Cybercrime Vandalizing the Information Society [Paperback]

Steven Furnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2001

This book seeks to explore the problem of cybercrime, which is a continual and increasing threat to the information society. The author presents the hacker culture and also considers hacktivism and cyberterrorism; the trend towards hiring hackers to test systems; the role of hacking in next-generation warfare; and today's most important countermeasures.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's hard to argue that 20th-century law enforcement authorities had any idea how to deal with computer-assisted crime. Hoping to help the sheriffs of the new frontier, British computer security expert Steven Furnell gives a thorough overview of the means and motivations of their prey in Cybercrime: Vandalizing the Information Society.

As a guide to mainstream conceptions of hacking, viral code, and e-fraud, the book is invaluable both for the authorities it targets and its discussion of the antiauthoritarians who want to minimize both cyberharm and electronic oppression. Furnell makes some excellent points, well worth repeating as they're often ignored: computer security is still mostly laughable, most bad-guy hackers are less motivated by greed than other crooks, and traditional law-enforcement techniques are conspicuously irrelevant. For its topic, Cybercrime is comparatively calm and rational--just what we need to beat down the hype. --Rob Lightner

From the Back Cover

The world-wide cost of the Love Bug worm, unleashed in April 2000, was estimated to exceed $7 billion. There are currently over 66,000 strains of computer virus, with new ones appearing at a rate of over 1,000 per month. The number of website defacements recorded in a single week is now more than twice the number recorded for the whole of 1998. A poll of 47,235 elementary level and middle school students in the United States revealed that 48% of them did not consider hacking into systems to be a crime.

Incidents of computer hacking, viruses, and worm programs have become frequent headline news stories in recent years: the existence of cybercrime is inescapable. Cybercrime: Vandalizing the Information Society makes it plain that this is a phenomenon with the potential to affect us all. By raising our awareness of the potential threats and vulnerabilities we face, Steven Furnell equips the reader with the knowledge to make informed decisions about IT security.

Taking a variety of perspectives, he presents an accessible and sober analysis of the specific manifestations of cybercrime, including hacking, viruses and other forms of malicious software. These activities are clearly set in context by consideration of the wider effects for the organizations and society in which they take place.

Issues covered include:

• the origins and extent of the cybercrime problem;
• the implications for and responses from the legal system;
• the reporting of cybercrime incidents in the media;
• the commercial and political evolution of the computer hacker;
• the likely future development of cybercrime.

Cybercrime: Vandalizing the Information Society provides an authoritative introduction and reference to the subject for business decision-makers, IT professionals, academics, and others interested in going beyond the usual hype and sensationalism.

"This is an excellent book: readable, well-researched, and a great addition to the cybercrime literature. It provides a clear assessment of the issues, without playing into the hype or downplaying the threat."
- Dorothy E. Denning, Callahan Family Professor of Computer Science, Georgetown University

"Entertaining and very well researched. Rather than sensationalizing cybercrime and hacking, this book provides information that will help readers reach their own verdict about the threats posed."
- Dieter Gollmann, Microsoft Research and co-editor in chief of the International Journal of Information Security

0201721597B10312001

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1st edition (December 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201721597
• ISBN-13: 978-0201721591
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,485,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the threats of computer crime, December 24, 2002

By 

Ben Rothke "Author of 'Computer Security: 20 ... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cybercrime Vandalizing the Information Society (Paperback)

Cybercrime - Vandalizing the Information Society is a good book that gives the reader a competent synopsis of why computer crime exists.

Furnell's main point, that computer security is still not resilient enough to deal with the current threats should be taken to heart.

The book is light on the FUD factor (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) and heavy on case histories and statistics. This is turn makes this a good title for the non-technical audience.

Overall, Cybercrime Vandalizing the Information Society is a very readable book with a lot of good information.