it is not immediately obvious exactly what needs measuring, nor how to do it. This book lays out the foundations on which a rational measurement system can be designed to manage information security in a more objective fashion.
The author encourages readers to consider a wide variety of measurement approaches and apply them sensibly to their information security management issues. In addition to conventional information security metrics, the book draws on governance, risk management, financial management and business analysis methods, a more diverse range of approaches than is normally covered in this field. Introducing measures of organization structure and culture sets this security metrics book apart from most others.
Although the writing style is clear, this is a complex subject covered in depth. Being rather theoretical in approach, the book won't suit practitioners simply looking for a short checklist of `security things to measure'. However, those with the interest and time to study Information Security Management Metrics will be rewarded with a deeper and more rounded understanding of the issue. As such, the book is probably of most value to CISOs and ISMs tasked with implementing better security metrics, and to information security management students.

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Spectacular security failures continue to dominate the headlines despite huge increases in security budgets and ever-more draconian regulations. The 20/20 hindsight of audits is no longer an effective solution to security weaknesses, and the necessity for real-time strategic metrics has never been more critical. Information Security Management Metrics: A Definitive Guide to Effective Security Monitoring and Measurement offers a radical new approach for developing and implementing security metrics essential for supporting business activities and managing information risk. This work provides anyone with security and risk management responsibilities insight into these critical security questions: How secure is my organization?How much security is enough?What are the most cost-effective security solutions?How secure is my organization?Solid metrics are the key to cost-effective information security - you can't manage what you can't measure This volume shows readers how to develop metrics that can be used across an organization to assure its information systems are functioning, secure, and supportive of the organization's business objectives. It provides a comprehensive overview of security metrics, discusses the current state of metrics in use today, and looks at promising new developments. Later chapters explore ways to develop effective strategic and management metrics for information security governance, risk management, program implementation and management, and incident management and response. The book ensures that every facet of security required by an organization is linked to business objectives, and provides metrics to measure it. Case studies effectively demonstrate specific ways that metrics can be implemented across an enterprise to maximize business benefit. With three decades of enterprise information security experience, author Krag Brotby presents a workable approach to developing and managing cost-effective enterprise information security.

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Threat Modeling (Microsoft Professional) Review

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(More customer reviews)In my review Thread Modeling (spelt with captials) refers to the book, thread modeling (spelt without capitals) refers to the subject.
Open the cover of this book and the first thing you see in large, bold print is `Reviewer Acclaim for Frank Swiderski, Window Snyder, and Threat Modeling'. I doubt that I'm the only one to notice that ALL the quotes are from current Microsoft employees! Look further and you notice that the content stops and the appendixes start on page 173 (of a 259 page book).
Considering that Chapter 4 of Writing Secure Code 2nd Edition does a much better job or covering threat modeling, you have to wonder what sort of padding is going on to fill 172 pages. In fact, I have to say the signal to noise ratio of this book isn't very good at all - unless you are interested in applying threat modeling to the security of your home or touch-tone telephone system!
If you know anything about threat modeling already, you'll also want to know why all (and I mean ALL - no exceptions) of the threat diagrams in this book show a DREAD score of 0 - why wasn't somebody proof reading this stuff? I don't expect to have to wait long before hearing "MS don't take security seriously - in their latest book they've rated [insert favorite threat here] a 0!"
The diagrams in Threat Modeling are also unnecessarily harder to read than the diagrams in Writing Secure Code. Threat Modeling uses the same square boxes for unmitigated conditions and mitigated conditions. This makes it impossible to tell at a glance whether a threat is outstanding or not. Writing Secure Code's use of circles for Mitigated / Resolved conditions at the leaf of the tree made it easy. I also miss Writing Secure Code's use of dotted lines to indicate unlikely attack paths.
Threat Modeling is not without some redeeming features. The idea and reasons for reducing the DREAD range from 1-10 to 1-3 is a welcome refinement and non-programmers may find the wealth of non-relevant examples helpful in assimilating the underlying concepts. Threat Modeling also covers DFDs (Data Flow Diagrams) which Writing Secure Code regrettably does not.
Threat Modeling is not a complete waste of space. It covers the material it sets out to cover and you should have no trouble producing threat models are reading this book. But if you only have time to read (or the money to buy) one MS security book, you won't regret making it Writing Secure Code instead.

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In this straightforward and practical guide, Microsoft® application security specialists Frank Swiderski and Window Snyder describe the concepts and goals for threat modeling—a structured approach for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating risks to system security. Discover how to use the threat modeling methodology to analyze your system from the adversary's point of view—creating a set of data points that help drive security specifications and testing. You'll review application scenarios that illustrate threat modeling concepts in action, understanding how to use threat modeling to help improve the built-in security of a system—as well as your customer's confidence in the security of that system—regardless of development environment.

Gain an in-depth, conceptual understanding—along with practical ways to integrate threat modeling into your development efforts:

Help anticipate attacks by seeing how adversaries assess your system—and compare their view to the developer's or architect's view
Employ a data flow approach to create a threat profile for a system
Reveal vulnerabilities in system architecture and implementation using investigative techniques such as threat trees and threat model-directed code reviews
Develop a credible security characterization for modeling threats
Use threat modeling to help verify security features and increase the resilience of software systems
Increase customer confidence in your products!

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