Network Security Essentials: Applications and Standards ... (ISBN 0132380331)

Quick & Dirty:
This book appears to be a shorter, more concise version of Stallings' "Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice." It has a much shorter, and therefore less complete treatment of security concepts in general and specifically cryptography. It might be good for a focused introductory course on network-level security, but there's not much there about application-level security. Overall, I found it a little terse. I like Stallings' books on networks and computer architecture better.

Pretty good book for serious beginners:
Pretty good starting book for serious beginners in the network security area. Give you an in-depth overview of cryptography (part 1) and network security (part 2). The system security (part 3) is kind of weak. Most of the discussion are rather theoretic than practical, so you need another more practical book as companion. Anyway, understanding the contents of the book will lay a solid foundation for further exploring in the network security. BTW, if you hate math, this won't be a book for you!

For folks serious about learning network security:
I purchased this book as part of the required reading for an Information Security class at UCLA. From the start the book was full of very technical and detailed information. Having little practical network experience, my first reading focused on grasping the low-hanging fruit. As I read the book a second and third time I picked up some serious knowledge. It seemed like everytime I re-read a chapter there was more there to glean. I'm now studying for the CISSP and CISA. My initial cold self-assessments returned scores in the 80%-100% range. That's without CISSP/CISA-specific studying. I attribute most of that knowledge to this book. This was money well spent!

Hard to believe this book is by Stallings:
I had to use this book for my Network Security class at grad level. Bits and pieces here and there do not help anyone who wants to learn the details of NW Security; but this book is what it is. I have used several Stallings' books and they are, at least in most cases, detail oriented and some of the best in the market. It is even harder for me to comprehend that Cryptography and NW Security Management are covered in the book in just 21 pages and 11 pages consecutively (but divided by other names later in the book with no tangible useage). See, if you want to learn Network Security, especially if you are employed in the area, I don't think you would appreciate just 21 pages of coverage of Cryptography. Not getting anything new in a chapter like that would be just too lame for you. Yes, the book refers to Applications and Standards in the subtitle but without implementation techniques and not a string of code that you usually find in your professional magazine subscription (from a programmer's perspective). However, if you are interested in Cryptography types or the strength of Symmetric Algorithm, DES or RC5 or Blowfish or DES or triple DES (3DES); go ahead and read it. After all it is by Stallings. You also will find some tricks on Message Authentication without Message Encryption. Humm...? Anyhow, if you are a programmer and want to program some SecIS or SecSDLS, this is not for you. My professor's recommendation of this book even made me question my capable instructor. The good thing in the class? My professor had to develop his own lecture for each class...it was much better!!! I hope this helps and Good luck! TWL

no title:
this book is very good for beginners in network security area.