Review: Foundations of Information Security
Computers have become an essential part of everyday life, but this widespread usage comes with serious risks, especially for organizations.
To address the issue, the author, Dr. Jason Andress, an experienced security professional and researcher who has been writing about security for more than 10 years, wrote this very detailed book that guides the reader through the essentials of information security.
Foundations of Information Security
The book contains a total of 14 chapters which, as the author himself points out, are best read from start to finish. The reason is clear, as he starts with the question “What is information security?” and offers basic knowledge about the topic.
He then builds upon it by introducing the various elements that constitute information security, such as identification, authentication, authorization and access control.
He explains multiple methods to keep your information safe while complying with numerous laws and regulations, and points out the importance of physical and network security and how to protect your operating system, applications, mobile, embedded and IoT devices, explaining step-by-step security procedures.
He wraps it up by explaining security assessment, i.e., the tools you can use to solve security issues in your system.
Every chapter is summarized and offers a questionnaire that helps you re-examine your knowledge.
Who is it for?
This book is an excellent starting point for future security professionals but also network and system administrators.
It’s also a good starting point for executives and managers who should definitely have a general idea about their company’s security and the issues that have to be addressed to keep their company’s systems, networks and employees protected from cyber threats.
The language is clear and simple but quite a few chapters offer technical information that may be too complex for an average user. This doesn’t mean, though, that technology enthusiasts won’t find useful tips and guidelines.