Netspionage: The Global Threat to Information [Paperback]

William C. Boni CISA MBA (Author), Gerald L. Kovacich CFE CPP CISSP (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0750672579 | ISBN-13: 978-0750672573 | Edition: 1

This book begins by laying out a history of espionage that clearly shows that when a new technology or technique becomes available to the information gatherers in public and private sectors, they can quickly be adopted for Netspionage use. It then moves on to describe how the Internet and associated technologies have already revolutionized the collection and analysis of competitive information. The convergence of dependency on networked and exploitation tools (often propagated by "hackers," "cyberpunks," and even intelligence agencies) has already resulted in several incidents that foreshadow the perilous future. Close study of these incidents demonstrates how difficult yet how important it is to confront the challenges of "netspionage" and its less intrusive cousins. The authors present a set of the known incidents and then outline protective measures that will reduce the potential and consequences of netspionage.

Unlike most security books, this one is written for managers and executives in non-protection roles of the organization, since they are the ones who must take a leadership role in safeguarding the information assets of the networked enterprise.



*Practical guide written from front-line experience
*Explains the evolution of information collection and why it has never been easier
*Highlights the tools of the trade and how they can be put to best use

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A unique contribution to an area of growing concern: the vulnerability of our information infrastructure. Netspionage offers both practical and theoretical insights into the global threat."
-Dr. John W. King, Baldwin-Wallace College

From the Publisher

Unlike most security books, this one is written for managers and executives in non-protection roles of the organization, since they are the ones who must take a leadership role in safeguarding the information assets of the networked enterprise.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1 edition (September 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750672579
• ISBN-13: 978-0750672573
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,133,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of money, May 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Netspionage: The Global Threat to Information (Paperback)

This is the first book that I have read that originates from a Power Point presentation. You can tell because the original Power Point slides are reproduced (poorly) and intersperced throughout the book.

I would guess that these slides were used to great effect several years ago to stunned senior managers of companies still figuring out what the Internet meant. But in 2001, most people are beyond needing this explained to them. To give an idea of the target audience, one of the slides is titled something like "Historical Development of Information Technology" and includes "Invention of Abacus - 3,000 B.C." Is that big picture and patronizing enough for you? How about page after page explaining what the Internet is and revelations like "Other companies can use the Internet to do bad things. Like gather information about YOUR company." "Other companies may try to STEAL your information". Etc. etc. etc., mostly filler (probably the filler they used to fill out the time giving the presentation) A saving grace would have been if the authors had annecdotes of real instances of "Netspionage", or other "inside" experiences to impart, but most of the concrete examples they give appear to be from published cases. So, if you already know what the Internet is and that IT security is imporant, don't bother. If you don't know either of these things, buy a book about the Internet and remember, IT security is imporant.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wow, is this book poorly written., May 14, 2001

By 

Esri F. Allbritten "geekishgirl" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Netspionage: The Global Threat to Information (Paperback)

This book reads like the authors' notes for giving presentations - which I'm sure it is. There is a ton of repetition, and it obviously wasn't edited at all. Plus, the grammar and punctuation are what you might get if you asked a third grader to write with the dense verboseness and gobbledygook of a military tech-writer. This is the first book on the subject that I have read, and there was some good, basic information, as well as some unintentional laughs. But surely there are better books out there, at a better price. The hard information in this could have easily been condensed down to a pamphlet.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll bet Tom Clancy read this book., December 16, 2000

By 

Cynthia Hetherington (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Netspionage: The Global Threat to Information (Paperback)

This book serves as a primer for network espionage identification, control and a future studies. MBA and MIS students should see this on their required reading lists. This is not a technical book with over 2000 pages of source code, or a hacker novel. Yet through case studies and a demonstration of traditional intelligence gathering techniques (ethical and not) Boni and Kovacich prepare us to look into the future, and the present to protect our information assets.