Author: Thomas Mowbray
ISBN No: 978-1-118-69711-5
Review date: 04/05/2024
No of pages: 336
Publisher: Wiley
Publisher URL:
http://www.wiley.com
Year of publication: 09/12/2013
Brief:
Cybersecurity: Managing Systems, Conducting Testing, and Investigating Intrusions. Paperback, published 2013 by Wiley, ISBN 978-1-118-69711-5, £42.50. Visit www.wiley.com.
The cyber-world in the words of an American author is threat-ridden and target-rich. Thomas Mowbray argues early on that we are in a ‘cybersecurity crisis’ which he terms ‘a fundamental failure of architecture’. By that he means not that the walls of computer server rooms are crumbly but that ‘many of the networked technologies we depend upon have no effective security whatsoever’. This is a techie’s book for the person who uses the IT equivalent of a screwdriver, and for those who want to understand that work. Mowbray besides seeks to set out bad practice and remedies. Some chapters even the most non-IT reader can follow better than others, such as cyber-security essential for small businesses. We can at least nod along to good advice, such as the need to change default passwords; and to do penetration testing. Along the way he poses uncomfortable questions, such as; what is the good of IT standards and certifications? What education do IT security people need? This well-informed book may prompt readers into some questions, such as, why (except to make the most bucks) do software firms rush out applications with so many defects?!
