Birds of a Feather...

No this isn't about either the feathered sort of 'Birds', or anything to do with the fairer sex [colloquially known as 'Birds' in some parts of the world], nor am I going to blog about the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie. This posting is about a recent book I reviewed for Virus Bulletin which was written by members of AVIEN* [do you get the 'Birds' reference now? ;-)]

Here's a snippet from the review I wrote:

"The AVIEN Malware Defense Guide has been written by members of the AVIEN/AVIEWS online communities with the aim of passing on knowledge that they believe will be both interesting and useful to those involved in the real-world battle against malware in organizations.

The cover of the book claims that it will 'stop the stalkers on your desktop' and also provide:

• Complete coverage of the relationship between enterprise security professionals, customers, vendors and researchers.


• In-depth consideration of key areas of the 21st century threat landscape.


• System security and DIY defence using a range of specialist detection and forensic techniques and tools.

Meanwhile, the back cover states: 'AVIEN members represent the best-protected large organizations in the world, and millions of users. When they talk, security vendors listen: so should you.' So, after making such a bold statement, does the book deliver on the promises it makes?"

And here's another snippet:

"My overriding impression is that this book is very well written; the whole book comes together and flows very well – which can be a difficult feat when a book has several different contributors.

The book eases the reader in gently, starting with non-technical chapters and building to some very technical ones towards the end of the book.

The pedigree and diversity of the contributors involved in this book makes it a very readable, informative, and accurate reference guide for all interested parties, be they new to the fight or old hands.

The book delivers on many of the promises it made. In fact, I would say that this is the best general malware/anti-malware book currently available, and it should be a mandatory read for anyone new to computer security in general, and anti-malware specifically."

Here's a link to the complete book review I wrote: [PDF format]

So, if you are hunting for a perfect present for the security professional in your life, or just for yourself, then this book may be just what you/they always wanted...

If you want to buy the book or to see other reviews, then feel free to click on the relevant link below:

UK LINK US LINK

As usual all my other published articles and papers can be found here or here.

* Yes, I know that this isn't spelt the same way as AVIAN, but please let me have a little poetic license ;-)