Information Warfare: Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway [Hardcover]

Winn Schwartau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

Will the electronic superhighway open the doors to an electronic cold war, or will it be the dawn of an information revolution? This book examines both these possibilities in a serious and inviting manner, outlining almost every kind of information disaster imaginable, and asserting that it is a simple matter of awareness and attention that can be our salvation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hackers who break into companies' computers, steal or scramble data and plant "viruses" are only the most publicized threat to electronic security, according to this shocking and eye-opening report. It shows that the computer systems and information highways of U.S. businesses, government and the military are surprisingly vulnerable to theft, data manipulation and sabotage by "information warriors" such as corporate employees, business competitors, organized crime, drug cartels, terrorists, law enforcement officials, insurance companies and others. Schwartau, an information security specialist, tells of electromagnetic eavesdroppers who use a modified TV set to pick up computer screens' emissions; HERF (high-energy radio frequency) guns that can zap an entire computer network; and microchip manufacturers who insert cloned or counterfeit chips so that complex equipment will eventually crash. He outlines a national information policy (which he was asked to present to the Clinton administration), a blueprint to safeguard electronic privacy. Schwartau closes with a practical chapter for individuals or companies seeking to ward off snoops and electronic troublemakers.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Lyon (sociology, Queen's Univ., Ontario) has written a detailed, scholarly work on the use of technology for surveillance. He describes our present culture as the "surveillance society," reminding us that explicit details of our personal lives are gathered, stored, sorted, retrieved, and processed every day among the massive computer databases of large corporations and government departments. But surveillance, as explored by Lyon, is not overwhelmingly negative in its effects. Nor does he conclude that surveillance is inherently evil. Citing the efforts of the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, Lyon instead encourages public awareness of surveillance issues. He lauds mobilized efforts to restrict inappropriate use of electronic surveillance and to block attempts to make personal information publicly available. A noteworthy study of an important issue, this is intended for informed readers. A general audience will find Schwartau's Information Warfare more appealing. Schwartau, an expert on information security and electronic privacy, presents an overview of "information warfare," a confict in which electronic information is a vital asset and a strategic target for conquest or destruction. Showing that the essence of our individual and corporate selves is being distributed across thousands of computer databases over which we have little or no control, Schwartau paints a grim picture of what could happen if the very records that define us become subject to malicious modification, theft, unauthorized disclosure, or outright destruction. Personal, corporate, and global information warfare currently costs the United States hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Schwartau describes almost every kind of information disaster imaginable and compels us to establish a National Information Policy to serve as the foundation for our future: a constitution for Cyberspace. This book presents disturbing answers to some simple questions about our personal and national stake in the Global Network. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
Joe Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib., Chicago
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Pr; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560250801
• ISBN-13: 978-1560250807
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,934,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very important book, November 18, 2001

By 

Dr. Lee D. Carlson (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Information Warfare: Second Edition (Paperback)

The importance of the contents of this book cannot be overstated. It is a collection of articles written by various experts in the field, which works well as it gives the reader a balanced view. Space prohibits a thorough review, so a list of some important highlights in the book is in order: 1. The discussion on applications of biotronics: bacteria that can detect single molecules of chemical and biological agents. 2. High-power radio frequency (HERF) weapons and their effects on biological systems. 3. The use of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS) to measure the magnetic neural activity of the brain. 4. The discussion on "assassination politics". 5. Cognitive maps used to visualize belief systems about information warfare. 6. The afterward of the book, which is the best part actually, for the reason that the author embraces an optimistic view of the future of the information age. He lists the "Ten Commandments" of computer ethics which should be followed by all individuals.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable for its anecdotes but technologically lightweight, April 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Information Warfare: Second Edition (Paperback)

I am still waiting for a book that connects the macrocosmic threats to the microcosmic implementations in a technically sound fashion. This is not such a book. The author's choice of "luminaries" to interview was disappointing for its omissions as well as for its inclusions. Indeed, an architect of several successful products is placed on equal footing with a middling government worker whose life achievement consists of cutting and pasting others' e-mails, while a rider of others' coattails is equated with a distinguished researcher on the vanguard of anti-virus technology. Technologists with little or no direct experience in either the politics or the technology simply expounded their own ill-structured opinions and made sure to pepper them with the phrase "information warfare" so they would fit. I get the feeling that Mr. Schwartau merely rummaged through a list of contributors to the latest lightweight system admin conference and solicited written input from every warm body who could find ten minutes to return his phone call and another twenty minutes to whip up a vainglorious, name-dropping diatribe.

5.0 out of 5 stars Still a Best in Class Endeavor, December 1, 2007

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Information Warfare: Second Edition (Paperback)

I continue to believe this is one of the best in class original references. Winn, Peter Black (RIP) and I were among the first to warn of electronic Pearl Harbors, with Winn being the most knowledeable and the only one invited to brief Congress, where it went in one ear and out the others.

Winn Schwartau was one of the first, along with Peter Black (RIP), to warn Congress and the business world that digital systems would be extremely vulnerable. No one listened.

This book is still in my library. It is the non-fiction "first book" in this area.

For the fictional version that will stun with its surprise ending:
Terminal Compromise

For the best movie showing how easy it is to bring a society down:
Live Free or Die Hard (Full Screen Edition)

Other Hacker Books:
The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit , Twentieth Anniversary Edition
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution
The Hacker Crackdown: Law And Disorder On The Electronic Frontier
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security

Other Hacker DVD:
Hackers
Hackers - Wizards of the Electronic Age