Hackers and Hacking: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues) - Hardcover

Holt, Thomas J.; Schell, Bernadette H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1610692764 ISBN 13: 9781610692762

Publisher: ABC-CLIO, 2013

Synopsis

This book provides an in-depth exploration of the phenomenon of hacking from a multidisciplinary perspective that addresses the social and technological aspects of this unique activity as well as its impact.

What defines the social world of hackers? How do individuals utilize hacking techniques against corporations, governments, and the general public? And what motivates them to do so? This book traces the origins of hacking from the 1950s to today and provides an in-depth exploration of the ways in which hackers define themselves, the application of malicious and ethical hacking techniques, and how hackers' activities are directly tied to the evolution of the technologies we use every day.

Rather than presenting an overly technical discussion of the phenomenon of hacking, this work examines the culture of hackers and the technologies they exploit in an easy-to-understand format. Additionally, the book documents how hacking can be applied to engage in various forms of cybercrime, ranging from the creation of malicious software to the theft of sensitive information and fraud―acts that can have devastating effects upon our modern information society.

About this title

About the Author

Bernadette H. Schell is a well-published professor in the human-computer interaction domain.

Reviews

Hackers and Hacking traces the origins of computer hacking from the 1950s to the present. Using an accessible narrative style, the book highlights how hackers utilize various formats to engage in different forms of cybercrime, looking at the crimes from both a social and a technological perspective. The volume begins with a history of the Internet around the world as well as detailed descriptions of all variations of hacking. The narrative continues with an in-depth look at how hackers cause damage, followed by a section of essays (“Perspectives”) on the criminal implications and the real-world effects of hacking. Chapter 4, “Profiles,” presents an extremely fascinating perspective of sketches of key hackers, organizations, security companies, and leaders in the field. There is a useful chapter featuring tables and statistics. A section of resources, a chronology, a glossary, and an index round out the work. This unique addition to the Contemporary World Issues series enables the nontechie to better comprehend this worldwide issue of cybercrime. It’s useful to note that the book only looks at the more malicious side of hacking—very little is said about hackers who do it more for the “thrill seeking” aspect or act out of a sense of social responsibility or freedom of speech. Still, this volume is a worthwhile addition to the reference collections of high-school, academic, and public libraries. --Carol Sue Harless

Edition details

• Publisher: ABC-CLIO
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1610692764
• ISBN 13: 9781610692762
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 376