Review of Extreme Exploits: Advanced Defenses Against Hardcore Hacks (Hacking Exposed) (Paperback)

Here is the thing - I am giving this book a high score (4) since it contains unique and fun content related to network infrastructure attacks and defenses, which I have not seen anywhere else. In my view, the good stuff justifies such score, although I suspect that some other reviewers will sledgehammer the book for having too much of routine material covered in other previous books, including the venerable Hacking Exposed.

While I had a general idea of how providers mitigate DDoS attacks, I did not know the specifics of unicast reverse-path forwarding method, described in the book. Similarly, I picked up a lot of material of setting up sinkholes for dropping traffic (and, more specifically, how they are better than ACLs in many cases).

From other topics, I liked their coverage on the evolution of DMZ from simple designs of years past to current security zone design.

The book also presents a lot of up-to-date material, such as the coverage of security information management (SIM), vulnerability management and recent security standards, such as CVSS. It doesn't go into details in some places where I'd wanted it to, but still is interesting to read.

On the other hand, some chapters are disappointing and seem to be in the book for it to appear "comprehensive". Forensics chapter is one of those (it is also mistakenly called "Exploiting Forensics", while no exploitation is taking place)

I recommend the book for most people, from beginners to advanced, since the former will enjoy the breadth of coverage while the latter will likely benefit from the network infrastructure protection (and devastation, of course!) tips. In addition, defense checklists in the end of each chapter are useful for those who do not have time to go and study the material in-depth. The book is slightly biased towards the defense side, with good coverage of the attacking side as well.

Dr Anton Chuvakin, GCIA, GCIH, GCFA is a recognized security expert and book author. In his current role as a Security Strategist with netForensics, a security information management company, he is involved with defining future features and conducting security research.A frequent conference speaker, he also represents the company at various security meetings and standard organizations. He is an author of a book "Security Warrior" and a contributor to "Know Your Enemy II", "Information Security Management Handbook" and the upcoming "Hacker's Challenge 3".Anton also published numerous papers on a broad range of security subjects. In his spare time he maintains his security portal at info-secure.organd a blog at O'Reilly"


Product Description
This cutting-edge volume takes network security professionals to the next level in protecting networks and web sites. Never-before-published advanced security techniques and concise explanations of core Internet infrastructure explain how to defend against devastating vulnerabilities in systems and the underlying network.With the authors' winning methodology for attack profiling and the theatre of war concept, you'll learn how to architect and prepare your network for threats that don't yet exist.
By explaining specific in-depth technologies in use by not only the attackers, but also inside the applications they target, this book enables the reader to make better use of the tools available today, and to design new tools, techniques, and operational policies for the future.

From the Back Cover

Protect your network and web sites from malicious attacks with help from this cutting-edge guide. Extreme Exploits is packed with never-before-published advanced security techniques and concise instructions that explain how to defend against devastating vulnerabilities in software and network infrastructure. This book gives you detailed analyses of modern threats and their solutions along with checklists for developing defenses. You'll also be introduced to a winning methodology for custom vulnerability assessments including attack profiling and the theatre of war concept. Through in-depth explanations of underlying technologies, you'll learn to prepare your network and software from threats that don't yet exist. This is a must-have volume for anyone responsible for network security.

• Secure your critical domain name system (DNS) infrastructure
• Ensure reliable Internet connectivity amidst a myriad of attacks
• Implement effective intrusion detection and prevention technologies
• Prevent e-mail abuse using advanced filtering, encryption, and other methods
• Stop data theft and egress exploitation by altering packet filtering rules
• Defend against viruses, worms, bots, Trojans, and other malicious code
• Use IP sinkholes and backscatter analysis to trap and gain knowledge from scanning and infiltration attempts
• Secure wireless networks using a variety of technologies
• Create a customized vulnerability assessment methodology for your organization
• Use proven digital forensics techniques to investigate attacks
• Learn to protect your software from little-known vulnerabilities

About the Authors:Victor Oppleman is an accomplished author, speaker, and patent-holder in the field of network security and a specialized consultant to some of the world's most admired companies.His open source software is used by thousands of engineers worldwide. Oliver Friedrichs is a Senior Manager in Symantec Security Response, the organization responsible for the delivery of anti-virus definitions, intrusion detection updates, and early warning technologies within Symantec. Mr. Friedrichs also co-founded SecurityFocus and Secure Networks.Brett Watson has 17 years experience in networks and security for some of the world's largest Internet Service Providers and enterprise networks. He holds a patent for one of the first large-scale content distribution platforms known as Hopscotch.

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