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Stealing the Network
スティーリングザネットワーク : いかにしてネットワークは侵入されるか [Sutīringu Za Nettowāku: Ikanishite Nettowāku Wa Shinnyūsareruka]
Stealing the Network is a book of science fiction. It's a series of short stories about characters who gain unauthorized access to equipment and information, or deny use of those resources to the people who are meant to have access to them. The characters, though sometimes well described, are not the stars of these stories. That honor belongs to the tools that the black-hat hackers use in their attacks, and also to the defensive measures arrayed against them by the hapless sysadmins who, in this volume, always lose. Consider this book, with its plentiful detail, the answer to every pretty but functionally half-baked user interface ever shown in a feature film.
One can read this book for entertainment, though its writing falls well short of cyberpunk classics like Burning Chrome and Snow Crash. Its value is in its explicit references to current technologies--Cisco routers, OpenSSH, Windows 2000--and specific techniques for hacking them (the heroes and heroines of this book are always generous with command-history dumps). The specific detail may open your eyes to weaknesses in your own systems (or give you some ideas for, ahem, looking around on the network). Alternately, you can just enjoy the extra realism that the detail adds to these stories of packetized adventure. --David Wall
278 pages, Tankobon Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
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653 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 22, 2011
Very interesting concept - instead of being a typical hacker or pen-testing howto guide, it's actually a collection of stories told from the viewpoint of hackers on accessing networks in different ways. I found the stories to be really interesting and enveloping, both from a technical and a true-crime-story kind of way, but many of the personalities of the storytellers left me really irritated - definitely a lot of that "teen hacker" stereotypical attitude of immaturity and arrogance. But still pretty fun read.
December 4, 2008
IT technology.
This kind of tech has been developes really fast since the 70's where Arpanet connect the first LAN. Along with the advance, came the flaw - Security. If your private network is your home, than prepare to lock the doors.
The book contains some short fiction stories based with real technology. I think this book is not particularly a hackers how to. It is a good book to know how hackers (best ones) would think and do to your network, and by so, helps us improving our defense.
I read this book years ago, but I suddenly remember it, and just read it again, cause Network Security class I took. Still amazing!
This kind of tech has been developes really fast since the 70's where Arpanet connect the first LAN. Along with the advance, came the flaw - Security. If your private network is your home, than prepare to lock the doors.
The book contains some short fiction stories based with real technology. I think this book is not particularly a hackers how to. It is a good book to know how hackers (best ones) would think and do to your network, and by so, helps us improving our defense.
I read this book years ago, but I suddenly remember it, and just read it again, cause Network Security class I took. Still amazing!
September 13, 2016
addendum 1/12/04: now that I've read 3 books in this series, I have to say volume 2, How to Own a Continent, is by far the best. I'd start with that.
Extremely realistic. Good for what it is. Don't bother unless you are ok with pages of unix console logs constituting large parts of each story. That said, this is pretty gripping for the right sort of person. Brian P might like it
Extremely realistic. Good for what it is. Don't bother unless you are ok with pages of unix console logs constituting large parts of each story. That said, this is pretty gripping for the right sort of person. Brian P might like it
October 16, 2018
[Verdict]:
This book is the first book in the series "Stealing the Network" books. It's a cybersecurity fiction book about the world of hacking written in a format of a novel but with accurate and real technical content to satisfy any security geek or engineer.
The book has been written by multiple authors who are credible and distinguished names in the world of Cyber Security. Several independent stories each describing a different scenario involving a different type of hack.
What makes this book so interesting and different is the fact that each of these scenarios although fictional, are very plausible and the techniques and tools described to carry out those attacks are real. From the story of the disgruntled employee who is out for revenge on his employer, to the paid hacker who stole a valuable piece of Intellectual Property for a competing company.
Even as a seasoned security professional, I had a tingling in my spine reading some sections thinking, genius! But wait...that could happen to us if we don't review x,y,z in depth.
Although the book is dated and some of the tools or techniques described might not be up to date, it is still a great reference for the methodology and mindset. I have learnt a lot from this book from the perspective of an attacker. The style is so engaging and well written. If you are not technically inclined, you won't miss a thing by skipping the commands and various instructions or outputs of the hack. You should be able to enjoy it as a cyber-thriller. The end of the book contains a handy summary and a chapter on the laws of Security which explain how to best protect yourself and your company against most of the attacks described in the book.
[How I read this book]:
I have had this book for a while at my desk in the office. I was juggling other books but I finally decided to do a fun challenge to start reading it. Every morning while my laptop boots and my email and other programs load, I get a solid 5-10 minutes which I used to use to chit chat with my colleagues or get some coffee. I have replaced it with reading 5-10 pages a day while my laptop fully starts up. This gives me the chance to digest the hack and gets my brain working throughout the day in how I would have done it, try the hacks myself or how I would have secured my systems against it. Much better than whizzing through the book and not grasping the message they are trying to communicate.
Through the power of small steps and chipping away at this, I have finally managed to finish this book! I have already ordered the next two books in the series and plan to read them in the same style without sacrificing extra time after work as I am reading other books.
This book is the first book in the series "Stealing the Network" books. It's a cybersecurity fiction book about the world of hacking written in a format of a novel but with accurate and real technical content to satisfy any security geek or engineer.
The book has been written by multiple authors who are credible and distinguished names in the world of Cyber Security. Several independent stories each describing a different scenario involving a different type of hack.
What makes this book so interesting and different is the fact that each of these scenarios although fictional, are very plausible and the techniques and tools described to carry out those attacks are real. From the story of the disgruntled employee who is out for revenge on his employer, to the paid hacker who stole a valuable piece of Intellectual Property for a competing company.
Even as a seasoned security professional, I had a tingling in my spine reading some sections thinking, genius! But wait...that could happen to us if we don't review x,y,z in depth.
Although the book is dated and some of the tools or techniques described might not be up to date, it is still a great reference for the methodology and mindset. I have learnt a lot from this book from the perspective of an attacker. The style is so engaging and well written. If you are not technically inclined, you won't miss a thing by skipping the commands and various instructions or outputs of the hack. You should be able to enjoy it as a cyber-thriller. The end of the book contains a handy summary and a chapter on the laws of Security which explain how to best protect yourself and your company against most of the attacks described in the book.
[How I read this book]:
I have had this book for a while at my desk in the office. I was juggling other books but I finally decided to do a fun challenge to start reading it. Every morning while my laptop boots and my email and other programs load, I get a solid 5-10 minutes which I used to use to chit chat with my colleagues or get some coffee. I have replaced it with reading 5-10 pages a day while my laptop fully starts up. This gives me the chance to digest the hack and gets my brain working throughout the day in how I would have done it, try the hacks myself or how I would have secured my systems against it. Much better than whizzing through the book and not grasping the message they are trying to communicate.
Through the power of small steps and chipping away at this, I have finally managed to finish this book! I have already ordered the next two books in the series and plan to read them in the same style without sacrificing extra time after work as I am reading other books.
January 3, 2023
Wow. What a journey it has been, it definitely hasn't been the best writing which is to be expected considering how unique the topic is. however, the stories were suprisingly interesting and informative. While being an interesting mix of real-life stuff like hacking tools with the story aspect, it definitely peeked my interest in this kind of fiction.
April 12, 2022
This is 1 of 3 very technical books. There is an underlying plot, but the value is in the technical accuracy for some scenarios. Taking into account that it came out in 2003, it was ahead of its time.
June 13, 2022
Really good, entertaining and full of details and clues on how to do the hacking.
Let alone that you need to know enough to actually sit down and do something.
Eye opening and a bit scary, how unprotected we are and how easy is for someone to hack and get inside networks.
Let alone that you need to know enough to actually sit down and do something.
Eye opening and a bit scary, how unprotected we are and how easy is for someone to hack and get inside networks.
January 7, 2014
This is bad. Really bad. This book was recommended to me by a colleague, but I couldn't get past the first third of the book.
Each chapter is written separately. They are all sort of like stand-alone short stories. The authors attempt to show you what different types of network attacks would be like through the use of fiction. I assume that they also try to give you a little knowledge about the subject (even though they claim that's not the point of the book) because otherwise the fiction would have to be better than it is. The merger of the two is like a train wreck. In order to make it seem like a mystery to be solved, some of the authors would withhold key information then thrust it onto the reader at the end to show how clever the character was - yes, just like a really bad detective book.
Not recommended.
Couldn't finish.
Each chapter is written separately. They are all sort of like stand-alone short stories. The authors attempt to show you what different types of network attacks would be like through the use of fiction. I assume that they also try to give you a little knowledge about the subject (even though they claim that's not the point of the book) because otherwise the fiction would have to be better than it is. The merger of the two is like a train wreck. In order to make it seem like a mystery to be solved, some of the authors would withhold key information then thrust it onto the reader at the end to show how clever the character was - yes, just like a really bad detective book.
Not recommended.
Couldn't finish.
April 7, 2013
Solid book written by security/"pen-test" guys. I thought the stories were interesting and present what could be realistic scenarios. It has a good portrayal of the mindset of hackers and their relentlessness.
What the book is not: It's not a how to book for wannabe hackers. If you're looking for a guide on how to exploit systems, you'll want to look elsewhere (and my guess is not in a print book as those exploits will surely have been closed by the time you and thousands of others get your hands on the books)
Overall, it's a good book if you are interested in computer security or like stories on computer / network hacking. The short individual stories make this book easy to read over a long period of time.
What the book is not: It's not a how to book for wannabe hackers. If you're looking for a guide on how to exploit systems, you'll want to look elsewhere (and my guess is not in a print book as those exploits will surely have been closed by the time you and thousands of others get your hands on the books)
Overall, it's a good book if you are interested in computer security or like stories on computer / network hacking. The short individual stories make this book easy to read over a long period of time.
February 25, 2008
This was a fun book to read. It's been a while since I read it, but I do remember enjoying the read. As a technology professional with a security interest, this book is both educational and gives you other things to consider when thinking about the security of a solution you're working on implementing.
July 7, 2014
(3.0) Good concept, writing could be better
These aren't connected the way that the stories in Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent. I agree with Amar: try that.
These aren't connected the way that the stories in Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent. I agree with Amar: try that.
March 25, 2008
Interesting read. This is not your normal computer science book.
July 14, 2009
I would probably rate higher if so much of the technical stuff wasn't over my head.
March 28, 2014
Great book for the techy person.
The stories are interesting, and seemingly accurate from a technical perspective. I really enjoyed it.
The stories are interesting, and seemingly accurate from a technical perspective. I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews