This is the first book every Visual Basic .NET programmer should read on security. This is an end-to-end guide, with clear prescriptive guidance for best practices, application design, and coding techniques for Windows and Web-based applications. This book makes writing secure applications easier than ever before. It features plain-language explanations of security terms illustrated with step-by-step code walk-throughs and sample files for both Visual Basic .NET 2002 and Visual Basic .NET 2003. Programmers will learn how to use encryption, role-based security, code access security, authentication, authorization along with techniques to help protect against common exploits. Also covered in this end-to-end guide are techniques for locking down Microsoft Windows, Internet Information Services and Microsoft SQL server. Readers will learn how to perform a security audit, how to test for security, how to design with security in mind, and security techniques for deploying Windows and Web-based applications.