Hack Proofing Your Identity [Paperback]

Teri Bidwell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1931836515 | ISBN-13: 978-1931836517 | Publication Date: June 15, 2002 | Edition: 1

Identity-theft is the fastest growing crime in America, affecting approximately 900,000 new victims each year. Protect your assets and personal information online with this comprehensive guide.

Hack Proofing Your Identity will provide readers with hands-on instruction for how to secure their personal information on multiple devices. It will include simple measures as well as advanced techniques gleaned from experts in the field who have years of experience with identity theft and fraud. This book will also provide readers with instruction for identifying cyber-crime and the different ways they can report it if it occurs.

Hot Topic. Hack Proofing Your Identity will provide readers with both simple and advanced steps they can take to protect themselves from cyber-crime.
Expert Advice. This book will present security measures gathered from experts in both the federal government and the private sector to help secure your personal information and assets online.
Unique Coverage. Hack Proofing Your Identity will be the only book to include security measure for multiple devices like laptops, PDAs and mobile phones to allow users to protect themselves while taking advantage of the newest ways to access the Internet.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Neal O'Farrell is CEO of Hackademia, a firm focused on security education. He's a twenty-year veteran of information security, former hacker, and original Code Rebel. He's also editor of The Zone, the security newsletter publishedby Internet security firm Zone Labs, where his unique take on cybercrime is dispensed to nearly 3 million subscribers across more than 100 countries every month. Neal is host of the Breach of Trust Security Briefings for Lawyers and speaks on Internet security issues to audiences around the nation. Neal lives in San Ramon, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Syngress; 1 edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931836515
• ISBN-13: 978-1931836517
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,021,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read and Apply This Information, January 7, 2003

By 

Stephen Northcutt (Kauai, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hack Proofing Your Identity (Paperback)

The developed world is in a transition. We are becoming an information economy. A result of this is that our identity is more important than ever and our identities are at risk of being stolen and misused! Hack Proofing Your Identity covers the fundamentals you need to know about identity theft. The book is primarily positioned as an awareness tool and is a serious wake up call. The author, Teri Bidwell clearly makes the point that simple everyday tasks such as writing checks, using credit cards, logging onto the Internet to perform on-line banking or stock trading reveal our private information to the outside world.

This book is directed towards real people, the average computer user, and avoids the gargon you might see in a text written for IT workers. Parents will also find this book intriguing as it teaches cyber security for children. The Author not only shares ways of protecting yourself and your private information, but also provide an in-depth introduction and summary of each chapter, as well as fast track solutions and frequently asked questions.

The book begins with identity theft and outlines what electronic information is truly private and how your personal information can be used against you. Then it moves on to a discussion about choosing strong passwords, installing and updating antivirus software as well as file encryption.

There is a fascinating discussion about how to protect your identity while using E-mail and the Internet. The book makes it clear that connecting to the Internet connects you to the rest of the world!

Raising children in the cyber and digital age brings a whole new set of challenges. Parents need to educate children about computerized sexual predators, unethical and illegal uses of computers. This is not a pleasant topic, but it is crucial. My own son nearly fell prey to one as a young teenager. My wife found him in the garage on the phone with an older lady who was trying to set up a rendezvous. They had met in a chat room. The book shows you how to protect children from becoming victims of crime on the Internet.

What happens if you become a victim of identity theft? How do you protect yourself or regain your identity? This is covered as well. The bottom line, this is an approachable book that covers the basic information that you really should think about. Read it then make sure your spouse, your parents and your kids know this stuff and put it into practice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good information for the average computer user..., April 17, 2004

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hack Proofing Your Identity (Paperback)

Target Audience
Anyone who is an internet user and hasn't thought about protecting their identity.

Contents
This book outlines the issues involved in protecting your identity in an online environment, along with giving practical suggestions on how to do so.

The book is divided into the following chapters: Identity Theft: Are You At Risk?; Protecting Your Hard Drive; Keeping Your Email Private; Self-Defense On The Web; Connecting To The Internet Safely; Are Your Kids Putting You At Risk?; If You Become A Victim; Configuring Your Browser And Firewall; Index

Review
If you're a long-time techno-geek, you've no doubt been aware of the risks of exposing your identity on the Internet. You make sure credit cards are only used over encrypted links, you don't fall for phishing scams, and so on. But as more people have started to go online over the years, the incidents of computer crime and identity theft have risen dramatically. To combat your exposure to those scams, you should read Hack Proofing Your Identity In The Information Age.

The typical computer user will pick up quite a bit from this book. The first chapter will introduce the concept of identity theft and how easy it is for someone to glean information from you and use it to open credit accounts. There is also information here on how to avoid theft by non-electronic methods, such as securing your mail and cell phone. Subsequent chapters go more into detail on specific areas, such as email and web browsing. While the authors rightly state that it is impossible to completely protect yourself against a determined attacker, reading and implementing the material that you find in this book will significantly decrease your chances of becoming a victim.

To the techno-geek who's been living in the computer age for a long time, you will undoubtedly know most of this information. Even so, it's not assured that you will never become a victim. The chapter titled If You Become A Victim is a good reference on what steps to take once you determine that you've been targeted. Since it can be a stressful experience to clean up the damage, the convenience of having all the steps spelled out for you can be a lifesaver.

Conclusion
A good book for people who have never considered the risks of identity theft as they surf the internet, as well as for someone who is trying to clean up the damage once the theft occurs.