Product Description: You Are Who the Computer Says You Are
The first two books in this series, Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box and Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent, have become classics in the Hacker and Infosec communities because of their chillingly realistic depictions of criminal hacking techniques and strategies. But what happens when the tables turn, and the criminal hackers become the targets of both law enforcement and each other? What happens when they must evade detection by creating new identities and applying their skills to get out fast and vanish into thin air. In Stealing the Network: How to Own an Identity, the hacker crew you've grown to both love and hate find themselves on the run, fleeing from both authority and adversary. They must now use their prowess in a way they never expected--to survive...
From the Diary of Robert Knoll, Senior My name, my real name, is Robert Knoll, Senior. No middle name. Most of those who matter right now think of me as Knuth. But I am the man of a thousand faces, the god of infinite forms.
Identity is a precious commodity. In centuries past, those who fancied themselves sorcerers believed that if you knew a being's true name, you could control that being. Near where I live now, there are shamans who impose similar beliefs on their people. The secret is that if you grant such a man, an agency, this power over yourself through your beliefs or actions, then it is true.
Only recently has this become true in the modern world. The people of the world have granted control of their existence to computers, networks, and databases. You own property if a computer says you do. You can buy a house if a computer says you may. You have money in the bank if a computer says so. Your blood type is what the computer says it is. You are who the computer says you are.
A good entry into a sometimes difficult subject This book is a good read for people who are technical, but not information security experts. I see from Amazon that there are other books in the series; I will definitely be reading them soon.
It is a fictionalized account of people (on both sides of the enforcement/criminal side) who are dealing with identity theft and forgery. I would recommend that anyone who has questions about identity theft gives this book a look - it's definitely opened my eyes.
The technical sections are useful illustrations for those who understand them, but the main thrust of the book is in the concepts applied. Anyone who does not understand the details of the technical approaches would still be able to understand the plot movement and basic areas where they may want to bolster their own identity security.
Great continuation of the series I give it 5 stars because not only is it a great hacker thriller but the use of character names from the 80s movie Real Genius cracks me up. Its like the movie's sequel.
One of the most innovative adn unique books on the mindset of a hacker This book is hard to put down! It was like looking into a window of the underground world that most people, even those in the Information Security Industry, are unaware exists. The technical aspects in thoe book gave the storyline a credibility that other books lack. The characters were colorful and well developed. The book opened my eyes to the very real threat of identity theft and how identities are "harevsted" and used as currency on the blackmarket by organized crime and malicious entities such as terrorist organizationa. Great read that will not diassapoint you.
More fun from the most imaginative security writers on the scene I reviewed the first Stealing book in May 2003, and the second in September 2004. I liked the two earlier books, and the third book -- Stealing the Network: How to 0wn an Identity (STNHT0AI) -- is also a fun read. The book is most impressive when it outlines plausible scenarios for identity theft, penetrating wireless networks, and compromising Hushmail. Although some of the writing is rough, I still recommend reading this book.
I'd like to point out a few aspects of the book that hooked my attention. First, Ch 3 explains how to assume a college student's identity. 1. Steal pre-approved credit card applications from neighborhood mailboxes. 2. Identify a likely target, and find that person's date of birth and parent's names using online family tree databases. 3. Buy NetDetective and obtain the target's SSN. 4. Get a real driver's license from a thief who stole DMV equipment. 5. Intercept at mail box the credit card applied for in step 1. 6. Apply for a real birth certificate using the credit card obtained in the previous step. 7. Intercept at mail box the real birth certificate mailed to the target's home. Aside from the SSN acquisition, that scenario is plausible and incredibly scary!
The second scenario that left a lasting impression appears in Ch 8. Jay Beale explains how to compromise and read mail exchanged through Hushmail. The crux of the matter is obtaining control of Hushmail's DNS servers. At the end of his chapter, Jay notes that Hushmail's DNS servers were compromised in April 2005. I thought his chapter contained the best mix of story and clear technical explanations found in STNHT0AI.
It is very helpful to have read at least the previous Stealing book prior to STNHT0AI. At times it felt like I was watching the second Back to the Future movie, where Marty sees different aspects of events that took place in the first movie. I was also completely shocked by the hints left at the end of the book, and the abrupt ending left me waiting to resolve the cliffhanger. I look forward to reading Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow later this year.
How about some proofreaders? Good story, followed through pretty well from STN:Continent, which I haven't read in quite some time, so I didn't really do much cross-referencing, so take that comment for what it's worth. My two major issues with the book were: 1) Apparent lack of proofing whatsoever. In some cases it appeared that the author had stopped typing mid-sentence and picked up some time later, forgetting what exactly they had said because they had previously stopped typing mid-sentence. (re-read for example) At one point a whole paragraph was in there twice in a row. This sort of thing frazzled me a bit as I was reading it, and took away from the immersion to an extent. Each chapter was written by a different author so this is not a consitant trend through the entire book. There is some good writing in there as well. 2) More story, less technical stuff. This seemed a bit more 'novel-y' than the previous books, I kind of didn't like that aspect of it. That was just me though. Some of it was pretty good though, and a fun read, like the chapter about Knoll Jr. as well as the Blacktower chapter. All-in-all, I'd have to say that I liked the first STN [:box] the best, but that's just me. The cohesiveness of the story between chapters seemed to be better in this one [Identity] than STN:Continent, though.
Overall I give it three stars because I am a grammar nazi but you might enjoy it more. I recommend it if you've read the previous ones.
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