The virus researcher's Bible

Peter Szor's book is definitely THE book any aspiring anti-virus researcher and computer security professional must read. It is very broad and information-packed, covering just about every single important aspect of computer viruses and anti-virus research. The book is very technical which, from my point of view, is a big plus - although beginners might find some parts of it daunting. This is definitely no "viruses for dummies" book. In the field of computer viruses and anti-virus research, this book is what Donald Knuth's Art of Computer Programming, The, Volumes 1-3 Boxed Set (2nd Edition) (The Art of Computer Programming Series) is for computer scientists.

The only gripe I have is that it is perhaps not deep enough. While every important aspect of viruses and anti-virus defense is covered, some of them are not covered deeply enough. This is not the author's fault but the publisher's. Originally, the author intended to write two separate volumes (one dedicated to computer viruses and one dedicated to anti-virus defenses), covering in depth every aspect of these two areas. However, the publisher imposed size restrictions on him. Although the book is rather thick (700+ pages), the space is still not enough to cover in sufficient depth every important aspect of this field.

However, each chapter contains references for further reading and the interested reader can do their own research of the aspects that are not covered deeply enough.

In summary: excellent book, useful both as a textbook and as a reference. Great read, information-packed, useful. Just don't expect to find any "how to write a virus" recipies there - fortunately, the author went to great lengths to avoid them.

Other Reviews

• Lacking in technical detail - OK for historical information
• Complicated, Confusing
• Fried Air
• The virus researcher's Bible
• Excellent Source of Information