For darkside hackers, there's hardly a more juicy target than research.att.com, the stomping grounds of the very gurus who wrote the Unix operating system. Break into Bell Labs, and you're talking mondo bragging rights.
Being that research.att.com is such a holy grail, it's not surprising that its host computer would have a sophisticated firewall and security system. What is surprising, in this age of corporate paranoia, is that AT&T's Cheswick and Bellovin were able to write about their intrusion countermeasures systems in such detail.
Firewalls and Internet Security is an item-by-item description of main network security tools that AT&T uses to protect its trusty research secrets. Good computer security doesn't depend on "obscurity" or hidden tricks. Instead, we learn that security rests on rigorous application of fundamental principles: small, simple programs are easier to verify than large, complicated ones; be careful who (and what) you trust; and never underestimate your adversary.
If you can put up with the smug attitudes of these high masters of Unix computer security, this book will teach you a lot about firewalls, TCP/IP protocols, and interesting ways of breaking into computers on the Internet that are ostensibly less defended than research.att.com.
Firewalls and Internet Security, by William R. Cheswick and Steven M. Bellovin, US$26.95. Addison-Wesley: +1 (617) 944 3700.
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