Crime Dot Com: From Viruses to Vote Rigging, How Hacking Went Global
Author: Geoff White
"It’s a real gem of knowledge and as well as being informative, it is incredibly thought-provoking. This book is a genuinely exciting read that I cannot recommend enough."
This book details the social history of hacking and far more besides. For techies and non-techies alike, this book informs of a world that is a mystery to many. Immediately, the book busts the common myth that hackers are lone wolves and dives straight in to begin discussing the communities around new and emerging technologies. The book explores more about who the people behind the attacks are, and how this interacts with the motivations for carrying them out.
Typically it is asserted that the main motivation is financial and it is a recurring theme throughout the book as to whether there is more to it than that.
From the early discussions of what defines a hacker and the emergence of online crime, this book explains how we got where we are today. When the existing disputes between civil liberties and law enforcement became centred around - and included - new technologies, it was evident a massive shift was emerging which would fundamentally alter the way society functions on an organisational, national and international level.
White explores the narratives and the rationale behind some of the world’s most infamous cybercrimes. From the origins of hacking, to real life scandals, to tales of the dark web, this book has it all. It’s such a ride from beginning to end with never a dull moment. In tales of hacktivism and trolls, this book is packed full of content, and is very well-written. The author has conducted extensive journalistic research, and it is extensively deployed in the book to offer real insight. Between information about the technical craft utilised by the hackers and also the charismatic approach, it becomes possible to begin to understand why these hacks were all so successful. It certainly cannot be attributed to high-level technical skill alone.
The book effectively demonstrates how hacks and cyber activity have such wide implications for society. Cybercrime effects so many more areas of life than we generally realise. The public have become familiar with a series of headlines about cyberattacks, but do not often dig deeper. This book offers a real opportunity to learn more about everything related to hacking and its global implications. Some impacts are not felt immediately and this text traces the longer term ramifications of some events which occurred. This book makes full use of wider timescales.
For those who are new to the subject, this book offers a lot of explanatory notes and there is a lot of discussion around the basic concepts. This makes it a superb introductory text. For those more informed, the insights displayed by White offer substantial analysis and ensure that this book is an essential read for everyone. It’s a real gem of knowledge and as well as being informative, it is incredibly thought-provoking. This book is a genuinely exciting read that I cannot recommend enough.
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