Hacked, Attacked, Abused

Did you know that... * In 2001 a gambling Web site was hacked so that in a few hours 140 gamblers won a total of $1.9 million? * The Love Bug virus cost $8.7 billion globally in lost productivity and clean-up costs? * Numerous corporations have suffered severe reputational and financial consequences due to false information about them being e-mailed to thousands of recipients? * Major websites are being rendered inaccessible by denial of service attacks? * In 1986 there was only one recorded computer virus; now there are over 50,000 and that number is still growing? * A Texas professor began to receive death threats because someone had "stolen" his e-mail address and sent 20,000 racist messages from it? * Innumerable corporate and national networks have been hacked into, including Microsoft, NASA, and the Korean Atomic Research Institute? * Thousands of innocent individuals have had their identities "stolen" online and used fraudulently? Digital crime has grown quickly as business has become more reliant on digital media. "Hacker attacks" and Internet viruses proliferate. Yet many businesses remain unaware of just what the risks are. Here is an investigation into all these risk areas accompanied by a non-technical evaluation of the overall problem. Lilley illustrates his account with real life examples of electronic crime and also delivers specific, practical advice on how to identify and prevent it. Risks discussed include: organized digital crime; cyber laundering; fraudulent Internet Web sites; hacking and cracking; viruses; website defacement; unauthorized disclosure of confidential information; the fraudulent aspects of electronic cash; identity theft; information warfare; denialof service attacks where systems are inaccessible to legitimate users; invasion of digital privacy.