Fatal System Error; The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who are Bringing Down the Internet

xii, 281, [11] pages. Author's Note. Notes. Index. Scarce signed copy. The inscription by the author on the title page reads To the Reuters branch! Joseph Menn. A fascinating snapshot in time of this then emerging threat. The book investigates the espionage network of international mobsters and hackers who use the Internet to extort money from businesses, steal from tens of millions of consumers, and attack government networks. The main focus of the book is on Barrett Lyon and Andy Crocker and the capture of cybercriminals Ivan Maksakov, Alexander Petrov, and Denis Stepanov. Joseph Menn joined The Washington Post in 2022 after two decades covering technology for Reuters, the Financial Times and the Los Angeles Times. His books include "Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World" and "Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords who are Bringing Down the Internet". In this disquieting cyber thriller, Joseph Menn takes readers into the murky hacker underground, traveling the globe from San Francisco to Costa Rica and London to Russia. His guides are California surfer and computer whiz Barrett Lyon and a fearless British high-tech agent. Through these heroes, Menn shows the evolution of cyber-crime from small-time thieving to sophisticated, organized gangs, who began by attacking corporate data sources but increasingly steal financial data from consumers and defense secrets from governments. Using unprecedented access to Mob businesses and Russian officials, the book reveals how top criminals earned protection from the Russian government. Fatal System Error penetrates both the Russian cyber-mob and La Cosa Nostra as the two fight over the Internet's massive spoils. The cloak-and-dagger adventure shows why cyber-crime is much worse than you thoughtand why the Internet might not survive. First U.S. Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated].…