The best-selling first edition of Firewalls and Internet Security became the bible of Internet security by showing readers how to think about threats and solutions. The completely updated and expanded second edition defines the security problems companies face in today's Internet, identifies the weaknesses of the most popular security technologies, and illustrates the ins and outs of deploying an effective firewall. Readers learn how to plan and execute a security strategy that allows easy access to Internet services while defeating even the wiliest of hackers.

Firewalls and Internet Security, Second Edition, draws upon the authors' experiences as researchers in the forefront of their field since the beginning of the Internet explosion.

The book begins with an introduction to their philosophy of Internet security. It progresses quickly to a dissection of possible attacks on hosts and networks and descriptions of the tools and techniques used to perpetrate these attacks and to prevent them. The focus then shifts to firewalls and virtual private networks (VPNs), providing a step-by-step guide to firewall deployment. Readers are immersed in the real-world practices of Internet security through an examination of problems and practices on today's intranets and discussions of the deployment of a hacking-resistant host and of intrusion detection systems (IDS). The authors scrutinize secure communications over insecure networks and conclude with their predictions for the future of firewalls and Internet security. Appendices provide an introduction to cryptography and a list of resources readers can rely on to track further developments in Internet security. The book's Website will update these resources. Armed with the authors' hard-won knowledge of how to fight off hackers, readers of Firewalls and Internet Security, Second Edition, can make the security decisions that will make the Internet — and their computers — safer.