Defeating the Hacker: A non-technical guide to computer security

"Excellent, practical, comprehensive; peppered with good data, colourful anecdotes and practical common sense action points enabling you to solve some big problems in an intelligent way. A great read and an even greater "Handbook.""
—John Madelin, Director of Corporate Development, RSA

"This is a refreshingly different approach to writing about security."
—Martin Veitch, Executive Editor, IT Week

According to a survey carried out by Lloyds TSB, 54% of all PCs and laptops have been infected with a computer virus

Computers and the Internet are a virtual battleground for IT security and hackers. For years, systems have been attacked and defended; the cost of this cyber war has spiralled and will continue to rise. As technology improves, so do the hacker’s weapons of mass destruction.

Defeating the Hacker is a book about hackers, crackers, phishing, pharming, spammers, scammers, virus-writers, Trojan horses, malware and spyware, and how to keep them at bay.  Whether you are working in the office or from home, shopping online or checking your e-mails, the hacker could be stalking your computer system.

So what makes this book different from other security books?  Quite simply, the author used to be a world-famous hacker. So you’re getting advice from someone who knows just how exhilarating it can be to break into other people’s computers and who has, in the past, got his kicks from exploiting information surrounding a member of the Royal Family.

This gripping book shows you how to protect yourself, your computer and your organisation with practical advice from someone who has now beaten the addiction, and for the first time, reveals all the dirty tricks to watch out for!