Any recommendations for a book on history of computer security?

September 15, 2012 1:18 PM

I'm looking for a book recommendation on the history of computer and internet security.

I had the opportunity to take a class called Network Security and I only went to the first day because there was no way I would be able to keep up with all my work. But on that day the professor went quickly over a timeline of network security history, talking briefly about honey pots, warez, NIDS, p2p, DoS attacks, porn, and so many more interesting topics that I wish I had time to absorb. I'm looking for a book that covers this history, hopefully accessible to an engineer-yet-not-a-CS-nerd like myself. Any recommendations?

posted by cman to computers & internet (8 answers total)

Any books by Kevin Mitnick cover a wide range of network security and social engineering topics (The Art of Deception, The Art of Intrusion). It does not explicitly cover the topics you mentioned, but it is a wonderful primer to many elements of network security.
posted by fieldcannotbeblank at 1:20 PM on September 15, 2012

Cliff Stoll's The Cuckoo's Egg.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 1:26 PM on September 15, 2012 [4 favorites]

I also came to recommend Cuckoo's Egg. In addition to the security storyline, it's a fascinating snapshot of the early days of networked computing.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:29 PM on September 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

This is a tangent, but Steven Levy's Crypto is a great, accessible book on the development of Crytography.
posted by activitystory at 1:30 PM on September 15, 2012

The Code Book by Simon Singh is also excellent, focusing mostly on security and cryptography.
posted by migurski at 2:06 PM on September 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

+1 on Cuckoo's Egg, if you only go for one book, make it that one.

Also Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace is worth a look.
posted by Z303 at 2:13 PM on September 15, 2012

Hackers.
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:04 PM on September 15, 2012

The nice thing about Cuckoo's Egg is that it's likely available in your local library. I've been meaning to re-read Stoll's "Silicon Snake Oil" for some time now, to see how many of his predictions failed to materialize.
posted by Wild_Eep at 8:20 AM on September 16, 2012