Firewalls is a guide to protecting an Internet-connected network from external threats--a complex task. You not only need to be aware of the known vulnerabilities of your system, you also need to remain alert to potential attacks. Firewalls are tools that help you do this by controlling access to and from your network. This book teaches the basics of network operation and how a firewall is put together. It's important to understand risk, and the book helps explain risk management and how it impacts a security policy. You'll also see how hackers target and penetrate systems. There's a guide to TCP/IP and common Internet services. From this base camp, Firewalls begins to climb the mountain of Internet security. The basic technologies and security requirements that fit together to form a firewall are introduced, along with the security policies of the authors' "perfect firewall." A large section of the book is taken up with comparative reviews of most of the main freeware and commercial firewall products currently available. This is a useful tool that gives you everything you're likely to need when deciding how to choose a firewall for your network. Firewalls is a very practical book aimed at the experienced network administrator who may be unfamiliar with Internet security. Real-world examples and plenty of tips and warnings make this a welcome addition to the system administrator's bookshelf. --Simon Bisson, Amazon.co.uk
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