Steal This Computer Book: What They Won't Tell You About the Internet - Softcover

Wang, Wallace

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1886411212 ISBN 13: 9781886411210

Publisher: No Starch Press, 1998

Synopsis

Whether readers want to attain pointers on eavesdropping and sabotage, protect data, or learn how to cruise the Internet surreptitiously, this book shows what's beneath cyberspace and where to find the actual programs to buy--or just try.

About this title

About the Author

Wallace Wang is the author of several best-selling computer books including of the Steal This Computer Book series, Steal This File Sharing Book, The Book of Nero 7, and Visual Basic 2005 Express: Now Playing (all No Starch Press). He is also a successful standup comic who has appeared on A&E’s "Evening at the Improv" and appears regularly at the Riviera Comedy Club in Las Vegas.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Chapter 5, Hiding Yourself with Encryption and Anonymity: Anything you store on your computer could be used against you. Write a letter to a pen pal who lives in North Korea, Iran, or Cuba, and you could be suspected of transferring state secrets. Send e-mail to a friend about your current work, and you might be accused of leaking proprietary corporate information. Type personal information in your word processor or address book, and a spy could use this information to blackmail you later.

As long as you assume that everything you type into your computer could be read by both your friends and enemies, you should have no problems exposing any secrets you may have. However, if you prefer to keep information on your computer private, then you have two choices: physically lock up your computer so no one else can use it or use encryption.

Unfortunately, physical deterrents, such as locks and cables, can be defeated by anyone with sufficient time and strength-supplemented by pliers and wire clippers. Once a thief snaps a restraining cable or smashes open the lock on your computer case, you're screwed.

As an alternative to cumbersome cables and locks, use software encryption. Encryption scrambles your data and only your password will unscramble it.

Learning About Encryption Encryption can be weak or strong, depending on the method used. For example, weak encryption might just substitute one letter for another, such as the letter "A" for the letter "B," the letter "B" for the letter "C," and so on. This type of encryption is considered weak because it's fairly easy for anyone to figure out that the message "Uif IBM dpnqvufs jt tnbsu" really stands for "The HAL computer is smart."

Strong encryption uses more complicated algorithms to encrypt data. Some of the more popular encryption algorithms are the Data Encryption Standard (DES), International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA), and Blowfish. Just remember that strong encryption algorithms can only protect your data as long as nobody steals your password. If someone steals your password, strong encryption will be as useless as a bank vault without a lock.

Because the weakest link in encryption is access to your password, two types of password methods have emerged: private-key encryption and public-key encryption.

Edition details

• Publisher: No Starch Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1886411212
• ISBN 13: 9781886411210
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320