Robert Slade
{{Short description|Canadian information scientist}}
{{about||the member of the Georgia State Senate|Robert L. Slade Jr.}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name = Robert Slade
|image = Robert Slade-20060614.jpg
|image_size = 180px
|caption =
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|fields = Information security
Malware
Professional certification
|alma_mater = University of British Columbia
University of Oregon
Regent College
|known_for =
|nationality = Canadian
}}
Robert Michael Slade, also known as Robert M. Slade and Rob Slade, is a Canadian information security consultant, researcher and instructor. He is the author of Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses, Software Forensics, Dictionary of Information Security and co-author of Viruses Revealed. Slade is the author of thousands of technical book reviews, today published on the techbooks mailing list and in the RISKS Digest, and archived in his Internet Review Project. An expert on computer viruses and malware, he is also the Mr. Slade of "Mr. Slade's lists".
Family and education
Slade married Gloria J. Slade (deceased December 22, 2021{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2022 |title=Gloria Jean Slade |url=https://vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca/obituary/gloria-slade-1084273433 |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Vancouver Sun and Province}}) who edited{{cite web|last=Slade|first=Robert|title=Gloria Slade)|url=https://infosec-inmemoriam.blogspot.com/2021/12/gloria-slade.html|date=December 22, 2021|publisher=Infosec In Memoriam|accessdate=2025-01-25}} much of his work and was the editor of Slade's book reviews.{{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert|title=Dictionary of Information Security|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofinfo0000slad|url-access=registration|publisher=Syngress|year=2006|pages=Front|isbn=1-59749-115-2}} He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia, a master's in computer and information science education from the University of Oregon and a diploma in Christian studies from Regent College.
Malware and forensics
Slade became one of a small number of researchers who can be called the world's experts on malware. Fred Cohen named Slade's early work organizing computer viruses, software, BBSes and book reviews Mr. Slade's lists.{{cite web|title=Dr. Fred Cohen|url=http://freenet.victoria.bc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/cohen.htm|publisher=Robert Slade|accessdate=2008-05-22}}{{cite web|title=Editorial reviews of Software Forensics|publisher=Various via Amazon.com|url=https://www.amazon.com/Software-Forensics-Collecting-Evidence-Digital/dp/product-description/0071428046|date=July 2004|accessdate=2008-05-21}} Slade is one of fewer than thirty people worldwide who are credited for contributions in the final version of the VIRUS-L FAQ, which, with the Usenet group comp.virus and the VIRUS-L mailing list, was the public group of record for computer virus issues from 1988 to 1995.{{cite web|last=FitzGerald|first=Nick|title=VIRUS-L/comp.virus Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) v2.00|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/faq/|date=October 9, 1995|publisher=Advameg|accessdate=2008-05-22}} Until 1996 he maintained the Antiviral Software Evaluation FAQ, a quick reference for users seeking antivirus software and a vendor contacts list.{{cite web|title=Antiviral Software Evaluation FAQ|url=http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/avrevfaq.html|publisher=Robert Slade|date=November 13, 1996|accessdate=2008-05-22}} He was a contributor as well to at least three{{cite web|last=Wenzel|first=George |title=alt.comp.virus (Frequently Asked Questions) Version 1.1|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/alt-faq/part1/index.html|date=August 19, 1999|publisher=Advameg|accessdate=2008-05-22}} and {{cite web|last=Wenzel|first=George|title=Mini-FAQ: alt.comp.virus (version 1.2)|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/mini-faq/|date=August 23, 1999|publisher=Advameg|accessdate=2008-05-22}} and {{cite web|last=Harley|first=David|title=Viruses and the Mac FAQ Version 1.6b|url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/computer-virus/macintosh-faq/|date=January 7, 2000|publisher=Advameg|accessdate=2008-05-22}} other group computer virus FAQs before the Web came to prominence. He has written two books about viruses: he was sole author of Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses, first published in 1994 (2nd edition 1996) and co-wrote Viruses Revealed with David Harley and Urs Gattiker in 2001.
Slade advanced the field of computer forensics when through his antivirus research he found that the intentions and identity of virus authors can be discovered in their program code.{{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert M.|title=Software Forensics : Collecting Evidence from the Scene of a Digital Crime|year=2004|pages=5|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|isbn=0-07-142804-6}} He created the first course ever offered in forensic programming.{{cite web|title=Speaker Bios|url=http://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/events/bios.cgi?event=12|publisher=(ISC)²|accessdate=2008-05-20}}{{cite web|title=Software Forensics/Forensic Programming course table of contents|url=http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/fptoc.htm|publisher=Robert Slade|accessdate=2008-05-20}} His book Software Forensics was published in 2004{{cite web|title=Software Forensics|url=http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.au/html/9780071428040.html|publisher=McGraw-Hill (mcgraw-hill.com.au)|accessdate=2008-05-20|archive-date=2008-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803073427/http://mcgraw-hill.com.au/html/9780071428040.html|url-status=dead}} and his chapter on the subject is in print in the Information Security Management Handbook as of the fifth edition.
Information security
Today Slade is a consultant to businesses and government—among his client list are Fortune 500 companies and the government of Canada—as well as to educational institutions.{{cite web|title=Author Biography|url=http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.au/html/9780071428040.html|publisher=McGraw-Hill (mcgraw-hill.com.au)|accessdate=2008-05-20|archive-date=2008-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803073427/http://mcgraw-hill.com.au/html/9780071428040.html|url-status=dead}} Slade creates seminars for local, federal and international training groups. He is a senior instructor for (ISC)² where he develops courses in information security and quality assurance (QA) for those who seek certification.{{cite book|last1=Hansche|first1=Susan|last2=Berti|first2=John|last3=Hare|first3=Hare|title=Official (ISC)2 guide to the CISSP exam|publisher=CRC Press|year=2003|page=xiii|isbn=0-8493-1707-X|url=https://archive.org/details/officialiscguide0000hans}} Slade himself is one of the world's approximately 60,000Member count was 59,797 as of May 20, 2008 in {{cite web|title=Member Counts|url=http://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/content.cgi?page=11399|publisher=(ISC)²|accessdate=2008-05-20}} CISSPs,{{cite book|editor1-last=Tipton |editor1-first=Harold F. |editor2-last=Krause |editor2-first=Micki |title=Information Security Management Handbook|publisher=Auerbach|year=2003|page=Table of Contents|isbn=0-8493-1997-8}} a certification used in private industry as well as, at least in the United States, in government and defense.{{cite web|title=CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) (Management Level 2 & 3 Training %2F Technical Level 3 Training)|url=http://ia.gordon.army.mil/CISSP.asp|publisher=U.S. Army Information Assurance Training Center|accessdate=2008-05-22}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite press release|title=NSA Certifies Information Security Staff; CISSP Designation Awarded to 51 Employees|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2002_Nov_18/ai_94389036|date=November 18, 2002|publisher=(ISC)2, NSA via CNET Networks (BNET)|accessdate=2008-05-22}}{{cite press release|title=(ISC)² Launches New Certification for U.S. National Security Information Security Professionals|url=http://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/content.cgi?page=279|date=July 23, 2003|publisher=(ISC)²|accessdate=2008-05-22}}
Slade moved his online security glossary in 2006 to the book Dictionary of Information Security.{{cite web|title=Rob Slade's Dictionary Errata Page|url=http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/secgloss.htm|publisher=Robert Slade|accessdate=2008-05-20}} Virus Bulletin remarked about the unusual collection of five forewords, "that so many acknowledged experts are willing to contribute says something about the author's standing in the field"—the forewords were written by Fred Cohen, Jack Holleran, Peter G. Neumann, Harold Tipton and Gene Spafford.{{cite journal|last=Harley|first=David|title=War of the Words|url=http://www.virusbtn.com/virusbulletin/archive/2006/09/vb200609-dictionary|journal=Virus Bulletin|date=September 2006|pages=13–14|issn=1749-7027|accessdate=2008-05-20}} The dictionary is considered to be "dependable baseline definitions" and a "citable, common source".
Internet Review Project
Slade has "surveyed most of the literature" in his field and shared his knowledge in the Internet Review Project, a collection of his published book reviews.Eugene Spafford in {{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert|title=Dictionary of Information Security|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofinfo0000slad|url-access=registration|publisher=Syngress|year=2006|pages=Front|isbn=1-59749-115-2}} While his first priority to information security, he reviews works in other fields as well. His reviews are often critical; to the project FAQ question "Don't you like any books?", Slade replies "I'm a cruel reviewer. But fair!"{{cite web|title=Rob Slade's Book Reviews FAQ|url=http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/revfaq.htm|accessdate=2008-05-20}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert|title=Cybersecurity Lessons from CoVID-19|year=2021|url=https://www.routledge.com/Cybersecurity-Lessons-from-CoVID-19/Slade/p/book/9780367682699|accessdate=2021-07-04|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0367682699}}
- {{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert|title=Dictionary of Information Security|publisher=Syngress|year=2006|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofinfo0000slad|accessdate=2008-05-20|isbn=1-59749-115-2|url-access=registration}}
- {{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert M.|title=Software Forensics : Collecting Evidence from the Scene of a Digital Crime|year=2004|publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional|isbn=0-07-142804-6}}
- {{cite book|last1=Harley|first1=David|last2=Slade|first2=Slade|last3=Gattiker|first3=Urs E.|title=Viruses Revealed|year=2001|publisher=McGraw-Hill Companies|isbn=0-07-213090-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/virusesrevealed00harl}}
- {{cite book|last=Slade|first=Robert|title=Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses: How to Avoid Them, How to Get Rid of Them, and How to Get Help|year=1996|publisher=Springer|edition=2|isbn=0-387-94311-0}}
Notes
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External links
- {{cite web|title=Robert M. Slade's Biographical and Linking Page|url=http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/rms.htm|accessdate=2008-05-20}} [Home page.]
- {{cite web|title=Computer and Technical Book Reviews|url=http://victoria.tc.ca/int-grps/books/techrev/mnbk.htm|publisher=Robert Slade|accessdate=2008-05-23}} [Book reviews.]
- {{cite web|title=Robert Slade on Shoulders of Infosec|url=http://shouldersofinfosec.pbworks.com/Rob+Slade+-+%28Slade%2C+Robert%29|accessdate=2021-10-09}} [Home page.]
- {{cite web|title=Flickr: rslade's photostream|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/rslade/|publisher=Yahoo! (flickr.com)|accessdate=2008-05-22}} [Photos.]
- {{cite video|people=Slade, Robert M.|title=Net-Based Malware Detection: A Comparison With Intrusion Detection Models|url=http://media.poly.edu/realmedia/electrical/eesem2003/eesem2003_11_06.ram|publisher=Fortinet Technologies, Polytechnic University|medium=RealVideo|date=November 2003|accessdate=2008-05-22}} [Video.]
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:People from North Vancouver
Category:Canadian technology writers
Category:People associated with computer security