Web Security & Commerce (A nutshell handbook) - Softcover

Garfinkel, Simson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565922697 ISBN 13: 9781565922693

Publisher: O′Reilly, 1997

Synopsis

Attacks on government Web sites, break-ins at Internet service providers, electronic credit card fraud, invasion of personal privacy by merchants as well as hackers--is this what the World Wide Web is really all about?Web Security & Commerce cuts through the hype and the front page stories. It tells you what the real risks are and explains how you can minimize them. Whether you're a casual (but concerned) Web surfer or a system administrator responsible for the security of a critical Web server, this book will tell you what you need to know. Entertaining as well as illuminating, it looks behind the headlines at the technologies, risks, and benefits of the Web. Whatever browser or server you are using, you and your system will benefit from this book.Topics include:

• User safety--browser vulnerabilities (with an emphasis on Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer), privacy concerns, issues with Java, JavaScript, ActiveX, and plug-ins.
• Digital certificates--what they are, how they assure identity in a networked environment, how certification authorities and server certificates work, and what code signing all about.
• Cryptography--an overview of how encryption works on the Internet and how different algorithms and programs are being used today.
• Web server security--detailed technical information about SSL (Secure Socket Layer), TLS (Transport Layer Security), host security, server access methods, and secure CGI/API programming.
• Commerce and society--how digital payments work, what blocking software and censorship technology (e.g., PICS and RSACi) is about, and what civil and criminal issues you need to understand.

About this title

From the Author

So you want to make money on the Internet?
This book is based on my experiences from two years' worth of reporting on web security "advances" and running a small ISP on Martha's Vineyard. Although it's nearly impossible to keep up with the developments in web security, I've done my best to bring out an interesting and timely book.

This book basically has two kinds of information. The first is backing on the whole notion of web security and commerce: What are the real security risks on the web today? How can your server be compormised? How can somebody take over your browser? What threats are worth protecting against, and which should you let pass?

The rest of the book talks about the specific pieces of software that are used on the web today and the implementation problems that companies like Netscape and Microsoft have had getting out programs that are secure. I look at security issues with helper applications, Java, ActiveX, CGI scripts, and more.

This book was incredibly difficult to write because the whole web security landscape keeps changing every few months. Nevertheless, I think that you will find this book interesting and readable.

About the Author

Simson Garfinkel, CISSP, is a journalist, entrepreneur, and international authority on computer security. Garfinkel is chief technology officer at Sandstorm Enterprises, a Boston-based firm that develops state-of-the-art computer security tools. Garfinkel is also a columnist for Technology Review Magazine and has written for more than 50 publications, including Computerworld, Forbes, and The New York Times. He is also the author of Database Nation; Web Security, Privacy, and Commerce; PGP: Pretty Good Privacy; and seven other books. Garfinkel earned a master's degree in journalism at Columbia University in 1988 and holds three undergraduate degrees from MIT. He is currently working on his doctorate at MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science.

Gene Spafford, Ph.D., CISSP, is an internationally renowned scientist and educator who has been working in information security, policy, cybercrime, and software engineering for nearly two decades. He is a professor at Purdue University and is the director of CERIAS, the world's premier multidisciplinary academic center for information security and assurance. Professor Spafford and his students have pioneered a number of technologies and concepts well-known in security today, including the COPS and Tripwire tools, two-stage firewalls, and vulnerability databases. Spaf, as he is widely known, has achieved numerous professional honors recognizing his teaching, his research, and his professional service. These include being named a fellow of the AAAS, the ACM, and the IEEE; receiving the National Computer Systems Security Award; receiving the William Hugh Murray Medal of the NCISSE; election to the ISSA Hall of Fame; and receiving the Charles Murphy Award at Purdue. He was named a CISSP, honoris causa in 2000. In addition to over 100 technical reports and articles on his research, Spaf is also the coauthor of Web Security, Privacy, and Commerce, and was the consulting editor for Computer Crime: A Crimefighters Handbook (both from O'Reilly).

Edition details

• Publisher: O′Reilly
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1565922697
• ISBN 13: 9781565922693
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 506