Fatal system error
Subtitle: the hunt for the new crime lords who are bringing down the Internet
By: Joseph Menn
Edition: Rev. and updated.
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 287
ISBN-13: 9781586489076
Subjects: Computer hackers; Computer crimes; Internet fraud
Description: From the Publisher: In this disquieting cyber thriller, Joseph Menn takes readers into the murky hacker underground, traveling the globe from San Francisco to Costa Rica and London to Russia. His guides are California surfer and computer whiz Barrett Lyon and a fearless British high-tech agent. Through these heroes, Menn shows the evolution of cyber-crime from small-time thieving to sophisticated, organized gangs, who began by attacking corporate websites but increasingly steal financial data from consumers and defense secrets from governments. Using unprecedented access to Mob businesses and Russian officials, the book reveals how top criminals earned protection from the Russian government. Fatal System Error penetrates both the Russian cyber-mob and La Cosa Nostra as the two fight over the Internet's massive spoils. The cloak-and-dagger adventure shows why cyber-crime is much worse than you thought-and why the Internet might not survive.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-271) and index.
Table of contents: title: Wargames; title: Hardcore vs exe; title: In too deep; title: Turn; title: Crackdown; title: From spam to identity theft; title: Whatever it takes; title: The day of action; title: The underground economy; title: Trial; title: Beyond crime; title: Fixing what's fixable.