Free Must-Have “Security Engineering” Book | NoVA Infosec

So while we are on a “free” kick … I’ve been meaning to write about this essential reference for any seasoned or up in coming security pro. “Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems” written by Ross Anderson of the University of Cambridge and published by Wiley has been one of the “goto” references for teaching security over the past decade. Although more academic than many of the modern-day security books out there, “Security Engineering” not only covers the basics of security but also some of the intricacies of building secure systems from the ground up.

A lot of people ask me how to get started in security and I can definitely recommend checking this book out … especially now since the 2nd edition is free for all. Apparently, Ross convinced Wiley that giving out books after several years actually boosts once stagnant sales of older titles.

When I wrote the first edition, we put the chapters online free after four years and found that this boosted sales of the paper edition. People would find a useful chapter online and then buy the book to have it as a reference. Wiley and I agreed to do the same with the second edition, and now, four years after publication, I am putting all the chapters online for free. Enjoy them – and I hope you’ll buy the paper version to have as a convenient shelf reference.

To get an idea about what “Security Engineering” is all about here is its table of contents.

• Table of contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: What is Security Engineering?
• Chapter 2: Usability and Psychology
• Chapter 3: Protocols
• Chapter 4: Access Control
• Chapter 5: Cryptography
• Chapter 6: Distributed Systems
• Chapter 7: Economics
• Chapter 8: Multilevel Security
• Chapter 9: Multilateral Security
• Chapter 10: Banking and Bookkeeping
• Chapter 11: Physical Protection
• Chapter 12: Monitoring and Metering
• Chapter 13: Nuclear Command and Control
• Chapter 14: Security Printing and Seals
• Chapter 15: Biometrics
• Chapter 16: Physical Tamper Resistance
• Chapter 17: Emission Security
• Chapter 18: API Security
• Chapter 19: Electronic and Information Warfare
• Chapter 20: Telecom System Security
• Chapter 21: Network Attack and Defence
• Chapter 22: Copyright and DRM
• Chapter 23: The Bleeding Edge
• Chapter 24: Terror, Justice and Freedom
• Chapter 25: Managing the Development of Secure Systems
• Chapter 26: System Evaluation and Assurance
• Chapter 27: Conclusions
• Bibliography
• Index

And for those “professors” among us, Ross also provides a detailed breakdown of how they used the book in three courses at the University of Cambridge … complete with course material and exam questions.

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Have you used this book as part of a university class or self-study? Any thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. Today’s post pic is from the University of Cambridge. See ya!

Tags: access-control, copyright, cryptography, drm, information warfare, monitoring, multilevel security, network attack, physical protection, ross anderson, security engineering, usability, wiley