News in the Category "Book Reviews"
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Book Review: Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive
I’ve always considered anything written by Bruce Schneier to be part of my ongoing education about IT security. Like Warren Buffet of the financial world, Schneier has a special talent for simplifying complex IT concepts by stripping away the fat. Each book is like its own little graduate course on whichever subject he happens to be discussing. I had a chance to review a pre-release of his forthcoming book “Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive,” and I can say that it is among his best. It explores the end-game emotion for all computer security, trust—and it prompted me to rethink my long-standing proposal for fixing the Internet…
Why Doesn't Society Just Fall Apart?
Since the days when Plato and Aristotle walked this Earth, philosophers have debated what constitutes the ideal state and, more specifically, what holds societies together. Why doesn’t society just fall apart? How does society function when you know you can’t possibly trust everyone in it? And why aren’t we living in what Thomas Hobbes memorably referred to as a state of constant “war of all against all“?
There is no single or simple answer, says security technologist Bruce Schneier in his enlightening new book, Liars & Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive…
In Defense of Applied Cryptography
Over the weekend I found myself re-reading a few bits of Bruce Schneier’s Applied Cryptography for a historical research project, and it reminded me what a fantastically wonderful, completely insane piece of writing it is. I’m sure Bruce Schneier needs no additional validation in his life, but I do think it’s worth saying a few words about the book—and why we need more works like it in our field.
I should preface this all by saying that Applied Cryptography is probably one of the most influential crypto books ever written. It certainly played a part in getting me interested in the field. If you don’t own a copy, you should, if only to be awed by Bruce’s knowledge of bizarre, historical ciphers and all of the ways they’ve been broken. (Though the most recent edition is from 1996, so don’t go looking for up to date information in it.)…
Cryptography Engineering: Design Principles and Practical Applications (Review)
Cryptography Engineering: Design Principles and Practical Applications. By Niels Ferguson et al; published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., www.wiley.com; 384 pages; $55.
Good cryptography can ensure that your data is readable only to authorized parties. The danger of bad cryptography is a false sense of data security. The line between the two is exceptionally thin, and the difference between the two is spelled out in great detail in this text.
The first edition of coauthor Bruce Schneier’s Applied Cryptography came out in 1994. What was revolutionary then, and launched a new generation of security mavens, is now obsolete in many parts. …
Book: Secrets & Lies (Review)
Everyone knows Bruce Schneier (at least everyone reading my blog); to begin with, this is not a technical book about cryptography, it’s a book that wants to give almost the exact opposite message, that is that cryptography by itself cannot do much since security is comprised by numerous factors. This book was a present of a friend of mine and just for your information, this review/overview was written by reading it just once despite B. Schneier’s suggestion of reading it at least twice in order to understand the message “between the lines”. In any case, here it is……
Review of the Book Beyond Fear
1. Summary of the review
Bruce Schneier’s Beyond Fear is a book about security in general. In contrast to many other books, Schneier explains how security works in the most general case, starting from protecting your diary of your sister to protecting the nation from global terrorism. Schneier’s book does not focus on cryptography or network security, instead it uses examples of systems everyone is expected to be familiar with. Such examples include home burglar systems, airport security or hotel room security.
2. Summary of the book
Bruce Schneier’s …
Book of the Month: Schneier on Security
Rating: 10/10
This has to be one of the most interesting, absorbing books I have read in a long time. Bruce Schneier, undoubtedly the world’s leading expert on the subject, presents this remarkable collection of essays on computer security. The book divides the collection of essays into 12 chapters on topics ranging from national security policy and privacy to economics and psychology.
It is refreshing to see a commonsense perspective on technological and security matters. Schneier sets the scene right from the start in an introduction to say all security involves trade-offs’. The theme cuts across the various domains covered by the essays in the entire book and in fact presents a very practical guiding principle for security researchers and practitioners…
Guru, Not Rock Star
I have a confession to make. Bruce is one of my heroes, so perhaps I shouldn’t be writing this review. Now it’s public knowledge—I am openly biased. However, it is a double-edged sword. Whilst I am the first to refer in glowing terms to Bruce’s writings on virtually every occasion that I’ve given my own presentations around the globe, I have to admit that hearing him in the flesh is just not the same experience.
I must hasten to note that this is an unfortunate phenomenon applicable to many in our select profession. Very few are able to hold an audience and simultaneously convey enough gravitas. Well, there goes any chance of Bruce ever talking to me again, let alone signing his book for my collection…
Schneier on Security (Book Review)
“There is a perception in both the private and government sector, that security, both physical and digital, is something you can buy. Witness the mammoth growth of airport security products following 9/11, and the sheer number of vendors at security conferences. With that, government officials and corporate executives often think you can simply buy products and magically get instant security by flipping on the switch. The reality is that security is not something you can buy; it is something you must get.”
Perhaps no one in the world gets security like author Bruce Schneier does. Schneier is a person who I am proud to have as a colleague [Schneier and I are both employed by the same parent company, but work in different divisions, in different parts of the country]. …
Books Briefly Noted: Beyond Fear
Searching kids and grandmas actually improves airport security, but arming pilots makes us all less secure; shopping with a credit card is just as secure as using it over the phone or by mail. These, and the dozens of other surprising insights in this book, will help you develop a keen sense of what today’s most talked-about security measures can and cannot do.
Security is not mysterious, Bruce Schneier tells us, and contrary to popular belief, it is not hard. What is hard is separating the hype from what really matters. You already make security choices every day, from what side of the street you walk on to whether you park your car under a streetlight. You do it naturally. This book guides you, step by step, through the process of making all your security choices just as natural…
Sidebar photo of Bruce Schneier by Joe MacInnis.