This is the best book about Intrusion Signatures published yet.
I teach computer security at a local university, and with the only help of this book, I could take care of all the practical aspects of my last course. If you have already a good background on this field, and read and understand thoroughly the book, then you can afford any related security certification test.
Chapters 3 through 17, present several well documented cases, which, in turn, are discussed following the same standard:
- Presentation
- Source of Trace
- Detect Generated by
- Probability the Source Address Was spoofed
- Attack Description
- Attack Mechanism
- Correlations
- Evidence of Active Targeting
- Severity
- Defense Recommendations
- Questions

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to Analysis of Logs (including Snort, Tcpdump, and Syslog), IDS, and Firewalls. Even being a quick review, it is quite useful, though.
Chapter 2 explains the way the cases are studied.

The covered vulnerabilities and attacks include:
- Internet Security Threats
- Routers and Firewalls Attacks
- IP Spoofing
- Networks Mapping and Scanning
- Denial of Service
- Trojans
- Assorted Exploits
- Buffer Overflows
- IP Fragmentation
- False Positives
- Crafted Packets

At the bottom line, this is one of the 5 best computer security books I ever read. Even for non experts, the book can be a valuable tool to improve the understanding on this field.
Try it.

I read this book out of general interest and a need to dig deeper into the technical aspects of security, and intrusion detection in particular. For that, this title is perfect!

It's great to learn intrusion detection, packet analysis, forensics, attack methodologies, attack recognition, and similar topics. And oh, by the way, if you have any interest at all in certification, Intrusion Signatures and Analysis is the study guide for one of the hottest new certs there is: SANS GIAC Intrusion Detection In Depth.

A must-have for the serious network security professional, Intrusion Signatures And Analysis opens with an introduction into the format of some of the more common sensors and then begins a tutorial into the unique format of the signatures and analyses used in the book. Readers will find page after page of signatures, in order by categories as well as a case study section on how attacks have shut down the networks and web sites of Yahoo, and E-bay and what those attacks looked like. As an added feature, the collaborative authors Stephen Northcutt; Mark Cooper; Matt Fearnow; and Karen Frederick included review questions with throughout the book to help readers be sure they comprehend the traces and material that has been covered. Intrusion Signatures And Analysis is a recommended resource for the SANS Institute GIAC certification program. 448 pp.

I'm surprised at the many good reviews on this book. Maybe it's just not my style. I enjoyed the book enough to read the entire thing, however, several times, I was tempted to set it aside for a book of greater quality such as Patricia Cornwell or Sue Grafton. I found the story idea to be compelling, but did not find the same with the writing. To me, it seems that he is trying too hard which makes the book almost childish. I did buy both of his books at a book signing and I intend to read the other one even though this one did not impress me. I find that the first book for any author is usually not the best one. Of course, that would be normal as a writer grows and learns during the course of their career. Mr. St. James has promise.

"In the Shadows of the Moonglade was a fascinating tale. Not only was it great reading... it was an excellent presentation of the possible links we might all have to another time, another place, and another realm. Mr. St. James did a masterful job of weaving his tale and presenting and following up with his characters. I loved the book and will watch with high anticipation for his next novel. Keep up the good work, Riley St. James.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was immediately hooked. In reading the first page, I knew Riley St. James had a bestseller on his hands, as well as a life long reader of his books to come. The way he introduces the characters with some history is simply done so smoothly, is extremely interesting and very enjoyable. I became so involved with the characters and their story I actually could feel what the character was feeling. How this author puts it all together with so much suspense and mystery and a full understanding of all characters and the story is truly a talent. His writing is so smooth that he hooks you in for more and this book immediately becomes a page turner that you cannot put down. If you love the unknown, the thrill of suspense, mystery and a bit of fright, this is the book for you. Keep on writing Mr. St. James, cause I'm hooked!

It's a great book that I couldn't put down. It makes you wonder whats really out there. The Ebola is a very deadly virus that has killed many. It makes you wonder what else nature can whip-up.

Given current events in Africa, this thriller is surprisingly accurate. Angola, South Africa, diamond smugglers, mercenaries, are all tied together as American troops go once more into the dark continent on a peacekeeping mission. The action never lets up in this fast paced adventure story. If you like thrillers, try this book.

I found this book took the entire series to a higher level. Fast paced and exciting. I recommend it.

This book is a masterpiece. I read it when it first came out and just yesterday began re-reading it. (I'm planning to buy a copy for a friend of mine who's a jazz fan, but knows little about rock and roll.) Twelve years later, it still provides me with fresh insight that brings me closer to the essence of songs I've listened to and played most of my life. People who are looking for a "Rolling Stones" interview or a "behind the scenes expose'" have dozen of other books to choose from. This text does not speculate on Paul's motivation or synthesize public relations releases and old interviews. Instead, it is a book about music written by a man who has passion for and knowledge of music and a gift for explaining. Essential reading for anyone who has lost themselves in a Beatle tune. Thank you, Mr. Riley.

What is most important about this is that Riley started out with the notion that making phonograph records is more than going into the studio and letting the tape run, is much more complicated than the idea of celebrities, teen idols cutting the next record to be played on American Bandstand.. but that IS the theory, right?..at least that's the thought that John Lennon comes to in the introduction. It is taken that all four Beatles were astute catalogers of rock'n'roll styles and they enjoyed various records--well known and rare alike--and they never turned away from any type of influences...I don't think they were that much interested in their own influence on the music world, nor did they care what the purists thought of their personal technique or style....actually, a lot of the recordings were like..."let's try it like this or yeah, that'll sound good like this",or it was like the Silver Beatles meeting for rehearsal for a weekend gig at a club in Stuttgart and Paul going, "hey, man. this is what I heard on the telly the other day..." and playing part of a riff from a beer commercial. Lennon, it seems was more in tuned to wordplay and the rhythm of certain phrases even when spoken ("when i was younger, so much younger than today") than McCartney was in the beginning, but at the end, it was indistinguishable who penned what--they say roughly, who ever did the lead vocals wrote the lyrics. Also, near the end, McCartney seemed to be more for the making of records just for the sake of making records, Lennon had to had some emotional or personal connection to write a song let alone make a record. John was ever the poet and remained the poet and in my opinion that was why a song like "A Day In The Life" from Sgt. Peppers' comes off surrealistic (Riley does an excellent descriptive of this): or in other words the poetry of Lennon's "turning you on" smacks right into McCartney and Martin's psychedelic musicianship...Riley also has a good breakdown of why even in their dissolving stages, certain records could not overcome the Beatles' instant karma even if they had to--with emphasis on the likes of, for instance, where Ringo's tom-toms show up in "Come Together" and, for instance, why John's gobbedygoop in "Come Together" means more than Paul's in "Get Back"...but both were equally compelling enough to sell the records. This is the stuff of the nuts and bolts of why "Yesterday" came about and why its a classic to us ol' heads--but also why most school kids love "I Am the Walrus"...

Riley has given us a great gift - a way to listen to these familiar recordings with fresh ears. He sticks to the music itself (a real blessing) and opens up new points of insight and discussion about the Beatles as musicians (not pop icons or celebrities). As an example he convincingly makes the case that the often over-looked Ringo Starr is in fact one of the most musical drummers of the rock era. The technical side of the discussions are minimized although welcome to those with a little musical knowledge. You will not find a more thoughtful, intelligent and entertaining work about the Beatles' music.

"Lovers and Other Lunatics" is ok to me. I won't say it's totally fabulous because the story seemed a little bit too long, to me.

Teresa Phelps was held at gunpoint by this lunatic and was kidnapped. This blue-eyed-British hunk claims that Teresa has an affair with his father. And that he won't let her ruin his parents' 35 years of marriage. So now this British hunk, Charles Everett, is going to follow Teresa around.

Charles Everett gave Teresa a bull story because he has another reason to get close to her. It isn't for love, but for a treasure that her dead brother has left behind.

While Charles is with Teresa, all sorts of people are attacking her, for the treasure. There are the Hispanics and then there is this evil pig guy. (They held her at knifepoint, ransacked her house, shot her house and some other stuff) And while all this is happening, sexual tension is in the air, between Charles and Teresa. Will they be able to save themselves, find the treasure and still be together after all these series of adventures?

I found this story to be kind of a drag, the days were long and somehow or another Teresa is always in this angry mood. But I thought the storyline was funny, though. I'm not sure if I would recommend this though, but if people like a light and easy read with a sense of humor, then maybe this book is for you people out there.

I just don't understand (dumb ole me) why this heroine is deemed stupid, because I absolutely loved this book. I love a hero who sweeps in like Pierce Brosnan, and to me the heroine's reactions were right on. We're led on a madcap adventure complete with danger, hidden treasure, and sparkling sexual tension. I laughed out loud so many times during this book that my only question is: When's the movie coming out?

Full of laughs, surprises, and refreshing characterization, Ms. Riley's latest fulfilled my every expectation. She has a way of writing that make the pages fly, and an energetic sense of humor I truly enjoy. Delightful!

I used this book for my Computer Science 2 course. The information was presented logically, although the explanations were a bit long and wordy. Otherwise, this book was excellent, and it is the best reference book on C++ I own. I have found myself referring back to this book more so than any other textbook for a course I've completed. Its appendices contain a great deal of useful information.

This book is excellent for those who has basic C++ programming skill. It must be accompanied with a course in C++ because it is designed that way.

I found the textbook to be helpful and detailed with many examples. Although I have to admit that it took 2x (or even more) to understand each chapter, I find it is rewarding and rich in details.

Remember, it is not a "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days" type of book. You must be enrolled in a course or already knew the C++ language in order to benefit from it.

I used this book for a Data Structures class, loved it. The book is kinda tough to read because it is chock full of detail, but it is a good primer for a beginner in C++ and is full of examples and actual code. I used the code on the disk that comes with the book on several courses, the sort routines are excellent. I used the book for reference all the way through my Masters in Comp Sci.

I read this book, and I was perturbed by the negative image of teen-age boys that it portrayed.
Also the part where he had sex with a cow is right out of W Faulkner and was in poor taste and totally unnecessary. It almost seemed like the author was just trying something on for shock value.
If you're not from Minnesota, I don't see why you would want to read this book.
It gets one star for having been written, that's all.

To borrow the theme from the book's tag line:

Jake Riley keeps you guessing.
Jake Riley keeps you reading.

I agree with the other reviewers - this book is exciting, fast paced and the characters are involving. But I want to mention the complexity of the plot.

Rebecca Davis has woven a mystery that focuses on 'whoishe' instead of 'whodunit' and the resulting story stays one step ahead of the reader. When you aren't trying to figure out who Jake really is (or following the other character's attempts to figure him out), you're immersed in the dynamic daily life of Lainey - a young teen's life that has something everyone can relate to.

Overall it's a great read for all ages.

This was a great book! Rebecca made you feel for the main characters as well as really picture what she was describing. I can't wait to read more of her material.

Aleesa Haskins wants to fall in love, but her past prevents her from doing it fully when she meets Miles Kittridge. Until she can close that chapter of her life, she is afraid to put her heart into their relationship. Miles loves Aleesa and helps her find out the pieces of her missing puzzle. When they discover the truth about her past, they must rely on each other body and soul to see if their love is true.

This was a wonderfully sweet story. Tugged at my heart.

Aleesa and Miles is a simple love story that you don't want to miss. Miles falls inlove with Aleesa on site, but it takes her awhile to come around. Aleesa,is adopted, and wants to find her real parents before she settles down with Miles. But in the end everything works out for the two. You get a chance to see them as a dating couple as well as a married couple which i throught was nice.

Miles and Aleesa's story was a very touching one. The history (Aleesa's background)really brought out the climax in the story. Honestly, i don't get why she would have wanted to put off her wedding, just to find her background. However, i'm glad that everything worked out ok. Both set of parents were compatible with each other and Aleesa and Miles have been through so much challenges. At least their love for each other and faith in them had help them overcome the obstacles which presented themselves.

Beautiful story...would like to see a movie of it someday.

From its onset at the end of the 11th century, the Crusading movement was a war by Roman Catholicism against its Muslim, and later its Orthodox and Protestant, neighbors. While the current pope of Rome has admitted to having recognized sinfulness in the history of these Roman aggressions against the older Orthodox Chruch of the east and upon the Muslims, Riley-Smith has written that any apology for the Crusades would be misplaced, because the Roman Catholic institution itself is incapable of doing wrong. One supposes, then, that Riley-Smith thinks Urban II's _ex cathedra_ teaching that anyone killed on crusade would go directly to Heaven, never mind the medieval Latin innovation of Purgatory, is unquestionable. In short, kill some Orthodox (e.g., by torturing the patriarch of Antioch to death) or die denuding Jerusalem of its indigenous population (i.e., committing genocide -- as the soldiers of the First Crusade did), and you go straight to Heaven! Really, Mr. Riley-Smith!

For a more balanced account of these events by someone with no axe to grind, try Steven Runciman's three-volume history of the Crusades. Runciman was an Anglican, that is, a western Christian, yet he preceded John Paul II in seeing Orthodoxy as the chief victim of this vile "holy war" movement. It's amazing that works such as Riley-Smith's were still published at the end of the twentieth century.

As the back of this book states, this is a very concise account of the history of the crusading movement that occurred from the 12th to the 18th century. Riley-Smith really knows his stuff and his writing style is lucid and the book flows well.

This is somewhat of a survey book, in that the reader gets a good overview of the Crusades. The text goes beyond a survey however, in that there are vast amounts of names, places and dates. I read this book for a class on this topic, and I had some problems with the amount of minutiae that Riley-Smith included in this book. I'm just starting to learn about this topic; so obscure names are tough to slog through. What saves the book is that it is still possible to come away with a good understanding of the general themes of the text. I was amazed at the number of crusading campaigns that were undertaken, and not just in Palestine. There were movements in the Baltic, in Germany, and in North Africa. The attempts by the Spaniards to get the Moors out of Spain was considered a crusade, as was attempts to put down heresies against the Catholic Church in France. Eventually, the Church saw heresy as more of a threat against Christianity than the Muslim menace in the East. It is also interesting to see how the Church escalated the promises of indulgences to get people to go on crusade. I wasn't too happy about the author's tendency to skip about and play loose with his timeline. It made for some fairly confusing reading.

A tough book for a beginner, but it does have moments of brilliance. It probably is a good starting point for this topic, but since it is the first book I've read on the topic, I'm guessing on this point. Informative.

The previous reviewer is far more interetested in anti-Catholic bigotry than in the current state of historical scholarship on the Crusades. Dr. Riley-Smith's book is up to date while the previous work of Runciman (and others) is considered passe by the professional historian. Unfortunately, people with an axe to grind rarely are interested in the facts when their cherished preconceptions are in jeopardy.

Dr. Riley-Smith's book covers not only the medieval Crusades but also other religious wars in the later historic times. He demonstrates the complex motivations of the major figures in these various conflicts and shows that their primary concern had been religious, not economic or imperialistic. There is no "cover up" of some of the darker aspects of the Crusades, but Riley-Smith has a better understanding of the 'sitz im leben' of the Medieval world than many previous writers on this subject. Dr. Riley Smith is careful not to judge people from another time by modern standards. He dispels a number of myths that men like Runciman have unfortunately perpetuated.

This is an excellent review book for the general topic of religious wars since the Middle Ages. For more information, see these books:

The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades

The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading (Middle Ages Series)

The First Crusaders, 1095-1131

What Were the Crusades? (Forthcoming)

The New Cambridge Medieval History: Volume 4, c. 1024 - c. 1198, Part 1 (Forthcoming)

a good resource to help you narrow down your internew job search effectively

As Career Planning Host for bellaonline.com, I was interested to read this book as part of my research for my series on the online job search. What I discovered was that it was not a book to "read" as much as a wonderful resource which would reduce my internet research time by hours!

This is not a book of how to's - it has a few sections discussing career planning and eresumes, but refers you to websites for more information. You can find information on how to write eresumes and submit online on my site, or all over the internet.

What this book DOES have is links - separated by position type, state, even country. The legwork is done for you - and it allows you to target your job search to whatever industry or area you want - look up the lists of links for your target, and submit from there.

I note, however, that because of the dynamics of the internet, that resources like this can never stay current. Admittedly, since publication, some websites have merged or gone, but from my research, the majority of them were current and easy to find.

A valuable resource for targetting your job search.

This is NOT a book on cyber resumes---there are whole tomes devoted to that topic. It IS a comprehensively researched listing of sites from the common to the highly specialized. I use this as a text in my graduate class to train counselors who work in one-stop career centers and in college placement offices. It's a great resource for sites and ideas on how to best use the Internet for finding a job: clear, concise and free of hype. Highly recommended.