Request full copy

Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 4th edition

Published by Pearson (August 4, 2017) © 2018

  • William Stallings
  • Lawrie Brown

eTextbook

per month

  • Anytime, anywhere learning with the Pearson+ app
  • Easy-to-use search, navigation and notebook
  • Simpler studying with flashcards
$154.66

  • Hardcover, paperback or looseleaf edition
  • Affordable rental option for select titles

For courses in computer/network security

Balancing principle and practice—an updated survey of the fast-moving world of computer and network security

Computer Security: Principles and Practice, 4th Edition, is ideal for courses in Computer/Network Security. The need for education in computer security and related topics continues to grow at a dramatic rate—and is essential for anyone studying Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Written for both an academic and professional audience, the 4th Edition continues to set the standard for computer security with a balanced presentation of principles and practice. The new edition captures the most up-to-date innovations and improvements while maintaining broad and comprehensive coverage of the entire field. The extensive offering of projects provides students with hands-on experience to reinforce concepts from the text. The range of supplemental online resources for instructors provides additional teaching support for this fast-moving subject.

The new edition covers all security topics considered Core in the ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curricula 2013, as well as subject areas for CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification. This textbook can be used to prep for CISSP Certification and is often referred to as the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to information security certification. The text provides in-depth coverage of Computer Security, Technology and Principles, Software Security, Management Issues, Cryptographic Algorithms, Internet Security and more.

About the Book

Current developments and topics in computer and network security

  • Capture the most recent changes in the field while maintaining a broad and comprehensive coverage of the entire field.
  • The content in the book is unified by four basic themes.
    • Principles: Although the scope of this book is broad, there are a number of basic principles that appear repeatedly as themes and that unify this field, for example, authentication and access control. The book highlights these principles and examines their application in specific areas of computer security.
    • Design approaches: The book examines alternative approaches to meeting specific computer security requirements.
    • Standards: Standards have come to assume an increasingly important, indeed dominant, role in this field. An understanding of the current status and future direction of technology requires a comprehensive discussion of the related standards.
    • Real-world examples: A number of chapters include a section that shows the practical application of that chapter’s principles in a real-world environment.

Engaging features that enhance learning

  • Hands-on projects reinforce concepts from the textbook
    • Hacking exercises: Two projects that enable students to gain an understanding of the issues in intrusion detection and prevention.
    • Laboratory exercises: A series of projects that involve programming and experimenting with concepts from the book.
    • Security education (SEED) projects: The SEED projects are a set of hands-on exercises, or labs, covering a wide range of security topics.
    • Research projects: A series of research assignments that instruct the student to research a particular topic on the Internet and write a report.
    • Programming projects: A series of programming projects that cover a broad range of topics and that can be implemented in any suitable language on any platform.
    • Practical security assessments: A set of exercises to examine current infrastructure and practices of an existing organization.
    • Firewall projects: A portable network firewall visualization simulator is provided, together with exercises for teaching the fundamentals of firewalls.
    • Case studies: A set of real-world case studies, including learning objectives, case description, and a series of case discussion questions.
    • Reading/report assignments: A list of papers that can be assigned for reading and writing a report, plus suggested assignment wording.
    • Writing assignments: A list of writing assignments to facilitate learning the material.
    • Webcasts for teaching computer security: A catalog of webcast sites that can be used to enhance the course. An effective way of using this catalog is to select, or allow the student to select, one or a few videos to watch, and then to write a report/analysis of the video.
  • Case studies and examples provides real-world context to the text material.
  • Numerous homework problems cover a wide range of difficulty along with numerous review questions. An Instructor's Manual contains solutions to all problems and questions.
  • Extensive use of figures and tables clarify concepts.
  • List of key words, recommended reading list, and recommended Web sites at the end of each chapter.
  • List of acronyms on back endpaper.
  • Companion website at www.pearsonhighered.com/stallings
    • Online chapters: To limit the size and cost of the book, some chapters of the book are provided in PDF format.
    • Online appendices: There are numerous interesting topics that support material found in the text but whose inclusion is not warranted in the printed text. The online appendices cover these topics for the interested student.
    • Homework problems and solutions: To aid the student in understanding the material, a separate set of homework problems with solutions is available.

Content updates

  • Data center security discussion in Chapter 5 covers data center security and  the TIA-492 specification of reliability tiers.
  • Malware material in Chapter 6 includes additional material on macro viruses and their structure, as they are now the most common form of virus malware.
  • Virtualization security material in Chapter 12 has been extended, given the rising use of such systems by organizations and in cloud computing environments. A discussion of virtual firewalls, which may be used to help secure these environments, has also been added.
  • Cloud security discussion inChapter 13 includes an introduction to cloud computing, key cloud security concepts, an analysis of approaches to cloud security, and an open-source example.
  • IoT security indiscussion Chapter 13 covers security for the Internet of Things (IoT). The discussion includes an introduction to IoT, an overview of IoT security issues, and an open-source example.
  • SEIM discussion in Chapter 18 is updated for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems.
  • Privacy section covers privacy issues and its management in Chapter 19. The section has been extended with additional discussion of moral and legal approaches, and the privacy issues related to big data.
  • Authenticated encryption has become an increasingly widespread cryptographic tool in a variety of applications and protocols. Chapter 21 includes a new discussion of authenticated description and describes an important authenticated encryption algorithm known as offset codebook (OCB) mode.

Table of Contents

  • Online Resources
  • Preface
  • Notation
  • About the Authors
  • Chapter 1 Overview
    • 1.1 Computer Security Concepts
    • 1.2 Threats, Attacks, and Assets
    • 1.3 Security Functional Requirements
    • 1.4 Fundamental Security Design Principles
    • 1.5 Attack Surfaces and Attack Trees
    • 1.6 Computer Security Strategy
    • 1.7 Standards
    • 1.8 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems

PART ONE COMPUTER SECURITY TECHNOLOGY AND PRINCIPLES

  • Chapter 2 Cryptographic Tools
    • 2.1 Confidentiality with Symmetric Encryption
    • 2.2 Message Authentication and Hash Functions
    • 2.3 Public-Key Encryption
    • 2.4 Digital Signatures and Key Management
    • 2.5 Random and Pseudorandom Numbers
    • 2.6 Practical Application: Encryption of Stored Data
    • 2.7 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 3 User Authentication
    • 3.1 Digital User Authentication Principles
    • 3.2 Password-Based Authentication
    • 3.3 Token-Based Authentication
    • 3.4 Biometric Authentication
    • 3.5 Remote User Authentication
    • 3.6 Security Issues for User Authentication
    • 3.7 Practical Application: An Iris Biometric System
    • 3.8 Case Study: Security Problems for ATM Systems
    • 3.9 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 4 Access Control
    • 4.1 Access Control Principles
    • 4.2 Subjects, Objects, and Access Rights
    • 4.3 Discretionary Access Control
    • 4.4 Example: UNIX File Access Control
    • 4.5 Role-Based Access Control
    • 4.6 Attribute-Based Access Control
    • 4.7 Identity, Credential, and Access Management
    • 4.8 Trust Frameworks
    • 4.9 Case Study: RBAC System for a Bank
    • 4.10 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 5 Database and Data Center Security
    • 5.1 The Need for Database Security
    • 5.2 Database Management Systems
    • 5.3 Relational Databases
    • 5.4 SQL Injection Attacks
    • 5.5 Database Access Control
    • 5.6 Inference
    • 5.7 Database Encryption
    • 5.8 Data Center Security
    • 5.9 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 6 Malicious Software
    • 6.1 Types of Malicious Software
    • 6.2 Advanced Persistent Threat
    • 6.2 Propagation — Infected Content - Viruses
    • 6.3 Propagation — Vulnerability Exploit - Worms
    • 6.4 Propagation — Social Engineering — SPAM E-Mail, Trojans
    • 6.5 Payload — System Corruption
    • 6.6 Payload — Attack Agent — Zombie, Bots
    • 6.7 Payload — Information Theft — Keyloggers, Phishing, Spyware
    • 6.8 Payload — Stealthing — Backdoors, Rootkits
    • 6.9 Countermeasures
    • 6.10 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 7 Denial-of-Service Attacks
    • 7.1 Denial-of-Service Attacks
    • 7.2 Flooding Attacks
    • 7.3 Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks
    • 7.4 Application-Based Bandwidth Attacks
    • 7.5 Reflector and Amplifier Attacks
    • 7.6 Defenses Against Denial-of-Service Attacks
    • 7.7 Responding to a Denial-of-Service Attack
    • 7.8 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 8 Intrusion Detection
    • 8.1 Intruders
    • 8.2 Intrusion Detection
    • 8.3 Analysis Approaches
    • 8.4 Host-Based Intrusion Detection
    • 8.5 Network-Based Intrusion Detection
    • 8.6 Distributed or Hybrid Intrusion Detection
    • 8.7 Intrusion Detection Exchange Format
    • 8.8 Honeypots
    • 8.9 Example System: Snort
    • 8.10 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 9 Firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems
    • 9.1 The Need for Firewalls
    • 9.2 Firewall Characteristics and Access Policy
    • 9.3 Types of Firewalls
    • 9.4 Firewall Basing
    • 9.5 Firewall Location and Configurations
    • 9.6 Intrusion Prevention Systems
    • 9.7 Example: Unified Threat Management Products
    • 9.8 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems

PART TWO SOFTWARE SECURITY AND TRUSTED SYSTEMS

  • Chapter 10 Buffer Overflow
    • 10.1 Stack Overflows
    • 10.2 Defending Against Buffer Overflows
    • 10.3 Other Forms of Overflow Attacks
    • 10.4 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 11 Software Security
    • 11.1 Software Security Issues
    • 11.2 Handling Program Input
    • 11.3 Writing Safe Program Code
    • 11.4 Interacting with the Operating System and Other Programs
    • 11.5 Handling Program Input
    • 11.6 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 12 Operating System Security
    • 12.1 Introduction to Operating System Security
    • 12.3 System Security Planning
    • 12.3 Operating Systems Hardening
    • 12.4 Application Security
    • 12.5 Security Maintenance
    • 12.6 Linux/UNIX Security
    • 12.7 Windows Security
    • 12.8 Virtualization Security
    • 12.9 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 13 Cloud and IoT Security
    • 13.1 Cloud Computing
    • 13.2 Cloud Security Concepts
    • 13.3 Cloud Security Approaches
    • 13.4 The Internet of Things
    • 13.5 IoT Security
    • 13.6 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems

PART THREE MANAGEMENT ISSUES

  • Chapter 14 IT Security Management and Risk Assessment
    • 14.1 IT Security Management
    • 14.2 Organizational Context and Security Policy
    • 14.3 Security Risk Assessment
    • 14.4 Detailed Security Risk Analysis
    • 14.5 Case Study: Silver Star Mines
    • 14.6 Recommended Reading
    • 14.7 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 15 IT Security Controls, Plans and Procedures
    • 15.1 IT Security Management Implementation
    • 15.2 Security Controls or Safeguards
    • 15.3 IT Security Plan
    • 15.4 Implementation of Controls
    • 15.5 Monitoring Risks
    • 15.6 Case Study: Silver Star Mines
    • 15.7 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 16 Physical and Infrastructure Security
    • 16.1 Overview
    • 16.2 Physical Security Threats
    • 16.3 Physical Security Prevention and Mitigation Measures
    • 16.4 Recovery from Physical Security Breaches
    • 16.5 Example: A Corporate Physical Security Policy
    • 16.6 Integration of Physical and Logical Security
    • 16.7 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 17 Human Resources Security
    • 17.1 Security Awareness, Training, and Education
    • 17.2 Employment Practices and Policies
    • 17.3 E-Mail and Internet Use Policies
    • 17.4 Computer Security Incident Response Teams
    • 17.5 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 18 Security Auditing
    • 18.1 Security Auditing Architecture
    • 18.2 The Security Audit Trail
    • 18.3 Implementing the Logging Function
    • 18.4 Audit Trail Analysis
    • 18.5 Security Information and Event Management
    • 18.6 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 19 Legal and Ethical Aspects
    • 19.1 Cybercrime and Computer Crime
    • 19.2 Intellectual Property
    • 19.3 Privacy
    • 19.4 Ethical Issues
    • 19.5 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
    • Appendix 19A: Information Privacy Standard of Good Practice

PART FOUR CRYPTOGRAPHIC ALGORITHMS

  • Chapter 20 Symmetric Encryption and Message Confidentiality
    • 20.1 Symmetric Encryption and Message Confidentiality
    • 20.2 Data Encryption Standard
    • 20.3 Advanced Encryption Standard
    • 20.4 Stream Ciphers and RC4
    • 20.5 Cipher Block Modes of Operation
    • 20.6 Key Distribution
    • 20.8 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 21 Public-Key Cryptography and Message Authentication
    • 21.1 Secure Hash Functions
    • 21.2 HMAC
    • 21.3 Authenticated Encryption
    • 21.4 The RSA Public-Key Encryption Algorithm
    • 21.5Diffie-Hellman and Other Asymmetric Algorithms
    • 21.6 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems

PART FIVE NETWORK SECURITY

  • Chapter 22 Internet Security Protocols and Standards
    • 22.1 Secure Email and S/MIME
    • 22.2 DomainKeys Identified Mail
    • 22.3 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS)
    • 22.4 HTTPS
    • 22.5 IPv4 and IPv6 Security
    • 22.6 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 23 Internet Authentication Applications
    • 23.1 Kerberos
    • 23.2 X.509
    • 23.3 Public-Key Infrastructure
    • 23.4 Federated Identity Management
    • 23.5 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 24 Wireless Network Security
    • 24.1 Wireless Security Overview
    • 24.2 Mobile Device Security
    • 24.3 IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN Overview
    • 24.4 IEEE 802.11i Wireless LAN Security
    • 24.5 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems

APPENDICES

  • Appendix A Projects and Other Student Exercises for Teaching Computer Security
    • A.1 Hacking Project
    • A.2 Laboratory Exercises
    • A.3 Security Education (SEED) Projects
    • A.4 Research Projects
    • A.5 Programming Projects
    • A.6 Practical Security Assessments
    • A.7 Firewall Projects
    • A.8 Case Studies
    • A.9 Reading/Report Assignments
    • A.10 Writing Assignments
    • A.11 Webcasts for Teaching Computer Security

ACRONYMS

LIST OF NIST DOCUMENTS

REFERENCES

INDEX

ONLINE CHAPTERS AND APPENDICES

  • Online chapters, appendices, and other documents are Premium Content, available via the access card printed in the front of the book.
  • Chapter 25 Linux Security
    • 25.1 Introduction
    • 25.2 Linux's Security Model
    • 25.3 The Linux DAC in Depth: Filesystem Security
    • 25.4 Linux Vulnerabilities
    • 25.5 Linux System Hardening
    • 25.6 Application Security
    • 25.7 Mandatory Access Controls
    • 25.8 Key Terms, Review Questions, and Problems
  • Chapter 26 Windows and Windows Vista Security
    • 26.1 Windows Security Architecture
    • 26.2 Windows Vulnerabilities
    • 26.3 Windows Security Defenses
    • 26.4 Browser Defenses
    • 26.5 Cryptographic Services
    • 26.6 Common Criteria
    • 26.7 Key Terms, Review Questions, Problems, and Projects

Appendix B Some Aspects of Number Theory

Appendix C Standards and Standard-Setting Organizations

Appendix D Random and Pseudorandom Number Generation

Appendix E Message Authentication Codes Based on Block Ciphers

Appendix F TCP/IP Protocol Architecture

Appendix G Radix-64 Conversion

Appendix H The Domain Name System

Appendix I The Base-Rate Fallacy

Appendix J SHA-3

Appendix K Glossary

Dr. William Stallings authored 18 textbooks, and, counting revised editions, a total of 70 books on various aspects of these subjects. His writings have appeared in numerous ACM and IEEE publications, including the Proceedings of the IEEE and ACM Computing Reviews. He has 11 times received the award for the best Computer Science textbook of the year from the Text and Academic Authors Association.

In over 30 years in the field, he has been a technical contributor, technical manager, and an executive with several

high-technology firms. He has designed and implemented both TCP/IP-based and OSI-based protocol suites on a variety of computers and operating systems, ranging from microcomputers to mainframes. Currently he is an independent consultant whose clients have included computer and networking manufacturers and customers, software development firms, and leading-edge government research institutions.

He created and maintains the Computer Science Student Resource Site at ComputerScienceStudent.com. This site provides documents and links on a variety of subjects of general interest to computer science students (and professionals). He is a member of the editorial board of Cryptologia, a scholarly journal devoted to all aspects of cryptology. His articles appear regularly at http://www.networking.answers.com, where he is the Networking Category Expert Writer.

Dr. Lawrie Brown is a visiting senior lecturer in the School of Engineering and Information Technology, UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy.

His professional interests include communications and computer systems security and cryptography, including research on pseudo-anonymous communication, authentication, security and trust issues in Web environments, the design of secure remote code execution environments using the functional language Erlang, and on the design and implementation of the LOKI family of block ciphers. During his career, he has presented courses on cryptography

During his career, he has presented courses on cryptography, cybersecurity, data communications, data structures, and programming in Java to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Need help? Get in touch

Pearson+

All in one place. Pearson+ offers instant access to eTextbooks, videos and study tools in one intuitive interface. Students choose how they learn best with enhanced search, audio and flashcards. The Pearson+ app lets them read where life takes them, no wi-fi needed. Students can access Pearson+ through a subscription or their MyLab or Mastering course.

Video
Play
Privacy and cookies
By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable upon changing cookie preferences. Disabling cookies may affect video functionality. More info...

Video transcript (PDF | 16KB) 

Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle. 

Digital Learning NOW

Extend your professional development and meet your students where they are with free weekly Digital Learning NOW webinars. Attend live, watch on-demand, or listen at your leisure to expand your teaching strategies. Earn digital professional development badges for attending a live session.

Explore webinars