Errata
Last updated: 5 May 2004
If you discover any mistakes that I've missed, kindly contact me at thomas[dot]greene[at]theregister.co.uk. Please cite the page number. You will be credited by name or alias unless you ask not to be.
Important Blunders and Ommissions
PAGE xxxiii, beneath the heading "Secure Configuration," and between the first and second pgphs, insert boxed NOTE:
NOTE All procedures in this book have been verified on Windows XP Professional Edition SP1, and SuSE Linux Professional Edition version 8.2 with KDE version 3.1. Users of different Windows and Linux versions may need to adjust the procedures slightly. Additionally, all Linux commands are based on the Bash (Bourne again shell) command interpreter.
PAGE 59: The first numbered item:
"Go to the desktop Start menu and choose Settings ==> Control Panel ==> Folder Options. The Folder Options dialog will launch."
Should read:
"On Win-XP Pro Edition, go to the desktop Start menu and choose Settings ==> Control Panel ==> Folder Options. On Win-XP Home Edition, go to My Computer ==> Tools ==> Folder Options, or Windows Explorer ==> Tools ==> Folder Options. The Folder Options dialog will launch."
PAGE 170: The boxed NOTE should read:
NOTE The tilde (~) indicates two things: a shortened directory path, or a directory whose name would vary on different computers. Thus C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Program Files\Temp might be shortened to ~\Temp, while /home/username/Documents might appear as /home/~/Documents.
PAGE 177, 178: The heading "Bash" should read:
"Command History," and the full subsection below the heading should be deleted and replaced with this text:
"Linux users have a handy feature called the command history, which records commands entered in the shell and saves them from session to session. This lets you use the keyboard arrow keys to find frequently-used commands stored in history and enter them at the command prompt without bothering to type them. This is especially convenient when you have long directory paths to remember.
But there might be a problem: if you ever get distracted and carelessly enter your root password or a password to a remote service at the command prompt instead of at the password prompt, it might be saved in the history file in clear text. It shouldn't be, unless it's an actual, working command, but it's important to check the history files and verify this.
When you receive a password prompt in the shell, the password will not be saved, but anything you enter at the command prompt might be, depending on the shell you use. For example, on KDE, you'll find the Bash history files in /root/.bash_history and /home/~/.bash_history. You can open them with a text editor and remove any important traces, then save them. But again, take care that your text editor isn't set to back up saved files automatically, or the original file will remain as a backup. You could write-protect the command history files, but this is a bit of overkill. Alternatively, you could allow the history files to fill up with a good number of frequently-used commands, then write-protect them. But it's easy enough to check them occasionally to ensure that you haven't recorded any passwords in them by mistake."
PAGE 297: The boxed NOTE should read:
NOTE 1: All procedures in this book have been verified on Windows XP Professional Edition SP1, and SuSE Linux Professional Edition version 8.2 with KDE version 3.1. Users of different Windows and Linux versions may need to adjust the procedures slightly. Additionally, all Linux commands are based on the Bash (Bourne again shell) command interpreter. 2: The tilde (~) indicates two things: a shortened directory path, or a directory whose name would vary on different computers. Thus C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Program Files\Temp might be shortened to ~\Temp, while /home/username/Documents might appear as /home/~/Documents.
PAGE 316: The first numbered item:
"Go to the desktop Start menu and choose Settings ==> Control Panel ==> Folder Options. The Folder Options dialog will launch."
Should read:
"On WinXP Pro Edition, go to the desktop Start menu and choose Settings ==> Control Panel ==> Folder Options. On WinXP Home Edition, go to My Computer ==> Tools ==> Folder Options, or Windows Explorer ==> Tools ==> Folder Options. The Folder Options dialog will launch."
Minor errors in spelling, punctuation, layout, etc:
PAGE xvi, in the final paragraph, the phrase "...spooky realm of pure evil like the enchanted forest through which Hansel and Gretel wandered" should read: "...spooky realm of evil like the enchanted forest in which Hansel and Gretel nearly met their doom."
PAGE 161, in the first paragraph, first sentence,
"PGPWipe" should read: "PGP Wipe".
PAGE 242, in the third full paragraph, "John Tritac" should read: "John Tritak".
PAGE 255, second full paragraph: In the sentence "Instead of some fallible .... at the controls" there are two commas following "themselves".
PAGE 275, in the first full paragraph, the last sentence, "...as older ones fade into story" should read: "...as older ones fade into history."
PAGE 279, bottom:
The boxed Note should be a regular footnote, with the reference number at the heading "Glossary".
PAGE 395, in the right-hand column, the entry "egedit32.exe tool, 166" should be deleted. It appears correctly under "R" as "regedit32.exe, tool, 166".
PAGE 400: In the right-hand column, the entries "PGP Wipe" and "PGPWipe" should be consolidated. The entry for "PGP Wipe" should read: "PGP Wipe, 143, 161". The entry for PGPWipe should be deleted.
PAGE 404: In the left hand column, entries for "Tritac" and "Tritak" should be consolidated. The correct single entry for "Tritak" should read: "Tritak, John, 242, 243". The entry for "Tritac" should be deleted.