Terrifying tales of data breaches make consumers want to scream
Brian Krebs
These terrifying tales sent me looking for a book I had been meaning to read for quite some time. My former Washington Post colleague  Brian Krebs  left the newspaper in 2009 to dedicate  himself  to a blog on cybersecurity: KrebsOnSecurity.com. Out of  his  work and research came âSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime â From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.â
But  Krebs  has made a background believer out of me.
âThe Internet of today is truly a transformative communications and learning tool that radically enriches the lives of billions each day â  Krebs  writes. âYet  never before in the history of the Internet has this medium been more fraught with snares and neâer-do-wells looking to fleece the unwary.
With our spam filters and the constant drilling to not open suspicious emails  weâve been lulled into a false sense of security   Krebs  says.
âThe spam ecosystem is a constantly evolving technological and sociological crime machine that feeds on itself â writes  Krebs . âThus far  the criminals responsible for unleashing this daily glut of digital disease are doing a stupendous job of overwhelming the security industry.â
 Krebs  spends a lot of time introducing the major and minor spam players. Itâs like a Jason Bourne movie but with criminals who donât shoot at folks (well  some do). They instead fire out malicious spam infecting tens of millions of computers and  as a result  rake in millions of dollars.
Waiting for you at the end of the book is a very resourceful chapter on how to protect yourself. Youâll be safer following  Krebs âs three rules for online security:
Even if you donât buy âSpam Nation â make  Krebs âs blog regular reading.  His  reporting will frighten you. It does me. As  he  writes  âthose who endeavor to remain blissfully unaware of their role in becoming part of the solution will almost invariably end up becoming part of the problem.â
Iâm hosting an online discussion about âSpam Nationâ at noon Eastern time on Nov. 2 at washingtonpost.com/discussions.  Krebs  will join me to answer your cybersecurity questions.
These terrifying tales sent me looking for a book I had been meaning to read for quite some time.  [TGT] left the newspaper in 2009 to dedicate   [TGT]   to a blog on cybersecurity: KrebsOnSecurity.com. Out of   [TGT]   work and research came âSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime â From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.â
But  Krebs  has made a background believer out of me.
âThe Internet of today is truly a transformative communications and learning tool that radically enriches the lives of billions each day â  Krebs  writes. âYet  never before in the history of the Internet has this medium been more fraught with snares and neâer-do-wells looking to fleece the unwary.
With our spam filters and the constant drilling to not open suspicious emails  weâve been lulled into a false sense of security   Krebs  says.
âThe spam ecosystem is a constantly evolving technological and sociological crime machine that feeds on itself â writes  Krebs . âThus far  the criminals responsible for unleashing this daily glut of digital disease are doing a stupendous job of overwhelming the security industry.â
 Krebs  spends a lot of time introducing the major and minor spam players. Itâs like a Jason Bourne movie but with criminals who donât shoot at folks (well  some do). They instead fire out malicious spam infecting tens of millions of computers and  as a result  rake in millions of dollars.
Waiting for you at the end of the book is a very resourceful chapter on how to protect yourself. Youâll be safer following  Krebs âs three rules for online security:
Even if you donât buy âSpam Nation â make  Krebs âs blog regular reading.  His  reporting will frighten you. It does me. As  he  writes  âthose who endeavor to remain blissfully unaware of their role in becoming part of the solution will almost invariably end up becoming part of the problem.â
Iâm hosting an online discussion about âSpam Nationâ at noon Eastern time on Nov. 2 at washingtonpost.com/discussions.  Krebs  will join me to answer your cybersecurity questions.