Offensive Countermeasures

This book is great for anyone in IT or cybersecurity. It is so detailed that it makes it easy to replicate concepts in the book.

Looked over the book for 10 minutes and easily found missing information, and that was enough to trigger me to return the book for a refund.For example, on page 34 about 2/3 of the way down the page the writer tells us to start up Powershell as Administrator, and then on the next line we see"Run the following command:"And there is no command shown after the colon!The book also looks to deal almost exclusively with Linux/Unix server system, almost nothing to do with personal Windows PC systems or Windows servers.

If you work in information security, I make the reasonable assumption that you’re not an idiot. That being said, if you take this book for what it is, an introduction to topics and a novel way of approaching cyber defense, then this is a great book to get your mind in the right line of thinking, and it will set you down an amazing research path that will make you a better network defender. If you expect this book to be the definitive how to guide or a “Network Defense for Dummies”, then you’ll be disappointed. But you’re a smart person. You know that every network environment is unique so defensive measures need to be customized by independent thinkers, and if you use this book as a starting point, you can Google the rest, learn new skills on your own, and become a doggone hero to your organization.

However, the book could use an editor. As many other reviewers have noted, the specific methods to implement the active defenses are missing or only briefly described; but this book is an introduction, not an implementation manual. When they publish a second edition, I would recommend: (1) a table of contents, (2) an index, (3) spelling out acronyms or including an acronym table, (4) using some sort of style guide for references (e.g., IEEE, APA), (5) providing legible graphics (i.e., several screenshots are grainy and hard to read, (6) provide references to figures and graphics; its not always clear where in the text the explanation of the graphics exist, (7) add page numbers, (8) use consistent fonts and line spacing. These many minor issues combine to make this otherwise very readable book a challenge to get through. I’d give the book 5 stars on content and 3 on execution.

Those who overlook countermeasures as an integral component of security will surely fail in their roles as protectors. OCM is an excellent overview of the topic and a better than entry level introduction.I remember coding countermeasures in the early days designed specifically to take compromised systems promiscuously engaged in the act of attacking other systems off-line and display a helpful boot screen for the target systems' administrators. We were never destructive or vindictive and always treated such responses unapologetically as self-defense; because that is exactly what it was.Law enforcement does not protect, moves at glacial speeds, and will generally defer from action unless a successful prosecution is assured (or the pubic noise level demands it). (Don't misunderstand me, I have the highest respect for first responders.) It is therefore incumbent for those of us with the skills to responsibly protect our infrastructure using measured responses consistent with threat level.OCM does exactly what it intends by succinctly covering the important elements of this neglected topic and furthers a much needed discussion. Highly recommended.

As the book states: get your house in order first, and then go out and play.I read this book today, and poked most of the modules in the ADHD CD.This book tries to break the mold that hacking back is never okay.What I found most interesting is the emphasis on NOT hacking the hackers. At least not now.The emphasis is on obfuscation and data collection before (or if) taking any active action.This book is not heavy on technical details - nor should it be.It's trying to convey a new concept.If you want to hack someone - there are plenty of technical resources on how to hack something. This book offers some ideas on an interesting and new line of thought.

Having attended many webcasts of John Stand and Paul Asadorian, I have come to appreciate them both as excellent security practitioners and the fact they are more than willing to share their knowledge. This book is a compilation of many of their webcasts/teachings and it explains the idea of active defense and also touches on ADHD (Active Defense Harbinger Distribution); ADHD is meant to help tilt the scales of security back into the hands of the defenders and/or at least give them a more level playing field. I originally purchased this book simply to support them and their knowledge crusade, however, I read the book and then went back through it to try all of their theories against my own techniques and I have to say they work extremely well. Absolutely essential for anyone looking for the next step beyond OS patching, updated anti-virus, IDS/IPS, etc. -- DH

I have no questions in my mind that as stakes get higher and legislation evolves, at least deception will be the norm. That in itself will tax hackers and force them to spend more resources and maybe, just maybe, get noisier and make detectable mistakes.Counter attacking will require lots of maturity, careful strategy and almost flawless execution. If we are going to poke the hornet’s next, better be ready, bluffing won’t work.To the minimum, the list of tools and techniques are a great read and worth a try in a controlled environment to say the least.

Loved this short book. If you are considering how to Actively defend your networks this book will walk through your options and discusses the pros and con's of each technique.

Very easy to read with clear, simple examples to follow. I was hooked early on and now want to spend more time investigating just how I can put some of these principles into practice. Nothing less than I expected from the likes of John & Paul. Thanks -- SecWaza

Perfect

Some really good info about active Defense. Some material and links are not relevant any longer, but there is still enough here for a read on the topic and to get you thinking about how you could incorporate offensive capabilities into your defensive posture.

Apasionantes técnicas de cyber desde una perspectiva militar. Que deber ya de ponerse en práctica en las compañias privadas.