Malicious code is a set of instructions that runs on your computer and makes

your system do something that you do not want it to do. For example, it can

delete sensitive configuration files from your hard drive, rendering your

computer completely inoperable; infect your computer and use it as a jumpingoff

point to spread to all of your buddies' computers; and steal files from your

machine. Malicious code in the hands of a crafty attacker is indeed powerful.

It's becoming even more of a problem because many of the very same factors

fueling the evolution of the computer industry are making our systems even

more vulnerable to malicious code. Specifically, malicious code writers benefit

from the trends toward mixing static data and executable instructions,

increasingly homogenous computing environments, unprecedented

connectivity, an ever-larger clueless user base, and an unfriendly world. Skoudis

addressed malicious code in just one chapter of his previous book. Here, a

dozen chapters focus on one of the most interesting and rapidly developing

areas of computer attacks.

*Chapter 11, "Defender's Toolbox," rolls together the defensive strategies

described in the book. As a bonus, Skoudis gives recipes for creating your own

malicious code analysis laboratory using cheap hardware and software.

*Foreword by Gene Schultz, security inspector for Global Integrity.