Steal This Computer Book 3: What They Won't Tell You About the Internet (Paperback)

~ Wallace Wang (Author) "THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS WITH INFORMATION: NOT HAVING ENOUGH, AND HAVING TOO MUCH..." (more)
Key Phrases: telephone color boxes, replacement inkjet cartridges, file shredder, Social Security, Back Orifice, America Online (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . a travelog of many of the most interesting or inflammatory corners of the Internet." -- Slashdot, September 18, 2003

"Anyone with a PC should read this book." -- About.com, July 28, 2003

"This is (another!) very useful and inspiring No Starch title." -- Tim Smith, Producer, MEGAPOLITAN, July, 2003

"an informative look into all the annoying and painful ways you can be screwed on the Internet" -- The Inquirer, October 27, 2003

""If this book had a soundtrack, it'd be Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side."

Product Description

This offbeat, non-technical book looks at what hackers do, how they do it, and how you can protect yourself. The third edition of this bestseller adopts the same informative, irreverent, and entertaining style that made the first two editions a huge success. Thoroughly updated, this edition also covers rootkits, spyware, web bugs, identity theft, hacktivism, wireless hacking (wardriving), biometrics, and firewalls.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: No Starch Press; 3 edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593270003
• ISBN-13: 978-1593270001
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #538,982 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Steal this computer book 3, March 17, 2004

By	"dlanv" (Ireland) - See all my reviews

I orderd this book after seeing the "stunning" reviews it recieved on this site. I'm sorry to say that I am very disappointed. I got it yesterday morning and was real eager to get into it, but within an hour I just stopped reading. Why?

Dont get me wrong this isnt a bad book per-se and its just that it has its audience and i'm not part of it. This is for people\parents\employers\new users to the internet who want to know more about its dark underbelly.

If you know or understand phrases like- firewalls, sniffers, back-doors, loggers, scanners, spam, idtheft, filters, Airsnort, dumpster-diving, social-engineering, shoulder surfing and so on....- then dont even pick this book up. I'm no computer security guru but i'd say a couple of days surfing the net and you'll soon have the bones of this book.

If on the other hand, you're new to the net, you're worried about you kids safety while on the net, who's using your computer, what they're doing, what other could be doing to you, or just need a quick jumpstart into the darker side of the net then maybe (and only just maybe!!) you should consider this book.

Its like one reviewer said, its for the ordinary guy, but if you've done any bit of work in IT then a lot of it will seem like fluff. So I've left it for now but am not gonna throw it out, its something i'll read when i got time and also there looks to be some interesting sections that I'm gonna look through.

It still gets 2 stars though; one because its well organsied and written in a very easy to understand language, not too technical which is definately a plus if you're new to the net and all thing computers, and two beacuse theres a lot of good links to related software and sites that can help you understand more. Think of it as a good reference\starting point.

Peronally i'd say save you're money and read "computer espoinage, counter measures and tactics" if you want more intersting read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining read but not much on information., May 6, 2005

By	Vance Bulla (Flagstaff, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Definitely a book for beginners, this book is not much more then an introduction to the "dark underside". It should effectively scare any parents or newbes, but bore anyone who's been on the net for any amount of time. I'm not very experienced on the subject of security but still this book didn't have much to offer me. There are a lot of other books out there that provide this information and take it a step or two farther.

The book does present a nice history lesson about hacking and tells about many hacking programs, but most of them are nothing but history themselves. Probably the most informative thing about this book is the web sites it references. It does give you starting blocks to find information you're interested in but doesn't do much for providing that information itself.

If your looking for the possible bad things you could encounter on the net this book provides an introduction to them. It's a good read for someone who only wants the basics. But if you want some more in-depth information don't waste your time and money.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The darker side of the net..., November 8, 2004

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

If you're looking for something that covers the murky underbelly of the internet, you might want to check out Steal This Computer Book 3 by Wallace Wang.

Chapter List: Finding What You Need: The Magic Of Search Engines; Alternative Sources Of News And Information; Censoring Information (We Know What's Best For You); Hacktivism: Online Activism; Pledging Allegiance: Hatred As Patriotism; Where The Hackers Are; Viruses And Worms; Trojan Horses: Beware Of Geeks Bearing Gifts; Con Games On The Internet; Online Stalkers; Probing A Target; Sneaking Into A Computer; Digging In; Computing On A Shoestring; Protecting Your Data And Your Privacy; Waging War On Spam; Web Bugs, Adware, Pop-ups, and Spyware; Firewalls, Intrusion-Dectection Systems, and Honeypots; Computer Forensics: Recovering And Deleting Data; Protecting Your Computer; Software; A Hacker's Gallery Of Rogue Tools; A Bit Of History: Phone Phreaking And Other Phun; Glossary; Index

On the back cover, you have this warning: "This book is not to be used for hacking into government computers, shutting down AOL, cracking software, phone phreaking, spreading viruses, or any other illegal activity." That's enough to get your attention. Depending on your background, I think you'll have varying reactions to the book. People who haven't been exposed to information like this will quickly learn that all is not safe when you're online. If you've surfed the web for any length of time as an IT professional, you'll read a lot of the information and say "I already know that". But even then, you'll pick up some ideas and concepts that you may not have been aware of. For instance, I didn't know there were servers that would send you requested web pages via email in order to bypass filtering or banned sites. And the chapter on alternative sources of news will cause you to think about expanding your media view of the world.

The packaging of the book is rather unique. The cover and pages have a dirty, "photocopied" look to make it appear more illicit than it actually is. It becomes one of those books that will catch someone's eyes on a book shelf, and may need to be explained. :-)

An interesting read, and you will learn a few things along the way....