This book covers the basic statistical and analytical techniques of computer intrusion detection. It is the first to present a data-centered approach to these problems. It begins with a description of the basics of TCP/IP, followed by chapters dealing with network traffic analysis, network monitoring for intrusion detection, host based intrusion detection, and computer viruses and other malicious code.

"The book you are about to read will arm you with the knowledge you need to defend your network from attackers—both the obvious and the not so obvious.... If you are new to network security, don't put this book back on the shelf! This is a great book for beginners and I wish I had access to it many years ago. If you've learned the basics of TCP/IP protocols and run an open source or commercial IDS, you may be asking 'What's next?' If so, this book is for you." —Ron Gula, founder and CTO, Tenable Network Security, from the Foreword "Richard Bejtlich has a good perspective on Internet security—one that is orderly and practical at the same time. He keeps readers grounded and addresses the fundamentals in an accessible way." —Marcus Ranum, TruSecure "This book is not about security or network monitoring: It's about both, and in reality these are two aspects of the same problem. You can easily find people who are security experts or network monitors, but this book explains how to master both topics." —Luca Deri, ntop.org "This book will enable security professionals of all skill sets to improve their understanding of what it takes to set up, maintain, and utilize a successful network intrusion detection strategy." —Kirby Kuehl, Cisco Systems Every network can be compromised. There are too many systems, offering too many services, running too many flawed applications. No amount of careful coding, patch management, or access control can keep out every attacker. If prevention eventually fails, how do you prepare for the intrusions that will eventually happen? Network security monitoring (NSM) equips security staff to deal with the inevitable consequences of too few resources and too many responsibilities. NSM collects the data needed to generate better assessment, detection, and response processes—resulting in decreased impact from unauthorized activities. In The Tao of Network Security Monitoring , Richard Bejtlich explores the products, people, and processes that implement the NSM model. By focusing on case studies and the application of open source tools, he helps you gain hands-on knowledge of how to better defend networks and how to mitigate damage from security incidents. Inside, you will find in-depth information on the following areas. The NSM operational framework and deployment considerations. How to use a variety of open-source tools—including Sguil, Argus, and Ethereal—to mine network traffic for full content, session, statistical, and alert data. Best practices for conducting emergency NSM in an incident response scenario, evaluating monitoring vendors, and deploying an NSM architecture. Developing and applying knowledge of weapons, tactics, telecommunications, system administration, scripting, and programming for NSM. The best tools for generating arbitrary packets, exploiting flaws, manipulating traffic, and conducting reconnaissance. Whether you are new to network intrusion detection and incident response, or a computer-security veteran, this book will enable you to quickly develop and apply the skills needed to detect, prevent, and respond to new and emerging threats.

Applied Network Security Monitoring is the essential guide to becoming an NSM analyst from the ground up. This book takes a fundamental approach to NSM, complete with dozens of real-world examples that teach you the key concepts of NSM. Network security monitoring is based on the principle that prevention eventually fails. In the current threat landscape, no matter how much you try, motivated attackers will eventually find their way into your network. At that point, it is your ability to detect and respond to that intrusion that can be the difference between a small incident and a major disaster. The book follows the three stages of the NSM cycle: collection, detection, and analysis. As you progress through each section, you will have access to insights from seasoned NSM professionals while being introduced to relevant, practical scenarios complete with sample data. If you've never performed NSM analysis, Applied Network Security Monitoring will give you an adequate grasp on the core concepts needed to become an effective analyst. If you are already a practicing analyst, this book will allow you to grow your analytic technique to make you more effective at your job. - Discusses the proper methods for data collection, and teaches you how to become a skilled NSM analyst - Provides thorough hands-on coverage of Snort, Suricata, Bro-IDS, SiLK, and Argus - Loaded with practical examples containing real PCAP files you can replay, and uses Security Onion for all its lab examples - Companion website includes up-to-date blogs from the authors about the latest developments in NSM

At its core, information security deals with the secure and accurate transfer of information. While information security has long been important, it was, perhaps, brought more clearly into mainstream focus with the so-called “Y2K” issue. Te Y2K scare was the fear that c- puter networks and the systems that are controlled or operated by sofware would fail with the turn of the millennium, since their clocks could lose synchronization by not recognizing a number (instruction) with three zeros. A positive outcome of this scare was the creation of several Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) around the world that now work - operatively to exchange expertise and information, and to coordinate in case major problems should arise in the modern IT environment. Te terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 raised security concerns to a new level. Te - ternational community responded on at least two fronts; one front being the transfer of reliable information via secure networks and the other being the collection of information about - tential terrorists. As a sign of this new emphasis on security, since 2001, all major academic publishers have started technical journals focused on security, and every major communi- tions conference (for example, Globecom and ICC) has organized workshops and sessions on security issues. In addition, the IEEE has created a technical committee on Communication and Information Security. Te ?rst editor was intimately involved with security for the Athens Olympic Games of 2004.

Network security is not simply about building impenetrable walls—determined attackers will eventually overcome traditional defenses. The most effective computer security strategies integrate network security monitoring (NSM): the collection and analysis of data to help you detect and respond to intrusions. In The Practice of Network Security Monitoring, Mandiant CSO Richard Bejtlich shows you how to use NSM to add a robust layer of protection around your networks—no prior experience required. To help you avoid costly and inflexible solutions, he teaches you how to deploy, build, and run an NSM operation using open source software and vendor-neutral tools. You'll learn how to: –Determine where to deploy NSM platforms, and size them for the monitored networks –Deploy stand-alone or distributed NSM installations –Use command line and graphical packet analysis tools, and NSM consoles –Interpret network evidence from server-side and client-side intrusions –Integrate threat intelligence into NSM software to identify sophisticated adversaries There’s no foolproof way to keep attackers out of your network. But when they get in, you’ll be prepared. The Practice of Network Security Monitoring will show you how to build a security net to detect, contain, and control them. Attacks are inevitable, but losing sensitive data shouldn't be.

On computer security

This guide to Open Source intrusion detection tool SNORT features step-by-step instructions on how to integrate SNORT with other open source products. The book contains information and custom built scripts to make installation easy.