No comments about Crimes of the Internet.

5 comments about To Catch a Predator: Protecting Your Kids from Online Enemies Already in Your Home.

1. Based on the popular "To Catch a Predator" series, Chris Hanson wrote this book. This is an informative book that all parents should read. About 30% of it is about the TV program and the rest is written like a guidebook. Chris Hanson includes other stories from families and experts, as well. I have watched "To Catch a Predator" from the beginning and really enjoy it. It's great to watch these weasels (my apologies to all weasels) get arrested and I know that this show is doing a lot of good. There is also a spin-off of sorts that started on MSNBC recently called "Predator Raw" which includes extra clips from passed shows. Some have even whispered that because of Chris Hanson's immense popularity on "Dateline" he was partly behind Stone Phillips getting the axe. I don't know if that's true or not; but I'm always happy to see a man with a multi-million-dollar contract who does absolutely nothing get his walking papers. My only complaint about Chris Hanson is that he has done some "To Catch a Predator" parodies which are rather inappropriate and tasteless. In my opinion, he is in no position to bite the hand the feeds him because he should know more than anyone how serious this is.



2. Very informative information in regards to the type of people that are in our society. When it comes to children, you can never be too careful.



3. Especially for anyone with children, a must read! A lot of us think we know how to protect our children but we must be honest with ourselves and admit we don't know everything!



4. Hansen has managed to bring this murky subject into the forefront of daily life and discussion with his show and this book.
   And he did so with a team of experts who are well versed in this awful subject. His book is an easy read, hard to put down once you get going. You'll never look at the internet the same way again without wanting to closely monitor your childrens activities.
   Hansen's show and his actions make him the leading expert on internet predators; his research clearly illustrates the psychology of these guys and the dangers of allow children unfettered access to chat rooms and social sites like Facebook and My Space.
   This book is so popular that two of my local book stores were sold out as were all of their local branches.
   My recommendation? Read it with a highlighter as I did and give a copy as a gift to your friends with children; you could save their lives.
   Evin Daly, Director, Child AbuseWatch.net - Child Abuse Prevention



5. I think every parent should read this book even though it will scare them as it did me. You cannot do anything about a threat if you do not know about it. I am so greatful for the "To Catch A Preditor" series on Dateline and Chris Hansens extra insights in the book.

5 comments about Cybernation (Tom Clancy's Net Force, No. 6).

1. I wrote my review about 40 pages from the end of the book. I must now revise it and remove all points. This has got to be about the worst book I have ever read!!!

   I picked this book up because it was sitting there, I was out of reading material, and it had Tom Clancy's name on it. I was skeptical when Clancy hadn't written the book, but I thought that if he put his name on it, he believed in it.

   There is no story here. Nothing happened. Nothing! ... A few disconnected scenes of people practicing martial arts, some guy drinking beer in virtual reality bars looking for clues (ridiculously stupid angle), and a conclusion that must have been written in one afternoon because the author was bored. The problem is, as is customary, I read to the end of the book to find that out.

   ... There were some parts that held some promise, but there is no coherency, and the conclusion is so bad that I wanted to destroy the book and any credibility it has. ...




2. overall i thought the book was excelent. the book kept me on my toes thinking about what was going to happen. the book was action packed with not only the whole gun slinging scene but also in the scence of how Tom portrayed the world years from now. I love how he made everything electonic. and how everything was made into a thechnologicaly advanced system.
   the plot kept moving making the book a page turner. the only thing i disliked about the book, but made it flow however, was how it would jump between charators. beyond that i loved it.



3. Up to this point, I have loved all the Clancy books I have read. This one was simply horrible. Please note that the author of this book is Steve Perry, not Tom Clancy, and it is not up to par with the works Clancy is known for.

   The story line is very simplistic and they characters are very one dimensional. About 50 pages from the end you could predict the ending with a good degree of accuracy.

   If you haven't read any of Clancy's books (the ones HE wrote), then pick one of those up. This one isn't worth the time or the money. Too bad 0 stars isn't an option.




4. I had thought, in the beginning, that CyberNation would be pretty good because Tom Clancy wrote a ton of really good books and many great video games are created based on his stories. However, as I read along, there was hardly anything to enjoy. Obviously, I had not read any of the other reviews, so I had no idea what trap I was falling into. The storyline of this book is devoid meaning and completely boring, the complete opposite of what Tom Clancy would normally write.
   The "storyline" about Gridley, Howard, Michaels, Santos, Chance, and Keller is completely disjointed. One of the few reasons why this story is connected is that they are fighting against each other in the internet world, and using the VR, or "Virtual Reality", to track things down or to mess things up. In fact, the whole story is covered up with sex, crime, and violence that there is hardly any connection shown. Of course, if I had not been able to follow the storyline, I would not be able to write this, but it was still quite confusing.
   So I ask, again, why did Steve Perry write this? He has no sense of what Mr Clancy writes, nor of his style, elegance, and flair. One cannot imitate a type of writing without being the type of person, obviously, so why did Mr Perry try to do so? Mr Clancy truly should write more of his own books, even if he thinks he is too important and too proud to do the writing. Mr Clancy and Mr Perry must have decided to play a prank on loyal fans of Mr Clancy (not that I am one) because this has disappointed many enthusiastic readers. Of course, these questions I am not really able to answer, but I would not be surprised if Mr Clancy's name was written in huge, bold letters on the book for the profit.



5. The language used in the book is full of slangs.
   But I do not think that the book is so bad as the reviewers say.
   May be a good read for teenagers but not recommended for adults.

No comments about Cybercrime: Criminal Threats from Cyberspace (Crime, Media, and Popular Culture).

5 comments about Understanding and Managing Cybercrime.

1. This is an intelligent, informative and entertaining (love the cartoons!) text dealing with cybercrime from a sociological perspective.



2. This is a unique book. I would have liked the book anyway, as I work at the same university as Dr. McQuade, and we talk on occaision about information security. So I want you to know my bias. But I am not talking about liking it, I am talking about being astonished.
   
   Dr. McQuade wrote the book because he needed a really good book for his Computer Crime class. He was squirreled away for a couple of years, and now I know why.
   
   The book motivates the average reader and student through being real and relevant.
   
   The book calls to the aspiring and excellent student to do deeper, as deep as they want. The references, indexing, and especially "Critical Thinking" questions at the end of each chapter are amazing.
   
   Dr. McQuade also leads by example. He cites frequently from his groundbreaking research. He leads in 2 areas, first he shows what rigorous social science research is about. He also inspires by giving an example of doing research, when there is not much to build on.
   
   For information security professionals that know the law, but might not know it as deep as someone outside law enforcement, the chapter on relevant law is worth the price of the book.
   
   Also, as an information security professional, I often forget to ask the question "Why?" The "Theoretical and Social Perspectives on Cybercrime" took me deeper than I have been before. It is a bit chilling to understand that a generation has been left alone with computers with little or no guidance on the ethics of responsible computing.
   
   And if that weren't enough, the "CyberTales" and the cartoons actually make the book fun.



3. Note: I waited until I had completed Dr. McQuade's courses before posting my comment, so as to avoid as much bias as possible.
   
   I purchased Understanding and Managing Cybercrime as the required textbook for my class. Having said that, it's the only book I purchased this quarter that I actually read. This book is a resource for anyone involved in network security, systems administration or computer consulting. And while it packs in alot of topics into its 490 pages, it's not written over the head of the casual computer user. In fact, the chapters on malware and computer attacks as well as victimization are pertinent to anyone who uses computers in either a personal or business manner.
   For the scholar, this text is broken down into 3 main portions: What there is to attack; Who attacks and why; How they attack and what is/can be done to prevent it. From firewalls to FISA, from Critical Information Infrastructure to the history of Cybercrime laws... it's in there. Dr. McQuade is not an IT person at all, and will profess this to all who ask. He conducted research with experts in the field and combined it with his own criminal justice background to create a book that hits on all of the important topics while giving some personal insight.
   The book is a bit difficult to read sometimes. Chapter 8 is very long, with a lot of historical information! And while the text is a little on the small side, it is delightfully broken up by "Cybertales" and cartoons.
   The part I enjoyed most about this text, and which has shaped my view the most about managing cybercrime, was the section on Theories of IT-Enabled Abuse and Crime. Although no one can predict when a crime will occur, the "tools" in this chapter when combined with the lessons in the rest of the book will help the IT professional plan thier prevention of cybercrime.
   As Dr. McQuade was oft to say: "Eventually, you're all going to get sued" Perhaps with the knowledge from this book, I will win.



4. The best college textbook I have ever read. It's just simple to read and informative without that convoluted wording



5. This is an easy to grasp text. If you are not familiar with the total Cyber world, then this is the book for you. It provides a great overview and breaks it down into specifics. I highly recommend this text for those interested in the field of Homeland Security and anyone new to the IT profession.

No comments about Computer Forensics: Investigation Procedures and Response (Ec-Council Press Series : Computer Series).

5 comments about Stealing Your Life: The Ultimate Identity Theft Prevention Plan.

1. Frank offers good practical advice here. This is not an incredible book by any means but more of a guidebook with examples of how to protect yourself. I think Frank a little short with the structure here and could have kept me drawn in a little bit better.



2. Stealing Your Life: The Ultimate Identity Theft Prevention Plan
   
   If you are absolutely new to idea of identity theft, it's a buy. If you've ever been a victim or are generally self-aware, it's a pass. Stealing Your Life is a good guide to preventing identity theft. Considering that a fresh victim is hit every four seconds, this book offers important tips and techniques from an unsurpassed authority on the latest identity theft schemes. Abagnale explains what criminals do and what steps you should take to protect yourself. Several anecdotes of creative criminality are included, which are as entertaining as they are enlightening. This book provides clear, practical ways to protect yourself from one of today's most common crimes - BUT none of the methods described are fool-proof, and what is worse, it is unlikely that you have not heard at least 80% of this information before.



3. You truly need a book like this. The crooks get away with these crimes cause the cops won't even try to nail them. When it happens the cops won't do anything - even when you yourself track down all the information and put it in their lap. They say, "Well, you got your money back, so what's the issue? Just let it go. There are thousands of these cases a year, and we can't afford to go after them all". No wonder the criminals are having a hay day. Why don't the cops do their job - especially when you hand them the case on a silver platter? After all the criminal *DID* commit a crime, and will almost surely do it again. Well, I take that back. Being the cops do nothing about it guarantees the criminal will do it again! Why not?! So get this book and learn how to protect yourself. And if you are a victim, get really tough, learn how to be your own detective, and never give up going after the guilty. Don't even let a 'little' thing slide. Be like a pit-bull. But, if you get this book, you may never have to deal with that.



4. I think this should be required reading for all of us. Some of it is just common sense, but we all make common sense mistakes when we get complacent. If nothing else, the chapter with the "21 tips" says it all.



5. A good book overall to be aware of how identity theft occurs and steps to prevent it from happening to you.
   
   I was familiar with most of the tactics identity thieves use, such as the scam emails telling you that millions of dollars will be transferred to your account (I've gotten tons of those emails). Other methods used by identity thieves were unfamiliar to me, such as taking your personal information during supposedly public surveys.
   
   I did find the author a bit repetitious, and felt this book could have been written in a fewer pages. The author does however get his point across, and not only will you be scared, but you will also be encouraged to start taking precautions against identity thieves. You will also wonder whether you are already the victim of an identity thief.
   
   I did find it surprising that most identity thieves are close friends or relatives! This bit came to me as a shocker, and the author gives many real life cases of how children stole the identity of their own parents, or vice-versa. You can really never trust anyone.
   
   I did find it annoying when the author promoted his shredder. I think this could have been discussed in an index, but not within the book itself. This somehow made me take the book less seriously, even though the author is a former counterfeiter and an FBI instructor on identity theft and counterfeits.
   
   This book is a must read for anyone wishing to identify identity theft and learn of ways to prevent it from happening in the first place (like shredding all your documents using the author's patented shredder hihihihihihihi).
   
   The book could have been shorter and more captivating, and I did find myself skipping pages and skimming over others.

5 comments about The Watchman: The Twisted Life and Crimes of Serial Hacker Kevin Poulsen.

1. If you like true crime stories, this one is for you. I wont try and debate the truth of the book, (it's a controversial subject)because I dont know the truth. But I know this is a good story, even if there are a few fabrications here and there.
   
   I am a computer geek at heart, so I especially loved this book. But even my non-technical girlfriend loved it, it's a great story.
   
   The storytelling in this book is magnificent, you really get a feel for his personality right off the bat, and the story is filled with excitement and suspense, and pardon the cliche, is impossible to put down. The first time I picked up the book, I sat and read it to the end, despite my best efforts to walk away from it.
   
   The imagery is great, and you start to feel a closeness and sympathy for Kevin, and you forget at the time he was a criminal. You hope he doesn't get caught, and cringe when he does. You watch him do well, and slip, like an addict who can't take control, and you start to feel an understanding of what it was like for him.
   
   Overall, I would say from a technical standpoint, it's a great read. From a true crime perspective, great read as well. Good all around book that's entertaining from start to finish.



2. Jonathan Littman's The Watchman is well written and engaged me enough to read it in one sitting. I wanted for some time to learn more about Kevin Poulsen having heard about some of the exploits attributed to him. This story accomplishes that in a compelling way and manages to be pertinent years later. This is required reading for anyone wishing to know the darker side of the hacker sub-culture, about Kevin Poulsen, Ron Austin or Justin Petersen and some of their creative mischief and crimes.



3. I had Kevin for dinner on 1 July 1999. It seems he was about to marry my wife's first cousin, who--at the time--was an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Neither was I impressed by Kevin's putative depth of knowledge, nor did he indicate that this book bore the least relationship to his exploits. I was just disappointed all around. I believe my wife made her Polynesian meatballs.



4. Computer security is not only part of my job, but a bit of a hobby of mine, so I love reading books like this. This book was fun to read and I read it in pretty much one night. This is a rare feat for me... I barely ever read books in one night, much less a few nights. So that should tell you how much fun the book was to read.
   
   The reason for 4 stars instead of 5? 1) It only comes in a hard cover instead of a paper back? At least, I couldn't find a paper back anywhere! 2) It's obvious (and Poulsen has commented on this) that the author has made up some things that Kevin said or did. However, this is obviously to keep the book interesting and make for a better read... So, don't take everything that the author says to heart, but the underlying story is still pretty much what happened from what I understand and have found to be true, anyway.
   
   Great read, thrilling, exciting and fun. If you like stories about computers, security and hackers.



5. I'm a huge fan of hacker and true crime stories, and although I'd certainly heard of Kevin Poulsen, had no idea his capers were as vast and varied until reading this book! It's obvious from the opening pages that Poulsen's understanding of how the telephone network operated was simply profound. Coupled with his imagination and penchant for adventure, this true story reads like anything but. And wait until you read how he handles being outed on "America's Most Wanted"!
   
   Highly recommended. If you're looking for other great books on the topic, check out "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier", and "The Hacker Crackdown: Law And Disorder On The Electronic Frontier".

5 comments about The Hacker Crackdown: Law And Disorder On The Electronic Frontier.

1. I learned more about the telephone in 12 hours than 12 years of school life. The dates and times depicted in this book happened during a time when I'd been 'off-line' with the computer world. I began with AOL (unfortunately) and due to my own reasons gave up computers for a while. It's like going back home and finding out what's happened to everyone after you'd left years back. Historically, this is the place to begin reading about phones and phone systems. To understand at least the fundimentals of the technology we wrap ourselves into.
   Most definitely a must-read book. If you liked this, try At-Large, the Strange case of the world's Biggest Internet Invasion by David H. Freedman and Charles C. Mann.



2. this is an excellent book until the ''underground'' part. But it forgot to talk about the cybergang ''Master Of Deception'' the opponent of Legion Of Doom.



3. A very lively, interesting, and well-written (by Bruce Sterling no less) summer read for those interested in the history of phone phreaking and computer exploration and mischief. Highly recommended.



4. Bruce Sterling of Cyberpunk fame takes a journalistic approach to researching law and disorder on the electronic frontier by examining two specific events in depth : the 1990 Operation Sundevil, a concerted nationwide effort by district attorneys, the Secret Service, the FBI, local authorities and various Telco security to bust and publicize a hacker crackdown; and the resulting trials and creation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and rise of the civil libertarians.
   
   The book is divided into four parts: crashing the system, the digital underground, law and order, and the Civil Libertarians. Mr. Sterling does a credible job explaining the telco systems and motivations and actions of the people on both sides of the issue - phone phreaks/hackers and law enforcement/district attorneys without succumbing to a lot of jargon or taking sides.
   
   The book is replete with interesting accounts of Alexander Graham Bell and history of telephony, the origins of the Secret Service and its' early battles with "Boodlers", and the dissemination of the E911 document that came to cause grief to many people.
   
   Reading this in 2006 and beyond will cause a few chuckles at his penchant for describing and drooling over advance systems (I have a real urge to drive down to the storage unit for my Commodore 64 and IBM clone), yet the events of the early hacker sub-culture remain relevant to anyone interested in computers, freedom and privacy.



5. This is a good book. I took it to mexico with me and read it on the beach.

1 comments about Digital Crime and Digital Terrorism.

1. This book is far superior than many other books on similar topics, and the authors walk the line well between being academic and practical. The thrust of the book is toward an understanding of what criminologists call "emerging crime," and it delivers a well researched baseline of information synthesized with what is known or speculated about emerging trends. The end result is a product suitable for adoption in the academic marketplace, and would even make for fascinating reading by laypersons. Overall, the book is congruent with the scholarly and curricular purposes of higher education, and one shares the sense of urgency that comes across at times, but one also relishes the moments, evident in the writing, when careful and meticulous reflection is done.
   The introductory chapter spares the reader from a boring introduction to the history of the Internet, and the basic typology relied upon is the well-known computer as target and computer as tool (instrument) which comes from some of the earliest distinctions made, as well as the third type, the computer as incidental to crime. The authors wisely stick to a legalistic approach, and educate or orient the reader about theft and fraud law, which is important to do. Gladly, there is not any overemphasis upon news stories. The writing is generalized when it can be, and specific when it has to be.
   The criminological theory chapter is ripe with promise. Twenty-five pages are spent bringing the reader up to par on the mainstream theories in criminology, but then, strain, learning, and control theories are just applied, not really extended, to explain computer crime. Theoretical extensions are left to the reader's imagination.
   There is a well-done analysis of hacker subcultures, but the approach taken is symbolic interactionist, leading to a morally relativistic position that hackers and computer criminals are qualitatively and quantitatively different from other criminals. Likewise with the discussion of virus writers, semantic danger is noted in perceiving virus writers as "technopathic" and I take this as the authors attempting to make the reader more culturally sensitive to the plight of those poor, unfairly-labeled "bad" guys.
   The crimes of embezzlement, economic espionage, money laundering, and fraud are discussed in a straightforward manner, but the approach is quite legalistic, and all the reader will walk away with is a better understanding of the CFA and EEA acts.
   A welcome focus on victimization appears when stalking and obscenity are discussed, but the writing is quite antiseptic, handling very meticulously and tactfully things like child prostitution and sexual predators on the Web. Topics like sex tourism are also discussed, but there's really no "voice" of the victims to be found.
   Towards the middle, the book shifts to what criminal justice agencies are doing, but the discussion is freshman-level, and there's really no coverage of the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, or what the feds are doing. Other topics are missing altogether, like cyber-vigilantism. Computer forensics is the focus.
   Once cyberterrorism is finally gotten around to, four types of it are discussed: infrastructure; information; facilitation; and promotion. The first type brings up the subject of homeland security. The second type brings up web defacement. The third type discusses cryptography and steganography, and the fourth type gets into the topic of propaganda. Issues are only brought up and never fully explored or exploited. An interesting inclusion is what's written on anarchy, eco-terrorism, and Internet cartoons. It seems like certain emerging trends sometimes take precedence over mundane issues.
   All in all, the book grasps what can safely be generalized without losing currency. There are some brave, noble initiatives in this book, and it is creative in many respects, but it tries to deliver all things to all people, and suffers somewhat for it by lacking a perspective or voice.