Computer network security is a hot topic these days due to the proliferation of computer networks and their vulnerability to attacks. This book is a part of Springer’s “Computer Communications and Networks” series. The first edition was published in 2009 and had 22 chapters, the second edition in 2013 had 24 chapters, and the current third edition has 25 chapters. The difference in content between the second and third editions is not substantial; the chapter titles are essentially the same (except for the addition of a new chapter, “Conquering the Last Frontier in the Digital Invasion”).

The book contains exercises and advanced exercises, along with relevant references, and comes with support materials for instructors, such as a syllabus, slides, answers to selected exercises, lab exercises, and projects, making it useful for teaching courses on computer security. It is divided into six parts.

The first part covers the fundamentals of computer networks and computer network security.

Part 2 focuses on security issues and challenges in computer networks. These include security threats, vulnerabilities, cybercrimes and hacking, the dangers of scripting languages (especially in web browsers), and mechanisms for assessing security, analyzing threats, and providing assurance.

The third part deals with the security challenges of computer networks. Techniques for managing disasters, enforcing access control and implementing authorization and authentication, cryptographic mechanisms, the benefits of firewalls, detecting intrusions and preventing them, forensics for computers and networks, filtering viruses and malicious content, evaluating products in terms of security, protocols for computer network security, ensuring security in wireless networks and devices, security issues in sensor networks, and other ongoing efforts in data security are discussed.

Part 4 concentrates on recent developments in cloud computing and security issues that pertain to it, security challenges due to virtualization software, and security issues pertaining to mobile devices.

The fifth part consists of just one chapter on threats to home networks.

The last part (6) focuses entirely on hands-on projects. These include weekly or biweekly lab assignments, semester projects, and research projects.

The book is well written and current. The exercises and projects are helpful for teaching. The first edition was praised in a review [1], and I believe the third edition will continue to receive praise from students, researchers, and practitioners. I strongly recommend it.