Network Security - Annotated Bibliography Example

Jackson, Chris. Network security auditing. San Francisco: Cisco Press, Print. Jackson’s book takes a very specific approach to computer network security at all levels. It examines the importance of network security in organizations and the importance of protecting data. It further analyses the security requirements of an organization and how to meet the desired customer satisfaction by proving them with solutions that make economic sense and those that help protect their data. The classification of data into several states; confidential, normal priority and critical, gives more light to the importance of having secure networks (Chris 2010). The book does for a fact live up to the state of being a comprehensive reference to all issues related to auditing and network security. It covers all key areas around network security and those relevant to information security. By and large this is a reliable source and a current source. It has been published in recent years, precisely 2010, and as such the content is still within the valid bounds. This is because the information technology sector changes so fast and if the book was written any earlier the content therein could be to a large extent obsolete. The book further examines and projects the future of networking and specifically security in networks which gives it an edge over the past publications. The book by Jackson is based on facts and reports directly about network security. The research put into the book is objective and for this reason the author has greatly minimized the personal accounts of the subject and opinion. It has well documented facts on security breaches from the world’s largest security devices manufacturers, for example, VeriSign. The author is highly certified person with specific certifications in CISCO equipment. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has authored many whitepapers and initiate innovations of his own under CISCO systems. The source fits perfectly into the research and contains very relevant material to the course work. It is a specific source and does not explore the network security field as a general subject but rather squarely focuses on the nitty-gritty of securing computer networks. It helped narrow down my understanding of network security by providing me direction and grounds to be open minded and also recognize facts from fiction in network engineering. Harrington, Jan. Network security: A Practical approach. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005. Print. Probably this is the most incisive and educative book about networking security that has been written. In this book Harrington tears a part skills based network security and provides practical examples of network scenarios with security breaches. The constant reference to past security threats to known multinational companies serves as a vivid image of how critical this field is. Harrington gets into the mind of network security professionals and brings out the important role and task of network professionals, in the process she outlines the routine maintenance tasks and schedules necessary and that are required for network administrators. The book is a comprehensive resource for anyone who implements or plans to dive into network security field, including the practitioners and managers. The dual perspective on security: how you need to act in the network inside and how hackers and crackers view your network and want to get inside gives a solid understanding of the subject. Further, readers get hands-on technical advice they need to make it through the field without hustle. The Practical approach used in writing this book makes it a bit subjective since the author writes from his own experiences. However, these experiences have been supported by facts and history information on the subject of network security. The author is also a credible source and has been referenced in numerous books. Harrington has written more than 30 books and has been writing about computers since 1984. She has taught several areas of computer science and her academic certifications are credible. This source contributes to the research in a very valuable way by providing material and hands-on examples. It has been helpful in understanding the details of network security. Chapters in this text can be included in the class curriculum as well as field handbooks for security professionals. The readers will find Harrington’s style both enjoyable and engaging by helping them create clear visualizations of the security situations. Looking at network security vulnerability from the hacker’s perspective gives the administrator an edge and more clear definition of the task at hand (Harrington2005). Douglas, Comer. “Computer Networks and Internets.” New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print. Comer’s book offers a general and much focused outlook about Network security as a service in a network and critical security analysis of distributed networks. It follows a technical approach to computer networks and dives into other network services and supporting protocols. It focuses on internet facilities as a vital part and tool of any network administrator and as such has a few chapters that give emphasis on the internet security issues. These include spoofing of servers and having clients that are rogue on the network (Comer 2008). Computer network services provide a way to manage and automate the configurations of devices on the network that use TCP/IP protocol. The Computer Networks and Internets book is a complete work for managing computer networks, understanding the challenges of security vulnerabilities and why data security is every organizations worry. Comer’s book is a current source and by and large very reliable. This is for the reason that it expressly deals with this subject discourse, and leaves no stone unturned as it demystifies the concepts, ideas and technical details of computer networks. The research done in writing this book is objective since the author has not included own opinions. The author has largely relied on facts to write this book and is qualified. The author has extensive experience and expertise with IP networks prior to writing this book. He has combined his insights to create a unique perspective on design and theory of internet and computer information. This book fits into the research and has been helpful in sorting out the autonomous information. It is a scholarly book and is a general book, not specific to the subject. Most importantly, this book has helped widen the reflection on network security. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. "Security and the Internet." OECD Observer 268 (2008): 10-11. Business Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. The OECD released its guidelines for the security of networks and information systems consisting nine principles aimed to increase education, public awareness, information sharing and training. The aim of the release was to lead to a better understanding of the adoption of best practices and online security. It addresses a “security culture” representing a new way of thinking where everyone using internet networks and computer systems has a role to play in security. The guidelines in the releases represent a consensus view of member countries that support the OECD’s greater goal of promoting trade, development and economic growth. The purpose of this book is to gain the incredible benefits we enjoy through this technology while bypassing vulnerabilities that must be recognized. The content is intended to make the participants aware for the need of network and security information systems and their role in enhancing security. The document shows how everyone should be responsible for security of information systems that they are charged with. The OECD is a collaboration of many member countries that have put forward their best analysts and experts in information systems. They are published authors scholars and professionals with vast experiences. OECD’s greater concern is the emphasis on the need for greater on-line security risks and greater consumer awareness. They have benchmarked the requirements with developing practical advice for safe and reliable use of IT technologies. Winkler, Vic. Securing the cloud: Cloud computer security techniques and tactics. Boston: Syngress, 2011. Print. Winkler seeks to address the current information technology trend that the network users, corporate, organizations and individuals are shifting to. The turn to burgeoning cloud computing innovation with the aim of streamlining and saving money has brought security as a fundamental concern. It further addresses the lack of control and loss of certain trust in this networks that use cloud computing technology. Cloud computing is one of the most popular technologies around and companies are putting in billions of dollars migrating applications and data centers to use this awesome technology (Winkler 2011). The haste and hustle to move business information to the cloud is making a lot of companies neglect security and the privacy of users. The beginning chapters of the book give a reader an introduction to cloud computing and network security and the various architectures available in this technology. Chapter 8 is the best chapter and addresses the very sensitive issue of selecting an external cloud provider. It explores the many details on the criteria to follow in making an effective decision on selecting a cloud service provider. Winkler has a rich background in security and has made valiant attempts and challenges in facing the security issues. In his book he provides a generic blueprint detailing all the factor’s one needs to consider in making safe use of cloud services. In his book he achieves This source offers a concise and clear framework to secure the business’ assets while making the most of the cloud computing technology. The publishing has been done recently and as such contains relevant data and heavily relies on past research work by other authors. In my assessment the source provides objective information on the cloud computing. Researchers in this field will find this source interesting to read and very up to date. It has captured every bit of cloud computing progress; past, present and possible future. It has been a valuable resource and for this is a popular source. However, it does not help narrow down the topic and addresses the cloud computing discourse from the perspective of a general topic. Even then, it fits perfectly into the researchers requirements. Chey, Cobb. Network security for dummies. New Jersey: For Dummies, 2002. Print. Cobb’s book takes the most basic approach to network security that any other publication can take. It provides quick, low-cost, easy solutions to all the network security concerns, whether it is a high-speed internet connections or tons of end user computers distributed across numerous organizations. The book emphases that you cannot get into network security until you actively run a network. Cobb’s style of writing is simple and easy, she has taken time to explain concepts to those who are not computer savvy and most importantly for those who do not live and breadth technology. It gives the novice confidence that they can make their network secure than it already is without going into expenses and have the advantage of understanding what we are up to. The disadvantage of using this source is that it is limited to those who are not very technology conscious and does not provide practical skills and activities. It also dwells on a single concept more than necessary. Addressing the different users, the source is somewhat reliable to novices and inexperienced professionals. It is not any useful to experts who learn more and more and in effect learn less and less, specializing. The research presented is subjective since the author’s aim is to get into the mind of the reader and trigger an understanding. Cob is a trained security specialist and personnel in computer security. She has previously held Top secret clearance for the U.S intelligence community, and helped develop government security policies and procedures. She has been cited in many works by authors and by confidence she is an accomplished author in this field. This source is not of scholarly nature and does not help narrow down the topic of network security. It is too general and as such only serves to inform the basic user. One cannot undertake any active management and administration of any computer network with the knowledge obtained from this book. However students will find it an interesting read and will derive practical albeit fictional examples from this book. It can help them visualize network management in detail. The purpose of a network administrator is to monitor a network proactively while mitigating threats and covering the data (Cobb 2008). Cole, Eric. Networking security bible. New York: John Wiley and sons, 2009. Print. Eric Cole chose to address the dos and don’ts in computer networking into one single piece of writing. Considering that the field evolves with every change of technology, Cole, has focused on the constant factors of the network security field that do not change. Implementing the areas in network security and the interrelation has worked in helping give a precise analysis of the field at large (Cole 2009). This is a reference that is a ‘must have’ for any Information technology specialist in charge of security in an organization. It covers new techniques, methods and technologies for approaching network security. It also takes some chapters to examine best practices and new trends used in many organizations, it is a valuable resource and helps understand the changing landscape of network security. The book has gone through some editions, since the first, this comprehensive guide addresses the increase in cyber threats and the raising stakes in security breaches. It has a packed new edition that is thoroughly detailed and for this reason is a very relevant book for study. It contains well documented information and facts to support the worrying trend in network security threats. Eric Cole, the author of this book, is an academician and has a PhD in his specialization field. He has been a security consultant for international banks and Fortune 500 companies. He has worked with the CIA as a project team player that involved security. His book is a scholarly source and it complements the Cisco Academy courses. It shapes and helps understand the security landscape and learn the best practices in securing the enterprise and data worldwide. Donahue, Gary. Network Warrior. California: O'Reilly Media, 2011. Print. The book does measure up to the state of being a comprehensive reference to all issues related to auditing and network security. It covers all key areas around network security and those relevant to information security. By and large this is a reliable source and a current source. It has been published in recent years, precisely 2011, and as such the content is still within the valid bounds. This is because the information technology sector changes so fast and if the book was written any earlier the content therein could be to a large extent obsolete. The book further examines and projects the future of networking and specifically security in networks which gives it an edge over the past publications. Gary’s book takes a very specific approach to computer network security at all levels. It examines the importance of network security in organizations and the importance of protecting data. It further analyses the security requirements of an organization and how to meet the desired customer satisfaction by proving them with solutions that make economic sense and those that help protect their data (Gary 2011). The book by Gary is based on facts and reports directly about network security. The research put into the book is objective and for this reason the author has greatly minimized the personal accounts of the subject and opinion. It has well documented facts on security. The author is highly certified person with specific certifications in CISCO equipment. He has a Bachelors degree in business administration and has authored many whitepapers and initiate innovations of his own under CISCO systems. The source fits perfectly into the research and contains very relevant material to the course work. It is a specific source and does not explore the network security field as a general subject but rather squarely focuses on the nitty-gritty of securing computer networks. It helped narrow down my understanding of network security by providing me direction and a platform to be open minded and also recognizes facts from fiction in network engineering. Vacca, John. Computer and information security handbook. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2009. Print This book presents strategies and information on how to analyze risks to networks and actions needed to select and deploy effective countermeasures. It aims to help reduce exposure to physical and network threats. It also serves to impact skills and knowledge needed to draw and counter some fundamental security requirements and risks, including how to implement security procedures and policies and internet security threats and measures (Vacca 2009). From Vacca’s book the reader will also come across information directing on how to apply standards and technologies necessary to configure client software, build secure VPNs and configure server operating systems. It presents problem-solving techniques, methods of analysis and enhances the reader’s grasp of the material and capability to implement practical solutions. The book includes a discussion of vulnerability scanners that can detect security weaknesses and threat prevention techniques. It also practically shows how to access key services while maintaining systems security. It documents facts and observation from scholars and professionals in the field. This book provides examples to students and has covered a wide range of topics that may be appealing to those with a need for a comprehensive and fairly general source. The proposal however has a few gaps in coverage addressed in network security. The source is useful and educative to any reader and fits well as a research resource. Wendell, Odom. Computer networking first-step. San Francisco: Cisco Press, 2004.Print The book title is a misnomer. On first glance it leads the author to think that it is designed for novice users, but reading through the book it comes out as a technical guide for professionals. It can be used as an expert research text and ordinary computer operator research text. The author presents the material in order that builds on the preceding chapters and in such a way that a reader can follow. The book does for a fact live up to the state of being a comprehensive reference to all issues related to auditing and network security. It covers all key areas around network security and those relevant to information security. By and large this is a reliable source and a current source. It has been published in recent years, precisely 200, 4 and as such the content is still within the valid bounds. This is because the information technology sector changes so fast and if the book was written any earlier the content therein could be to a large extent obsolete. The book further examines and projects the future of networking and specifically security in networks which gives it an edge over the past publications. The author has extensive experience and expertise with IP networks prior to writing this book. He has combined his insights to create a unique perspective on design and theory of network management. This book fits into the research and has been helpful in sorting out the autonomous information. It is a scholarly book and is specific to the subject discourse. Most importantly, this book has helped me narrow down the information to very specific fields in computing. I personally think that this book is a smart idea and it allows people new to any subject area to learn quickly. Olifer, Natalia & Olifer, Victor. Computer networks: Principles, technologies and protocols for network design. New York: Wiley Publishers, 2006. Print. This book provides an understanding of any particular feature and novel technology in Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Local Area networks (LANs) to any person with a fundamental knowledge of networking principles. It helps learn methods of administering and designing major and complex networks. It addresses basic solutions to problems such as error detection, medium access routing, end-to-end transport and flow and congestion control (Natalia and Victor 2006). It is a very reliable book to gain knowledge from, since it covers network design aspects and provides a firm and solid understanding about many important topics in computer networks. It has been well organized and provides useful tips and highlights on key sections that the author needs to draw attention to. This book can be used for an undergraduate course level and is an extremely pleasant surprise to the reader. The clear language, fantastic organization and the overall presentation makes it an extremely dense text to read and understand. This book is a useful learning tool and contributes positively towards research in network security in the broadest sense. It is a helpful book and can serve as a scholarly source. The author is credible and a good authority. It is too general and as such only serves to inform the basic user. One cannot undertake any active management and administration of any computer network with the knowledge obtained from this book. However students will find it an interesting read and will derive practical albeit fictional examples from this book. It can help them visualize network management in detail. Droms, Ralph. “The DHCP handbook.” Indianapolis: Sams Publishers, 2003. Print. Ralph’s book offers a general and much focused outlook about DHCP service in a network and critical security analysis in DHCP supported networks. It takes a technical approach to DHCP and dives into other network services and supporting protocols. It aims at looking at the DHCP service as a vital part and tool of any network administrator and as such has a few chapters that give emphasis on the DHCP security issues. These include spoofing of DHCP servers and having clients that are rogue on the network. DHCP, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol service provides a way to manage and automate the configurations of devices on the network that use TCP/IP protocol (Droms 2003). Without it, DHCP, administrators must enter IP addresses for each network device and computer manually then make a change each time a device is moved within the network. The DHCP Handbook is a complete work for managing DHCP services, understanding DHCP and correcting problems with DHCP clients and servers. The DHCP Handbook is a current source and by and large very reliable. This is for the reason that it expressly deals with this subject discourse, DHCP and leave no stone unturned as it demystifies the concepts, ideas and technical details of DHCP. The research done in writing this book is objective since the author has not included own opinions. The author has largely relied on facts to write this book and is qualified. The author has extensive experience and expertise with IP networks prior to writing this book. He has combined his insights to create a unique perspective on design and theory of DHCP. This book fits into the research and has been helpful in sorting out the autonomous information. It is a scholarly book and is specific to the subject discourse. Most importantly, this book has helped me narrow down the DHCP information to very specific fields. Perterson, Larry, and Davie, Bruce. Computer Networks: A Systems approach. 5th ed. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005. Print. The authors of this book set to teach the key principles of computer networks by drawing examples from protocol design and the real world. They have explained the various protocols and networking technologies, using the internet as an example. This approach taken by Larry and Bruce is systems-oriented and encourages one to think about how individual components come together into one larger, synchronized system of interactions. The writing fits the perspective of any reader, network administrator, network designer, application developer etc. The book suits any serious student of computer networks while remaining accessible to a more casual reader. It is a book that has an engineering intuition ingrained in the writing and in this day of fast paced changes in technology, it is a critical tool to develop a student’s ability to make informed decisions on how to design or select the future systems. The introduction to computer networks and security issues is comprehensive, clear and full of awing examples but the downside is that it gives these manageable concepts at the expense of technical rigor. The book has been through editions, revisions and up to now it’s the 5th edition. It has a good background of documented facts and uses historical progress in the networking field to date. Bruce and Larry are veterans in the computer science field with majors in networking and telecommunications. They have other publications and have written numerous papers. The two have been cited by other credible authors in their works. The source is scholarly and fits into the research well. It is helpful in getting the general architecture of network systems and the individual components. However, when a researcher narrows down to network security, it is only as good as giving the general overview of network security to the researcher. Though this helps the researcher to think in a broader sense and have a wider view of the technology as a whole. In contrast to the other sources, it looks at the networking field from the perspective of individual components fused together. It does not dwell on the topic as a field but addresses the individual components. This in a way is a unique contribution to the subject since it gives the reader a broad area to think and mull over. Halpert, Ben. Auditing cloud computing: A security and privacy guide. New Jersey: Wiley Corporate, 2011. Print. Halpert, in this book, seeks to provide a guidance to build a proper audit to ensure customer data protection and operational integrity, among other aspects that involve using cloud based resources. The author is motivated by the reported and projected significant cost saves in organizations using the cloud computing technology. Cloud computing is basically utilizing shared computing resource to provide ubiquitous access for organizations and end users (Halpert 2011). The book provides necessary guide points ensuring that auditors address privacy and security aspects through thorough and proper audit trails and provide a specific level of assurance for safety of an organization’s resources. Objectively, this book gives a holistic view to the elastic, on-demand service. It helpfully addresses the security barriers in this day when the consequences and potential costs of errors could rapidly become disastrous for organizations handling private and confidential customer data. It outlines how to develop better ways and means to evaluate security and privacy protection practices of cloud services. This book is written for cloud providers, integrator and consumers. It dives into the area of cloud computing and concentrates on history, relevant definitions and challenges in the technology. It further explores business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning along with shaping the future of cloud computing security and audit. This book has been edited by a renowned practitioner and information security researcher Halpert. In this volume he gathers a team of experienced cloud experts who have labored to give an insight into many aspects that your organization and you will encounter during your entry into the cloud. The qualifications of the editors have merit and hold water since this are persons actively in the changing technology. Halpert’s book is an excellent resource and teaching tool. It is not too scholarly and can be classified as a popular source. It helps peer into the future of network security and in that very state narrows the view from the general to the specific for any reader. It has helped in narrowing the perspective by giving incisive information on current security trends and how they fit into the future. The source uniquely contributes to the subject in giving information on future of network security and network infrastructure use. It deviates, contrasts, by bringing out the concept of shared resources. Largely the source is similar in reference to historical progression of computer networks threats and mitigation. Works cited Chey, Cobb. Network security for dummies. New Jersey: For Dummies, 2002. Print. Cole, Eric. Networking security bible. New York: John Wiley and sons, 2009. Print. Douglas, Comer. “Computer Networks and Internets.” New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2008. Print. Donahue, Gary. Network Warrior. California: O'Reilly Media, 2011. Print. Droms, Ralph. “The DHCP handbook.” Indianapolis: Sams Publishers, 2003. Print. Harrington, Jan. Network security: A Practical approach. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005. Print. Halpert, Ben. Auditing cloud computing: A security and privacy guide. New Jersey: Wiley Corporate, 2011. Print. Jackson, Chris. Network security auditing. San Francisco: Cisco Press, 2010. Print. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. "Security and the Internet." OECD Observer 268 (2008): 10-11. Business Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. Olifer, Natalia, and Olifer, Victor. Computer networks: Principles, technologies and protocols for network design. New York: Wiley Publishers, 2006. Print. Perterson, Larry, and Davie, Bruce. Computer Networks: A Systems approach. 5th ed. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005. Print. Vacca, John. Computer and information security handbook. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2009. Print. Wendell, Odom. Computer networking first-step. San Francisco: Cisco Press, 2004.Print. Winkler, Vic. Securing the cloud: Cloud computer security techniques and tactics. Boston: Syngress, 2011. Print. Read More