Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Look Behind The Hype Around Homeland Security
Review: In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks there have been many changes to how national security is handled. Many of these changes have directly impacted our civil liberties or freedoms as United States citizens. Our elected officials and government organizations push these sweeping changes with a "sky is falling" mantra and claims that only by limiting freedoms and expanding the authority of law enforcement and government agencies can security be assured.
Bruce Schneier's book- Beyond Fear- helps those citizens understand how these trade-offs really work and to see that freedom and security are not necessarily opposite sides of the coin. Schneier uses language that anyone can understand and excellent examples to illustrate how to assess the risks and determine whether a given security measure will help- or possibly even do more harm than good.
One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 2- Security Trade-Offs Are Subjective. He gives example after example of how what seems like a risk to one person is no risk at all to another person and how, often, one's fear of that risk is not supported by logic. For example, he states "commercial airplanes are perceived as riskier than automobiles, because the controls are in someone else's hands- even though they're much safer per passenger mile."
In this post 9/11 era there have been many changes in the name of security. People need to read this book to understand just what sort of security they are trading their freedom for.
Tony Bradley is a consultant and writer with a focus on network security, antivirus and incident response. He is the About.com Guide for Internet / Network Security (http://netsecurity.about.com), providing a broad range of information security tips, advice, reviews and information. Tony also contributes frequently to other industry publications. For a complete list of his freelance contributions you can visit Essential Computer Security (http://www.tonybradley.com).
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Bruce...
Review: Lots of great instructive and thought-provoking stuff: For example, the story that begins on page 133 describes how an alert and intuitive US customs agent stopped Ahmed Ressam from carrying out his 1999 plan to bomb LAX. It is more than worth the price of admission. It's vintage Bruce because we see his inexorable, irrefutable logic machine at work, but new and different because now his topic is, in effect... everything about security. In fact the book takes on the task of showing us how to think about security. Who but Bruce would have the nerve and brilliance to do this?
Rating:
Summary: Clear thinking in troubling times
Review: Mr. Schneier's conversational tones and clear examples help bring to light the best ways to consider the security issues we must face each day. It is rare when a book is as entertaining as it is useful. This is such a book.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of very useful practical advice ¿ and don't panic
Review: Not quite what I'd expected. I'd read & enjoyed 'Secrets & Lies', and I thought this would be more of the same. This book is really a discussion about what actions have been taken post 9/11, and in parts it's a criticism of the overreaction that there has been.However, its not overtly political, and gives dozens (perhaps a 100) practical worked examples of good & bad, effective & ineffective, responses to security issues, whether it be physical, electronic etc. There is a 5-step process which I found useful to apply to everyday situations; and (in highly abbreviated form) these are : what are you trying to protect; what are the risks; risk mitigation; risks caused by the solution; trade-offs The core message is : "as both individuals and a society, we can make choices about our security", and this book helps you understand how to make those informed decisions.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of very useful practical advice ¿ and don't panic
Review: Not quite what I'd expected. I'd read & enjoyed 'Secrets & Lies', and I thought this would be more of the same. This book is really a discussion about what actions have been taken post 9/11, and in parts it's a criticism of the overreaction that there has been. However, its not overtly political, and gives dozens (perhaps a 100) practical worked examples of good & bad, effective & ineffective, responses to security issues, whether it be physical, electronic etc. There is a 5-step process which I found useful to apply to everyday situations; and (in highly abbreviated form) these are : what are you trying to protect; what are the risks; risk mitigation; risks caused by the solution; trade-offs The core message is : "as both individuals and a society, we can make choices about our security", and this book helps you understand how to make those informed decisions.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: Since 9/11, security has become political. This book cuts through the rhetoric and explains how security work and how to be safer. I feel like my eyes have been opened, and I see the security around me in a new light. I'm giving this book to all of my friends for a Christmas present!
Rating: 
Summary: Just like Texas: a whole lot of nothing
Review: Some pedants may decry Bruce's many semantic flaws, but these same people have neglected to realize that their biggest mistake was to buy the book to begin with. BZZZT. Thank you for playing. The basic lessons of this book are so painfully obvious that I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would buy it, especially in this economy. I kid you not, I literally stood in an airport gift shop, in my civies, and read this book while waiting for a flight back to base. The book is riddled with filler material, which was probably necessary to pad the book to 250+ pages. You could easily summarize the book in ten pages (but that would prevent the publisher from charging you $17.50). If you already have one of Schneier's books, then there is no reason to buy this one. Pogie bait is cheaper and more satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, Important, Entertaining, Indispensible
Review: The central message of _Beyond Fear_ is that we need to change the way we, the average reader, think about security. The media, the government, and the people around us send so much information our way about things that will make us safer, about dangers that threaten us, and about actions we should take. Schneier, in a consistently readable and entertaining fashion, provides a way to analyze such information, and reinforced with interesting and often quite entertaining examples. He draws from politics, history, crime, biology, and sports (to name a few fields) in teaching the reader a mode of thinking, yet allowing the reader to come to his or her own conclusions for any given subject. At the beginning of the book, the author lays out the stakes: 9/11. Thinking about security has always been important, as this book makes clear. Yet in recent years so much of our national debate has focused around questions of safety and security, and this book better equips us to comprehend the many sides of this debate and draw a more informed conclusion. After showing the reader how this process works, Schneier then confronts various important issues of the day and offers his analysis, all of which I found very revealing. This book is also a great deal of fun to read. The examples are clever and often surprising, and described in an engaging fashion. A great read; an important book.
Rating:
Summary: Puts things into perspective
Review: The title of the book refers to the steps to take after fear is sensed. To move beyond fear is to understand it, how it affects you and why, and what you can do about it. And that is what the book addresses - what things do we need to secure, from our personal interests, to national interests.
Schneier addresses this in the framework of a five questions to ask about security. Although the process seems crude, it does touch the heart of security issue - what are we trying to protect, why, and what happens if we don't protect it?
I particularly like his idea of brittle versus flexible security. When a brittle security system fails, you asset is screwed. A (poor) example would be burying your money in your back yard. If this is compromised (someone finds it), then you loose all your money, and that's the end of it. Compare this to a baking account. If someone robs the bank, or fraudulently takes your money, the bank is obliged to get you your money back. (So maybe you should bury your bank account number and password in yuor back yard!)
Although much of the discussion is on the level of national security, he also has gems of wisdom like suggesting that you leave the bathroom light on while you're away to deter burglars. And he points out yuor identity is more likely to be stolen from your discarded papers than from someone stealing your info on the internet.
I really appreciate the last part of the book where he lists the most-likely causes of death among Americans. What I got from that was not that I should avoid international airports, or dig a fallout shelter, but simply that I should make sure that I and my family are securely buckled up when we drive. Now that's putting 9/11 into perspective.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide on Everyday Security Analysis
Review: This is an excellent, entertaining, and informative read. It's a breeze to get through, and the central points are clear and easily understood. With many examples, mixing generalized and anecdotal, Schneier presents a simple methodology for analyzing risk, and explaining how to determine what security is useful, worthwile, and what's a total waste of time and money. As the author states, "Security is all about trade-offs," and in my opinion, spending a day reading through Beyond Fear is a totally worthwhile trade-off for developing a better mindset about security and risk.
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