Foundations of Computer Security

Anyone with a computer has heard of viruses, had to deal with several, and has been struggling with spam, spyware, and disk crashes. This book is intended as a starting point for those familiar with basic concepts of computers and computations and who would like to extend their knowledge into the realm of computer and network security. Its comprehensive treatment of all the major areas of computer security aims to give readers a complete foundation in the field of Computer Security. Exercises are given throughout the book and are intended to strengthening the reader’s knowledge - answers are also provided.

Written in a clear, easy to understand style, aimed towards advanced undergraduates and non-experts who want to know about the security problems confronting them everyday. The technical level of the book is low and requires no mathematics, and only a basic concept of computers and computations. Foundations of Computer Security will be an invaluable tool for students and professionals alike.

• Authentication
• Computer Security
• Encryption
• Firewalls
• Identity Theft
• Malware
• Physical Security
• Spyware
• Trojan Horses
• Viruses
• Worms
• cryptography
• network security

From the reviews:

"...a very nice and well-written introduction to the essential concepts of computer security. ... The book is loaded with examples and exercises that are useful in learning the material. ... This is a book I would not hesitate to give to someone who had very little computer experience and wanted to learn the core concepts of security. The material covered is very broad in scope; however the essentials were well treated and easy to comprehend." (Richard Jankowski, The Book Review Column by William Gasarch, 2008)

"the book is an easy-to-read collection of practical knowledge. …a useful collection of in-depth knowledge… Exercises throughout the chapters make this book entertaining to read, and keep readers actively involved. …worth its price for lecturers and professionals who need in-depth stories to enrich their lectures and presentations." (Edgar R. Weippl, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 48 (5), May 2007)

"The intended audience of this book is newcomers … . a very nice and well-written introduction to the essential concepts of computer security. The content was written in an easy tone that would make it approachable to a security neophyte. The book is loaded with examples and exercises that are useful in learning the material. … much of the content is written in bulleted lists. In my opinion, this allows the reader to quickly get an understanding of the core concepts of the material." (Richard Jankowski, ACM SIGACT News, Vol. 39 (2), 2008)

• Computer Science Department, California State University, Northridge, USA

  David Salomon

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