Cybercrime : vandalizing the information society Upplaga 1

Cybercrime: Vandalizing the Information Society Steven Furnell The world-wide cost of the Love Bug worm, unleashed in April 2000, was estimated to exceed $7 billion. There are currently over 70,000 strains of computer virus, with new ones appearing at a rate of over 1,000 per month. The number of website defacements recorded in a single week is now more than twice the number recorded for the whole of 1998. A poll of 47,235 elementary level and middle school students in the United States revealed that 48% of them did not consider hacking into systems to be a crime. Incidents of computer hacking, viruses, and worm programs have become frequent headline news stories in recent years: the existence of cybercrime is inescapable. Cybercrime: Vandalizing the Information Society makes it plain that this is a phenomenon with the ability to affect us all. By raising awareness of the potential threats and vulnerabilities we face, Steven Furnell equips the reader with the knowledge to make informed decisions about IT security. Taking a variety of perspectives, he presents an accessible and sober analysis of the specific manifestations of cybercrime, including hacking, viruses and other forms of malicious software. These activities are clearly set in context by consideration of the wider effects for the organizations and society in which they take place. Issues covered include: the origins and extent of the cybercrime problem; the implications for and responses from the legal system; the reporting of cybercrime incidents in the media; the commercial and political evolution of the computer hacker; the likely future development of cybercrime. Cybercrime: Vandalizing the Information Society provides an authoritative introduction and reference to the subject for business decision-makers, IT professionals, academics, and others interested in going beyond the usual hype and sensationalism. "This is an excellent book: readable, well-researched, and a great addition to the cybercrime literature. It provides a clear assessment of the issues, without playing into the hype or downplaying the threat." - Dorothy E. Denning, Callahan Family Professor of Computer Science, Georgetown University "Entertaining and very well researched Rather than sensationalizing cybercrime and hacking, this book provides information that will help readers reach their own verdict about the threats posed." - Dieter Gollmann, Microsoft Research and co-editor in chief of the International Journal of Information Security "Cybercrime unravels a tangled web of hacking issues, providing a view into the human side of the problem. If you don't know what all the fuss is about hackers, you will after reading this book." - Jeff Crume, CISSP, author of Inside Int...