Securing IM and P2P Applications for the Enterprise by Marcus Sachs, Paul Piccard, George Spillman, Brian Baskin, Craig Edwards

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Synopsis

This book is for system administrators and security professionals who need to bring now ubiquitous IM and P2P applications under their control. Many businesses are now taking advantage of the speed and efficiency offered by both IM and P2P applications, yet are completely ill-equipped to deal with the management and security ramifications.

These companies are now finding out the hard way that these applications which have infiltrated their networks are now the prime targets for malicious network traffic. This book will provide specific information for IT professionals to protect themselves from these vulnerabilities at both the network and application layers by identifying and blocking this malicious traffic.

* A recent study by the Yankee group ranked "managing and securing IM and P2P applications" as the #3 priority for IT managers in 2004

* The recently updated SANS/FBI top 10 list of vulnerabilities for computers running Microsoft Windows contained both P2P and IM applications for the first time

* The recently released Symantec Threat Assessment report for the first half of 2004 showed that 19 of the top 50 virus threats targeted IM or P2P applications. Despite the prevalence of IM and P2P applications on corporate networks and the risks they pose, there are no other books covering these topics

In summary, the book is an easy read, not overly technical but yet providing detail for the reader to get a good grounding in these communication techniques. There are some useful references sprinkled throughout that could be useful for the reader. I liked the book and felt that I learned more about instant messaging (IM) and Peer-to-Peer networks (P2P)than I ever knew before. From my point of view it was very illuminating.-Science Digest, H. Wolfe, University of Otago, Information Science Dept

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Biography

Paul Piccard serves as Director of Threat Research for Webroot, where he focuses on research and development, and providing early identification, warning, and response services to Webroot customers. Prior to joining Webroot, Piccard was manager of Internet Security Systems' Global Threat Operations Center. This state of the art detection and analysis facility maintains a constant global view of Internet threats and is responsible for tracking and analyzing hackers, malicious Internet activity, and global Internet security threats on four continents.

Marcus H. Sachs (Technical Editor), P.E., is SRI International's Deputy Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber Security Research and Development Center, a portfolio of several dozen cyber security R&D projects managed by DHS and supported by SRI. Marc also volunteers as the director of the SANS Internet Storm Center and is a cyberspace security researcher, writer, and instructor for the SANS Institute. After retiring from the US Army in 2001 following a 20-year career as a Corps of Engineers officer, Marc was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the staff of the National Security Council as part of the White House Office of Cyberspace Security from 2002 to 2003. Marc has contributed to Syngress titles IT Ethics Handbook, Cyber Adversary Characterization, and Zero-Day Exploits. Marc holds a Master of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Information Security from James Madison University, a Master of Science in Science and Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas, and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the Army's Command and General Staff College, the Army Engineer School, the Army Signal School, and the Army's Airborne and Air Assault schools. Marc holds an advanced class amateur radio license, is a registered Professional Engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is a life member of the Signal Corps Regimental Association and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. A native of Tallahassee, Florida, he currently lives in Virginia with his wife and children.

Brian Baskin [MCP, CTT+] is a researcher and developer for Computer Sciences Corporation, on contract to the Defense Cyber Crime Center's (DC3) Computer Investigations Training Program (DCITP). Here, he researches, develops, and instructs computer forensic courses for members of the military and law enforcement. Brian currently specializes in Linux/Solaris intrusion investigations, as well as investigations of various network applications. He has designed and implemented networks to be used in scenarios, and has also exercised penetration testing procedures.

Brian has been instructing courses for six years, including presentations at the annual DoD Cyber Crime Conference. He is an avid amateur programmer in many languages, beginning when his father purchased QuickC for him when he was 11, and has geared much of his life around the implementations of technology. He has also been an avid Linux user since 1994, and enjoys a relaxing terminal screen whenever he can. He has worked in networking environment for over 10 years from small Novell networks to large, mission-critical, Windows-based networks

George Spillman is a Director for Acadine Informatics, president of the computer consulting group PixelBlip Digital Services, and one of the principals behind ToorCon, the highly respected computer security conference that draws in and educates some of the best hackers and security experts from around the globe. As such, he travels well in hacker circles and takes great pleasure in poking and prodding the deep dark underbelly of the Internet. George is a frequent guest on television news programs for his expertise and his ability to communicate complex computer security and identity theft issues to non-technical audiences. His consulting clients include representatives from both the Fortune 100 and the Fortune 100,000,000. In the past he has been lured away from consulting by large wheelbarrows of stock options to serve as Director of IT for an international pharmaceutical R&D company, and would most likely do that again if the wheelbarrow was included to sweeten the deal. George was a reviewer for the Syngress book, Phishing Exposed, ISBN: 159749030X).

Craig Edwards is the administrator for the ChatSpike IRC network and creator of the IRC security software IRC Defender (www.ircdefender.org). IRC Defender is a security service that keeps malicious users and programs out of IRC networks and is actively maintained to deal with current threats. Craig is also the creator of the WinBot IRC bot, an automated IRC client which is designed to keep control of IRC channels, and has been instrumental in its design, maintenance, and support and web site for over five years. During this time it has been published on magazine cover CDs in the United Kingdom.