Computers and their networks are being widely used nowadays. Hence, their security is a very hot topic. This book on computer and network security essentials consists of 35 contributed chapters edited by a main editor and four associate editors. All the editors have a solid background in computer security.

The book is composed of seven parts. The first part on computer security has five chapters. The beginning chapter of the book introduces computer security. Other chapters discuss topics such as the classification of intrusion detection systems, the detection of advanced persistent threats, privacy preservation, and forensic analysis of an attack done using JavaScript.

The second part is on network security. There are six chapters that focus on the use of malleable cryptosystems in wireless sensor networks, pre-processing for intrusion detection systems, security protocols, the distinction between security and privacy in the context of the Internet of Things, transmission protocols for underwater acoustic networks, and configuration of honeypots for forming virtual security structures.

The third part is on topics related to cryptography. There are six chapters, which study the security of 2D barcodes, search for encrypted data in clouds, single sign-on authentication, security threats in public clouds, the employment of secure elliptic curves for cryptography, and models for studying the propagation of malware.

The fourth part on biometrics and forensics has four chapters. There are chapters on biometrics for the purpose of authenticating users, biometric authentication for cloud computing, rough methods for searching in the context of digital forensics, and web browsers that preserve privacy.

The fifth part on hardware security contains three chapters. There is an interesting chapter on the forensic analysis of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards. The other two chapters have material related to improving and designing physically unclonable functions (PUFs).

The sixth part on security applications has three chapters. There are chapters on information flow tracking, characterization of probing, and distributed denial of service attacks, and a security framework for session mobility in the context of cloud computing.

The seventh part on security management has eight chapters. The chapter on best practices for deploying Internet of Things devices offers helpful tips. The next chapter focuses on cognitive computing. The chapter on neural networks for monitoring industrial control systems exemplifies the growing practical applications of neural networks. A chapter looks at security issues in cloud computing with the aim of setting up a virtual cloud environment. The performance of intrusion detection systems is evaluated and a comparative study is made. The issue of accountability for federated clouds is studied. A chapter is based on the notion of a kill chain, which models the structure of a military attack for cyber security and intrusion in a computer network. The last chapter looks at methods for defending against attacks caused by the use of social engineering techniques.

The book contains a productive compendium of articles written by security experts with varied specializations. It covers a wide range of security topics and will serve as a good introduction to modern topics related to computer and network security. The chapters contain adequate references to recent literature and present current trends and future directions. Complementary slides are available for free download on the book’s website. The book is suitable for teaching introductory courses on computer and network security although no exercises have been included for pedagogy. The book will be useful for students, teachers, professionals, and researchers with an interest in computer security.