Viruses Revealed

Rating:
Summary: Good reference, but pick your spots
Review: "Viruses Revealed" is a comprehensive review of the subject, written from the perspective of a security professional. If you're searching for an in-depth understanding of virus programming, keep looking. But if you're a system administrator or technology manager responsible for minimizing risk, then this is an important reference to study. I'd also recommend this book to any IT professional who wants to develop a good overview of virus technology.

The authors really know their field and they have a bit of an attitude, but it's generally amusing. They assume the reader has a modest technical background and carefully cover the fundamentals, provide a brief historical overview, then dive into virus structures and mechanisms. Good stuff, but you've seen much of it before, so pick and choose. The next section - a good overview of management solutions - is worthwhile. Then the authors select a representative sample of the better-known viruses roughly in the chronological order they were released. Each virus is discussed, but the value of such a lengthy section eludes me. Another place to pick and choose. Finally, the authors examine non-technical (social) aspects, such as social engineering, legal issues, ethics and so on. No light bulbs went off, but it's useful information.

Excellent overview of the field, but not worth reading cover to cover unless you're new to the subject. The authors should have culled out much of the repetitive information and tightened the rest. "Viruses Revealed" is good, but pick your spots.

Rating:
Summary: Good reference, but pick your spots
Review: "Viruses Revealed" is a comprehensive review of the subject, written from the perspective of a security professional. If you're searching for an in-depth understanding of virus programming, keep looking. But if you're a system administrator or technology manager responsible for minimizing risk, then this is an important reference to study. I'd also recommend this book to any IT professional who wants to develop a good overview of virus technology.

The authors really know their field and they have a bit of an attitude, but it's generally amusing. They assume the reader has a modest technical background and carefully cover the fundamentals, provide a brief historical overview, then dive into virus structures and mechanisms. Good stuff, but you've seen much of it before, so pick and choose. The next section - a good overview of management solutions - is worthwhile. Then the authors select a representative sample of the better-known viruses roughly in the chronological order they were released. Each virus is discussed, but the value of such a lengthy section eludes me. Another place to pick and choose. Finally, the authors examine non-technical (social) aspects, such as social engineering, legal issues, ethics and so on. No light bulbs went off, but it's useful information.

Excellent overview of the field, but not worth reading cover to cover unless you're new to the subject. The authors should have culled out much of the repetitive information and tightened the rest. "Viruses Revealed" is good, but pick your spots.

Rating:
Summary: When Will Computer Hacks Learn How to Write!?
Review: After giving up on Robert Slade's incomprehensible "Guide to Computer Viruses," I was hoping for a better read on the subject with his new tome. No such luck. Slade is an amateur writer in every sense, and his sticky fingerprints (i.e., poorly constructed sentences and self-serving essays) are all over this wood pulp. The three authors (yeah, Slade must've realized that he couldn't hack out another alone) couldn't decide whether to target this how-to manual for would-be hackers toward the novice or the pro. They wanted it both ways and, in the process, manage to offend both audiences with their dense technical ramblings interwoven with condescending explanations for the grade-schoolers. YAWN! Skip this one, my friends. For a much more informative -- and practical -- look at viruses, worms, etc., check out Roger Grimes' "Malicious Mobile Code."

Rating:
Summary: High Level Overview
Review: How you tend to rate a book often depends on what you are looking to get out of it. For my purposes, this book leans a bit too much toward the high-level end of the spectrum. For example, the discussions on how viruses and anti-virus software solutions work is presented from the 10000 foot level. Much of the content seems to focus on the management/policy making end of the problem space rather than the technical point of view. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but as a techie, it just wasn't what I was after.

Oddly enough, the author rates Roger Grimes' Mailicious Mobile Code as a mediocre to poor reference on the subject of computer malware. Even though Grimes' book is Microsoft-centric, I consider it a far better reference from a technical standpoint.

Rating:
Summary: Good idea, poorly executed
Review: I really had trouble reading this book. It isn't very well written and it felt that most of it had been gleaned from the internet, edited, bound and published. The book sensationalizes viruses and other malicious code, while the actual threat from viruses has decreased significantly.

Fewer sophisticated viruses are released every year. The average worm or email virus that is written by some disgruntled teenager just isn't sophisticated enough to be worried about, and fewer proficient programmers are producing malicious code (the stakes are too high).

As a technically proficient person, I found the book boring and, condescending. The authors went on and on, were not concise, and didn't "reveal" anything that even a computer savvy 16 year old wouldn't already know. At the same time the confused writing, will only serve to baffle novices.
In short, I doubt the experience and expertise of the writers, and the book is poorly written. Save your money, install virus protection on your computer and keep it updated. That will protect you, this book will not.

If you want reliable information about malicious code then try:

1) Malicious Mobile Code: Virus Protection for Windows,
2) Know Your Enemy: Revealing the Security Tools, Tactics, and Motives of the Blackhat Community
3) E-mail Virus Protection Handbook : Protect your E-mail from Viruses, Tojan Horses, and Mobile Code Attacks

Rating:
Summary: Essential for managers
Review: Most books that seek to give an overview of computer viruses are technically uninformed or else poorly-disguised endorsements of commercial products. This book, at least, is neither of those. It provides the most comprehensive high-level review of the subject available and I recommend it for your technical bookshelf.

The book covers
- a brief history of viruses and worms. Better than most I've read;
- an overview of virus mechanisms at the systems level (but no virus code);
- a comprehensive review of anti-malware measures suitable for systems managers, This includes a substantial list of references, a risk assessment strategy, incident management strategy and advice on how to manage users (including other managers). This section is the most realistic and helpful that I have read;
- a series of case studies of different viruses and worms, and some notable myths and hoaxes. At last a reality-based assessment with no warnings that the sky is falling!
- a chapter devoted to virus writers that approaches the topic from well-established sociological principles instead of seeing virus writers as Satan's minions;
- a section on hoaxes and spam;
- a section on legal matters that will actually be useful. For US readers there is an overview of US laws and policies (which tend to be unique) and for the rest of us is an overview of the UK approach, which is closest to what the rest of the world does;
- a chapter is devoted to the discussion of ethics: managers, anti-virus software vendors and virus writers. This recognises the effect of different cultures and viewpoints - a nice change from the unsophisticated sermonising of most writers.

Taken all in all this is an ideal text for managers, so why only four stars? Like most technical writing, the prose plods along. It is quite boring and needs a good editor. Where the prose is sparse, it's actually quite readable, but that's not often. It also lacks technological depth that makes it unsuitable for those seeking a deeper understanding of malicious code. I'm afraid that you will have to resort to those dubious websites referred to in the book!

-

Rating:
Summary: "The" Book on Computer Viruses
Review: The quotes in the front of the book say it all, "Viruses Revealed is the most complete compilation of information on computer viruses, worms, trojans, and general malware that I have ever seen." This book covers every aspect of malware, from the history and evolution of computer viruses to defending your system against the impending threat. The authors carefully identify fallacies and misconceptions, which other books miss, and by separating fact from fiction, they provide the reader with a clear understanding of the necessary system solutions. I have purchased several books on computer viruses, and in most cases, they were unreadable and/or inaccurate. This book is both interesting and thoughtful, and it is the only book that I would recommend on computer viruses.

Rating:
Summary: Part of my research shelf
Review: This is an absolutely essential book if you are involved in security in any way, and who isn't these days. With security now a core requirement for most networks, you've got to keep track of the virus scene. This book excels in its accessibility, and you need it on your bookshelf alongside other essential security books such as "Hacking Exposed" by McClure, Scambray, and Kurtz.

I am using this book as a reference to update my "Encyclopedia of Networking and Telecommunications" and to post new information at my Linktionary.com Web site. These days, you need to buy and read multiple sources of information to keep up with the latest developments. Sorry, that's the way it is. I am recommnding this book as one of those references.

These guys have obviously worked hard to get this material together. It is dense (who wants glossed-over security info?). The historical overview is interesting and essential. Think you know this stuff? Think again. The title of this book is "revealed" and it lives up to its name. You get the inside story on hundreds of viruses and that goes a long way toward helping you understand just what you are up against.

There are also essential chapters on management, information gathering, product evaluation, and product testing. And you need to read the chapter on risk and incident management so you can start building strategies to deal with future attacks.

The amount of material is amazing. Even the index is interesting to browse since you are bound to find curious things that will send you back into the book. There are numerous case studies that attest to the research done by the authors. You'll find historical info derived from police reports and companies that were hacked. Good stuff that helps you develop your own incident response strategies.

Now for the legal. You've got to develop internal policies and that means knowing the legal issues. This book does a good job of covering legal issues and legislation in a variety of countries, not just the US. It also provides important policy information that can help you develop your own internal policy statements.

Like I said, I am recommending this book. The time to update security books is ALWAYS, so make space on your shelves for this book.

Rating:
Summary: A great book to any computer user's computer book library!
Review: Viruses Revealed

Viruses Revealed is one of the best computer books I have seen on the market to date. The book possess a vast array of knowledge regarding the destructive world of computers not to mention the anatomy of Computer viruses and how they work. If you are looking to protect your computer from just these destructive things (i.e. Viruses). I say, get this book. I would of gave it a 5-star rating if they only had more source code of viruses to view. Those of us out there who are Computer Programmer's would love to view the source code. Anyway, a great book to have in any computer user's library! (JC)