Tangled Web: Tales of Digital Crime from the Shadows of Cyberspace

Advances made in computer and Internet technologies have contributed to the expansion of gathering, storing, processing, and exchanging all types of information. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people around these days who make unlawful attempts to obtain certain information, damage information and computer systems, obstruct services, cause mischief, and otherwise interfere with normal electronic communications. Tangled Web discusses the roles of computer, Internet, and telecommunications technologies in the realm of computer crime - including pornography, identity theft, hacking, credit card data theft, altering Web pages, deliberate shutting down of services, fraudulent money transfers, worm and virus infections, and sabotage carried out by disgruntled employees. Actual accounts of real people perpetrating such crimes, including interviews, drives home the impact that criminal computer activity can have on the lives of so many other people. Power describes in detail the kind of people involved in committing computerized crime - their motivations, how they go about their work, some of the law enforcement strategies involved in catching them, and the consequences of their actions - including monetary losses, downtime, and threats to human safety. The book contains a helpful glossary of terminology specifically related to computer crime. A listing of resources provides readers with a wealth of additional information about computer crime, threats to online privacy, and measures that can be taken to help prevent future breaches of safety and security. Inclusion of the Computer Fraud and Misuse Act and other U.S. laws and treaties spells out the serious nature of criminal computer crime and some of the steps the federal government has taken to discourage further criminal activity. I found the book quite chilling. I couldn't easily put it down. Anyone familiar with Simson Garfinkel's Database Nation (O'Reilly & Associates), will find this book thoroughly intriguing, thought-provoking, and compelling reason enough to take more serious measures to protect their computer systems and data against possible attack. Extraordinary reading and relevant to our culture today!

In the last ten years I was involved in Cyber Crimes Investigations in my country.Part of the years I was responsible of the Cyber Crimes Team in our National Police.Today I teach Computer Law in my Country.In any lecture and presentation I make almost every week,people are asking for a clear book concern Cyber Crimes with data,examples ect.I read most of the books.Only now I can send people to a real book.Not heavy.Useful for Judge,Lawyer,Student,Police officer,Security Officer ect.Its the great contribution to the fight against Cyber Crimes.I think this is the book of the year in Cyber Crimes.It has not to be a book for scientist.It has to be for the man on the street and update.Its update.well done.

This is a great book! I didn't know much about digital crime, just what I'd read about the Love Bug and things like that. But I couldn't put this book down! It talks about the mind of the computer criminal and why people do things like break into computer systems and cause damage, and it tells you how much damage all this costs. But the best parts of the book are where it describes actual computer crime cases, like the one where the Russian broke into the bank and stole millions of dollars, using computers. It also tells you about cases of identity theft and espionage and computer warfare. What I also liked is that it gives you lots of sources where you can find out more about computer crime, and it includes the laws that apply to these kinds of crimes. I can't recommend it highly enough.

This book is an absolute "tour-de-force". Not only has the author provided the most complete history of recent (90's) cybercrime and well-informed analysis of the costs to society (and us cyber-consumers!), but he manages to do it with style, movement and even a touch of sardonic humor.The deep analysis and constant eye towards the "human factor" in cybercrime is powerful and important. The extent to which psychology and organizational behavior guide the development of cybercrime and the sadly "Keystone"-like countermeasures of the majority of organizational cyber-cops/marks is an important lesson. In Chapters 10 and 11, for example, we get a close look at how human frailties and organizational hubris/naivete leave even "techno-savvy" organizations open to massive, needless losses. HR departments around the country should take heart; there will be many off-site training sessions in the offing if corporate America is to secure itself, and slick new hardware/software represent only a fraction of what it's going to take.When the book moves into the Global and Governmental arena, the full scope becomes almost overwhelming. Luckily the author keeps it moving quickly and presents the information with remarkable clarity/economy given the sheer range of material he's putting together.This book may not absolutely keep you out of the tangled-web, but at least you'll have some idea of where the stickier strands in your neighborhood are and how to *just maybe* avoid them. The critical review of the role of the (largely clueless and unknowing) media in the reportage of cybercrime is very welcome. Popular myths and misconceptions have got to go if this problem is to be properly illuminated and addressed.

Tangled Web is an excellent treatment of the kinds of crimes and the kinds of criminals that are popping up in cyberspace. Richard Power, an respected expert in computer security, combines descriptions of his own experiences with publicly-reported accounts of digital crimes into a fascinating tour of the dark side of cyberspace. He gives the reader the benefit of his years of research into the damage caused by computer crime; the book gives detailed, frightening statistics about the havoc computer criminals have already caused, along with well-grounded speculation about what kinds of damage we may see in the future. The book contains chapters that deal with the different types of computer crime--hacking and cracking, viruses, identity theft, child pornography, sabotage, cybervandalism, corporate espionage and information warfare. In addition to describing specific cases involving the commission of these crimes, Power explains how law enforcement officers investigate the crimes and apprehend those who commit them. He includes a variety of "real world" sources, CERT advisories, excerpts from an affidavit submitted in support of a search warrant and even excerpts from a transcript generated by an FBI wiretap used in the Phonemasters investigation, which focused on hackers who were stealing and selling private information. For those who want to know more, the book includes a lengthy set of appendices, which contain a variety of material, including federal laws and treaties dealing with digital crime. The appendices also list web sites and publications that provide additional information on the topics Power discusses.