BKKANE.RVW  940713
 
MIS Press/M&T Books/Henry Holt
115 West 18th Street
New York, NY   10011
212-886-9378
fax: 212-633-0748
"PC Security and Virus Protection Handbook", Kane, 1994, 1-55851-390-6,
U$39.95/C$49.95
PSKane@dockmaster.ncsc.mil Panda@ssnet.com Panda@mcimail.com
 
Kane's book is an attractive and easily readable overview of the virus
situation in the MS-DOS world.  The text is friendly and aimed at a non-
technical audience, while the content is accurate and helpful.
 
Chapter one defines not only what a computer virus is, but much of the current
related jargon.  A brief history of some infections is given in chapter two,
with myths exposed in chapter three (including Sara Gordon's interview with the
legendary Dark Avenger.)  Chapters four through eight are discussions of
general security assessment, hardware risks, software risks, privacy, and so
forth.  The overview of a computer's inner workings in chapter nine may not
seem to be strictly related to security, but it is a nice introduction for
those who want to delve deeper.  Chapter eleven covers the various types of
antiviral software, and chapter twelve looks at some of the dangers of "expert"
advice.
 
Given that Kane, with Andy Hopkins, runs Panda Systems, it is not surprising
that almost no other antiviral software is specifically mentioned.  The Panda
Pro change detection activity monitoring and operation restricting software is
included with the book.  Chapter thirteen is documentation for these utilities. 
The only other program mentioned is Microsoft's Anti-Virus, whose shortcomings
are exposed in chapter ten, as well as in the excellent and detailed analysis
by Yisrael Radai in appendix B.
 
Almost half of the book is taken up with the VIRUS-L Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) list and the MS-DOS section of the Virus Catalog from the Virus Test
Center of the University of Hamburg.  This isn't quite the "A to Z catalog of
all known viruses" promised by the cover, but it is certainly the most accurate
in what it does cover.
 
For those working in the MS-DOS environment, this is an easy and helpful
resource for protection.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994   BKKANE.RVW  940713

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DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters
Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Sept. '94) Springer-Verlag