Book Review:
Special Section on
Computer Security and Privacy

By NANCY ALLISON
Boston Chapter

Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World,
by Bruce Schneier

John Wiley & Sons, 2000

A clear presentation of security and privacy concepts in a highly readable style.

Secrets and Lies is a comprehensive, highly readable introduction to network security issues. Schneier writes personably and imaginatively, often effectively resorting to comparisons and examples. Less technically detailed than Security and Privacy for E-Business, Secrets and Lies in general takes more time to explain each concept thoroughly. This is the book to read if you want to get started on security issues and are not under the gun to jump into technical detail immediately.

Organized in three sections, the book first identifies the attackers (hackers, crackers, and others) and examines their motives and our possible responses. The second section reviews twelve current security technologies and techniques, including cryptography, Schneier's forte. The last section examines strategies for combating digital attackers.

Did I mention that this book is readable? As an example, here's Schneier's dry take on firewalls. He explains that in the days of coal-powered trains, dangerous coal dust in the engine compartment sometimes ignited, causing a fire that could spread into the passenger compartment. Schneier says, "Since dead passengers reduced revenue, train engines were built with iron walls right behind the engine compartment. This stopped fires from spreading into the passenger cars, but didn't protect the engineer between the coal pile and the furnace. (There's a lesson for sysadmins in this somewhere.)" p. 188.