This book presents detailed information on hacking and how to protect computer systems from hackers. Hacking tools are discussed along with the pros and cons of various types of security.

How much backup is enough? If your computer is on a network, who can read your files? How long would it take to get your computer up and running again after a flood or lightning strikes? Security expert Michael Alexander (who has himself lost enough data to fill a small black hole) takes you step by step through the basics of practical computer security for everyone, whether you're on a LAN in an office, dialing up from your portable, or running your own small business on one machine. In The Underground Guide to Computer Security you'll learn how to evaluate the many hardware and software options available to protect your computer and your data. You'll get expert advice on how to choose the best antivirus software, backup system, power protection gear, diagnostic utilities, and encryption programs. Create hacker-proof passwords. Keep your information safe - and private! - in a networked world. Get practical strategies to protect yourself from coworkers using the company LAN to snoop through your files as well as from professional information thieves on dial-up services and the Internet. Develop simple back-up and disaster recovery plans that offer the right amount of information security for your needs. And much more! Every page has something you can use immediately. This book is packed wall to wall with hands-on advice, warnings, tips, virus alerts, workarounds, and the kind of nitty-gritty explanations that could only come from someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes computer security.

Featuring crucial information on how to secure a network, this text covers IT security, hackers, crackers, phisers, spammers, scammers, virus-writers, Trojan horses, malware, spyware - and how to keep these technical afflictions out of computer systems.

Out of the Inner Circle is a compelling, first-person look at the secretive hacker subculture and an examination of computer security issues, written by the computer wizard apprehended by the FBI for illegally gaining access to high-level computer systems.

Do you create tons of accounts you will never again visit? Do you get annoyed thinking up new passwords, so you just use the same one across all your accounts? Does your password contain a sequence of numbers, such as "123456"? This book will show you just how incredibly lucky you are that nobody's hacked you before.

Get into the hacker's mind--and outsmart him! Fully updated for the latest threats, tools, and countermeasures Systematically covers proactive, reactive, and preemptive security measures Detailed, step-by-step techniques for protecting HP-UX, Linux, and UNIX systems "Takes on even more meaning now than the original edition!" --Denny Georg, CTO, Information Technology, Hewlett-Packard Secure your systems against today's attacks--and tomorrow's. Halting the Hacker: A Practical Guide to Computer Security, Second Edition combines unique insight into the mind of the hacker with practical, step-by-step countermeasures for protecting any HP-UX, Linux, or UNIX system. Top Hewlett-Packard security architect Donald L. Pipkin has updated this global bestseller for today's most critical threats, tools, and responses. Pipkin organizes this book around the processes hackers use to gain access, privileges, and control--showing you exactly how they work and the best ways to respond. Best of all, Pipkin doesn't just tell you what to do, but why. Using dozens of new examples, he gives you the skills and mindset to protect yourself against any current exploit--and attacks that haven't even been imagined yet. How hackers select targets, identify systems, gather information, gain access, acquire privileges, and avoid detection How multiple subsystems can be used in harmony to attack your computers and networks Specific steps you can take immediately to improve the security of any HP-UX, Linux, or UNIX system How to build a secure UNIX system from scratch--with specifics for HP-UX and Red Hat Linux Systematic proactive, reactive, and preemptive security measures Security testing, ongoing monitoring, incident response, and recovery--in depth Legal recourse: What laws are being broken, what you need to prosecute, and how to overcome the obstacles to successful prosecution About the CD-ROM The accompanying CD-ROM contains an extensive library of HP-UX and Linux software tools for detecting and eliminating security problems and a comprehensive information archive on security-related topics.