Many of us, especially since 9/11, have become personally concerned about issues of security, and this is no surprise. Security is near the top of government and corporate agendas around the globe. Security-related stories appear on the front page everyday. How well though, do any of us truly understand what achieving real security involves? In Beyond Fear, Bruce Schneier invites us to take a critical look at not just the threats to our security, but the ways in which we're encouraged to think about security by law enforcement agencies, businesses of all shapes and sizes, and our national governments and militaries. Schneier believes we all can and should be better security consumers, and that the trade-offs we make in the name of security - in terms of cash outlays, taxes, inconvenience, and diminished freedoms - should be part of an ongoing negotiation in our personal, professional, and civic lives, and the subject of an open and informed national discussion. With a well-deserved reputation for original and sometimes iconoclastic thought, Schneier has a lot to say that is provocative, counter-intuitive, and just plain good sense. He explains in detail, for example, why we need to design security systems that don't just work well, but fail well, and why secrecy on the part of government often undermines security. He also believes, for instance, that national ID cards are an exceptionally bad idea: technically unsound, and even destructive of security. And, contrary to a lot of current nay-sayers, he thinks online shopping is fundamentally safe, and that many of the new airline security measure (though by no means all) are actually quite effective. A skeptic of much that's promised by highly touted technologies like biometrics, Schneier is also a refreshingly positive, problem-solving force in the often self-dramatizing and fear-mongering world of security pundits. Schneier helps the reader to understand the issues at stake, and how to best come to one's own conclusions, including the vast infrastructure we already have in place, and the vaster systems--some useful, others useless or worse--that we're being asked to submit to and pay for. Bruce Schneier is the author of seven books, including Applied Cryptography (which Wired called "the one book the National Security Agency wanted never to be published") and Secrets and Lies (described in Fortune as "startlingly lively...¦[a] jewel box of little surprises you can actually use."). He is also Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Counterpane Internet Security, Inc., and publishes Crypto-Gram, one of the most widely read newsletters in the field of online security.

Average Customer Review: ( 51 customer reviews )
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The book is easy reading -- it flows quickly and keeps returning to a common set of themes. These are set against many contexts so you're sure to find something familiar. You won't find any math or greek notation in here, to the disappointment of "Applied Cryptography" die-hards but the relief of everyone else.

The underlying message, seeing beyond the Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD) propagated by mass media and the government, is a key one to understanding why it's OK to question this hyper-security-conscious world we find ourselves in. Airline security is an arena familiar to most business travelers, and we as passengers are expected not only to accept increasingly invasive measures, but welcome them without hesitation. Bruce teaches us how to evaluate the efficacy of these schemes both individually and in the aggregate. The results will surprise all but the most cynical among you.

That said, this is not the textbook of a conspiracy theorist. Bruce willingly admits that improving security correctly is a worthwhile pursuit, and even teaches us how to do it. You won't find the rantings of an ill-informed libertarian crackpot.

If your interests lead you to ask questions and be curious about the changes to your world in recent years, you will find this an entertaining and informative volume. Democrat or Republican, luddite or technology businessperson, it's worth a look at your earliest opportunity.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:

Lots of very useful practical advice � and don't panicJan 21, 2004
By Keith Appleyard "kapple999"
Not quite what I'd expected. I'd read & enjoyed 'Secrets & Lies', and I thought this would be more of the same. This book is really a discussion about what actions have been taken post 9/11, and in parts it's a criticism of the overreaction that there has been.

However, its not overtly political, and gives dozens (perhaps a 100) practical worked examples of good & bad, effective & ineffective, responses to security issues, whether it be physical, electronic etc.

There is a 5-step process which I found useful to apply to everyday situations; and (in highly abbreviated form) these are : what are you trying to protect; what are the risks; risk mitigation; risks caused by the solution; trade-offs

The core message is : "as both individuals and a society, we can make choices about our security", and this book helps you understand how to make those informed decisions.

23 of 27 found the following review helpful:

Very Good, and Not as Muddled as One has ClaimedOct 19, 2005
By J. Martens
This book is very informative, interesting, and entertaining. I've recommended it to people both within and outside the CS and IT communities w/o reservation.

Rather than reiterating things said in the many positive reviews, I'd like to take issue with one reviewer who says Schneier misuses the term "threat." In particular, this reviewer says "A threat is a party with the capabilities and intentions to exploit a vulnerability in an asset." This definition is both counter to standard English usage and counter to standard usage within the computer security field. Every book on my shelf has roughly the same definition of threat: "Threat: a potential for violation of security, which exists when there is a circumstance, capability, action, or event that could breach security and cause harm. That is, a threat is a possible danger that might exploit a vulnerability" -- Stallings, Network Security Essentials, p. 5. So a threat is condition or event, not a party. The reviewer seems to confuse threat with potential adversary.

Schneier's terminology is the standard terminology, and he uses it correctly.

13 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Puts things into perspectiveFeb 10, 2005
By Daniel Williams "PhD, MCSD"
The title of the book refers to the steps to take after fear is sensed. To move beyond fear is to understand it, how it affects you and why, and what you can do about it. And that is what the book addresses - what things do we need to secure, from our personal interests, to national interests.

Schneier addresses this in the framework of a five questions to ask about security. Although the process seems crude, it does touch the heart of security issue - what are we trying to protect, why, and what happens if we don't protect it?

I particularly like his idea of brittle versus flexible security. When a brittle security system fails, you asset is screwed. A (poor) example would be burying your money in your back yard. If this is compromised (someone finds it), then you loose all your money, and that's the end of it. Compare this to a baking account. If someone robs the bank, or fraudulently takes your money, the bank is obliged to get you your money back. (So maybe you should bury your bank account number and password in yuor back yard!)

Although much of the discussion is on the level of national security, he also has gems of wisdom like suggesting that you leave the bathroom light on while you're away to deter burglars. And he points out yuor identity is more likely to be stolen from your discarded papers than from someone stealing your info on the internet.

I really appreciate the last part of the book where he lists the most-likely causes of death among Americans. What I got from that was not that I should avoid international airports, or dig a fallout shelter, but simply that I should make sure that I and my family are securely buckled up when we drive. Now that's putting 9/11 into perspective.

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