Customer Reviews

Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have undertaken efforts to protect your identity from theft, have you thought to check on the credit reports of your children? I certainly had not, but this is one of the hidden gems/tips in the just published How To Own an Identity (Raven Adler, Jay Beale, et al, Syngress Press, 2005, 450 Pages, ISBN 1597490067), the third book in Syngress' Stealing the Network series.

While not the best book in the series (I believe the second book, How to Own A Continent, holds this distinction). But it is still a very good read, offering insights into how your identity is not only vulnerable to theft by individual hackers, but how these hackers may be just a pawn in larger attacks by organized crime and other groups. Like the first two books in the series, this book is presented as fiction laced with technical fact and education. The main characters are much the same, but you are given new insights and backstories about them.

You may think you know a lot about social engineering, but this art form takes on new meaning and perspective when you read Chapter 6, "The Java Script Cafe". In fact this chapter provides a good back drop that leads to revelations on how a hacker might turn the tables on the very people they were trying to serve. The book may also make you think twice about how much the government may not be on your side in protecting you identity, whether it be by siding with the companies that buy and sell your information in the marketplace, or even some unnamed agencies that you think are working for you.

It all makes for a very good read, but at the same time it does not flow together as well as the first two titles in the series. This may be a case of just too many authors contributing to one book, which is unfortunate. But it does not mean you should not read the book. It is an important topic to understand or at least try to. Some portions may be too technical for nontechnical readers, but that should not dissuade this potential audience.

Now go and check your childrens' credit reports. I know that I am.

The Scorecard

Birdie on A Downwind Par 5 Easily Reachable in 2

Good story, followed through pretty well from STN:Continent, which I haven't read in quite some time, so I didn't really do much cross-referencing, so take that comment for what it's worth. My two major issues with the book were:
1) Apparent lack of proofing whatsoever. In some cases it appeared that the author had stopped typing mid-sentence and picked up some time later, forgetting what exactly they had said because they had previously stopped typing mid-sentence. (re-read for example) At one point a whole paragraph was in there twice in a row. This sort of thing frazzled me a bit as I was reading it, and took away from the immersion to an extent. Each chapter was written by a different author so this is not a consitant trend through the entire book. There is some good writing in there as well.
2) More story, less technical stuff. This seemed a bit more 'novel-y' than the previous books, I kind of didn't like that aspect of it. That was just me though. Some of it was pretty good though, and a fun read, like the chapter about Knoll Jr. as well as the Blacktower chapter. All-in-all, I'd have to say that I liked the first STN [:box] the best, but that's just me. The cohesiveness of the story between chapters seemed to be better in this one [Identity] than STN:Continent, though.

Overall I give it three stars because I am a grammar nazi but you might enjoy it more. I recommend it if you've read the previous ones.

The latest installment in Syngress' Stealing series is Stealing The Network - How to Own an Identity by Timothy Mullen, Johnny Long, Raven Alder, Jay Beale, Riley Eller, Brian Hatch, Chris Hurley, Jeff Moss, Tom Parker, and Ryan Russell. The reason there are so many authors is that each chapter is written by a different person with an emphasis on the type of security issues they know best. The net effect ends up being an informative novel with hacking details woven in.

Since this is written in novel form, listing the table of contents wouldn't shed much light on what you're getting in the book. Suffice it to say that there is a lot of technical detail about particular hacks and social engineering attacks. The different writers cover various areas such as encryption and ciphers, hacking personal wi-fi networks to gain identity info, using credit card offers to help build alternate identities, and forensic examination of devices like fax machines and printers to gain knowledge of prior activity.

From a review perspective, I wasn't quite as engrossed in this book as I was with the prior installments. For one, this tries to pick up where Own a Continent leaves off. Many of the characters and incidents in this book got their beginning there. If you could read the two back-to-back, you might find better continuity. As it's been awhile since I read Continent, the story line wasn't as fresh to me as it could have been. Also, the basic storyline is rather vague and hard to follow. I kept thinking that the book was like a "certain type" of movie where the story line is only there to transition between the "action" scenes. While I'm not expecting NYT Top 10 Fiction material, I was hoping for something a little more cohesive. If the material contained in the book wasn't so important, I probably wouldn't rate this book as highly as I am.

Even with having said that, it's still a book worth reading for those who are not up-to-speed on identity theft. The technical info is sound, and you'll never view your mailbox as being secure again...

Following in the tradition of the previous books of the "Stealing the Network" series and several other O'Reilly computer security books, this installment gives an interesting view of identity theft and how it can be used. The editors assembled a wide range of computer security talent to show the way identity theft can be abused for crime. This work of fiction is closer to truth than you'd wish possible. These sobering tales of computer exploits explains the motto "Control Information, Control Life."

It's a scary thought that this much information (and therefore power) is so easily available online.
The book makes an interesting point about how some people will be secure in protecting their personal information, but then post genealogy information online freely without realizing its value to crackers.

Learning to "know your enemy" in the computer realm requires a pirate's intuition, savvy? Chapter 2 is a neat scenario for creating and cracking codes. My wonder is where did all the money comes from and what was his father up to? Chapter 3 sounds frightfully easy to do - knowledge is power.

The stories are compelling and interesting, arousing both fear and intrigue. This shows how close fiction and real life can be. Parts of the book and the ending are somewhat hard to follow and I found the ending disappointing. Although you get the endgame of the story, it'd like to learn more about the lessons learned from such an experience. In thinking through all these activities, what can be learned for prevention of identity theft for our individual, business, and government responsibilities?
The book doesn't fully address the added possibilities of fraud, cyber stalking, information abuse, blackmail, and spamming that these cyber capabilities allow.

This book is disturbing-it's so insanely simple to steal an identity. But this shock is not without purpose. Through reading the very entertaining anecdotes about social engineering, hacking, and just plain fraud, you get a sense of what can be done to protect your identity.

The book is different from what you might expect. Rather than chapter after chapter about how to do this or that, this book reads more like a novel. Through the story you get a little entertainment, learn a little about security, and learn a little about identity theft. It's a very different type of book than I was expecting, but I think it works well. In fact, I wonder if the only way you could write a "how-to" book of sorts on identity theft would be to write it the way this book is written.

This certainly isn't a book that I'd pull out and read over and over, like many of my reference books. This is a book I would read once, then think about for a very long time. Like I said, it's unlike anything I was ever expecting-in a good way. Do check this one out.

I reviewed the first Stealing book in May 2003, and the second in September 2004. I liked the two earlier books, and the third book -- Stealing the Network: How to 0wn an Identity (STNHT0AI) -- is also a fun read. The book is most impressive when it outlines plausible scenarios for identity theft, penetrating wireless networks, and compromising Hushmail. Although some of the writing is rough, I still recommend reading this book.

I'd like to point out a few aspects of the book that hooked my attention. First, Ch 3 explains how to assume a college student's identity. 1. Steal pre-approved credit card applications from neighborhood mailboxes. 2. Identify a likely target, and find that person's date of birth and parent's names using online family tree databases. 3. Buy NetDetective and obtain the target's SSN. 4. Get a real driver's license from a thief who stole DMV equipment. 5. Intercept at mail box the credit card applied for in step 1. 6. Apply for a real birth certificate using the credit card obtained in the previous step. 7. Intercept at mail box the real birth certificate mailed to the target's home. Aside from the SSN acquisition, that scenario is plausible and incredibly scary!

The second scenario that left a lasting impression appears in Ch 8. Jay Beale explains how to compromise and read mail exchanged through Hushmail. The crux of the matter is obtaining control of Hushmail's DNS servers. At the end of his chapter, Jay notes that Hushmail's DNS servers were compromised in April 2005. I thought his chapter contained the best mix of story and clear technical explanations found in STNHT0AI.

It is very helpful to have read at least the previous Stealing book prior to STNHT0AI. At times it felt like I was watching the second Back to the Future movie, where Marty sees different aspects of events that took place in the first movie. I was also completely shocked by the hints left at the end of the book, and the abrupt ending left me waiting to resolve the cliffhanger. I look forward to reading Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow later this year.

This book is hard to put down! It was like looking into a window of the underground world that most people, even those in the Information Security Industry, are unaware exists. The technical aspects in thoe book gave the storyline a credibility that other books lack. The characters were colorful and well developed. The book opened my eyes to the very real threat of identity theft and how identities are "harevsted" and used as currency on the blackmarket by organized crime and malicious entities such as terrorist organizationa. Great read that will not diassapoint you.

This book is a good read for people who are technical, but not information security experts. I see from Amazon that there are other books in the series; I will definitely be reading them soon.

It is a fictionalized account of people (on both sides of the enforcement/criminal side) who are dealing with identity theft and forgery. I would recommend that anyone who has questions about identity theft gives this book a look - it's definitely opened my eyes.

The technical sections are useful illustrations for those who understand them, but the main thrust of the book is in the concepts applied. Anyone who does not understand the details of the technical approaches would still be able to understand the plot movement and basic areas where they may want to bolster their own identity security.

I give it 5 stars because not only is it a great hacker thriller but the use of character names from the 80s movie Real Genius cracks me up. Its like the movie's sequel.