Increase Security on an IP Network

Continuing the "Mission Critical" series, this book provides crucial coverage of network security topics that IT professionals can't afford to be without. In the past year several Internet retailers, including Amazon.com have been hacked into and put out of service. Even large-scale enterprise networks where security is at a supposed high-level are at risk. Because of the increase in network attacks, the need for information on network security is at an all-time high.

Mission Critical(tm) Internetworking Security focuses on Internet Protocol, or IP security. IP technologies are the foundation of the Internet and understanding their associated security risks is key for IT professionals. This book shows readers how to increase security on IP networks and what to do when security is threatened.


* Discusses the steps to be taken when an IP network is compromised
* Special hardware coverage includes information on Lucent and Cisco products, including RADIUS and ComOS.
* Written by Vinton Cerf, senior VP at MCI, and referred to by many as the "Father of the Internet"

Amazon.com Review The best security for a network segment is isolation, but that's not an option if you want your users to enjoy Internet connectivity. Mission Critical Internet Security explores your options for protecting your network from attack across the Internet, emphasizing firewall solutions from Cisco, Symantec, Microsoft, and Check Point. This book begins with general advice about how to set up a comprehensive system of defenses (comprising a firewall, an intrusion detection system, authentication and cryptography schemes, and protocols like IPsec). It concludes with information (this is the bulk of the authors' work) on the specifics of configuring several products.

You'll enjoy the war stories that appear as sidebars; they call your attention to common errors (and make you feel better if you've made them). You'll also appreciate the carefully considered question-and-answer sections that explain umpteen design alternatives (SOCKS proxy versus Winsock proxy, for example) and engineering challenges (one example: building an IPsec virtual private network between firewalls from different manufacturers). Product-specific sections on Microsoft Proxy Server, Cisco PIX, Symantec Raptor, and Check Point FireWall-1 include a lot of detail, and Syngress promises to keep up with manufacturer upgrades (via Web updates to this book) for at least a year. Worth its price for its conceptual information alone (particularly the IPsec part), this book will really please you if you're installing one of the firewalls it focuses on. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to protect a private network from outside intrusion, while allowing its users Internet access and connectivity via virtual private networks (VPNs). Particularly detailed coverage goes to IPsec, Kerberos, Cisco PIX, Symantec (formerly Axent) Raptor, Microsoft Proxy Server, and Check Point FireWall-1.