Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 960 pages
- Published by: John Wiley & Sons August 22, 2001
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0471055891
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0471055891
-
Book Dimensions:
9.3 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
- Weighs: 3.6 pounds
Product Review
Hack Attacks Encyclopedia is a collection of hacker goodies in print and on CD-ROM. Gleaned from file repositories old and new, the collection includes handy, potentially naughty utilities--process listers, password crackers, and port scanners, among others--and scores of text articles. The text articles explain how to extract value from systems of various kinds (mostly the North American telecommunications network and various kinds of computers). Reading articles about how to get free calls from (1980s-vintage) payphones is interesting, and articles (some quite old) written by hackers about themselves and their community reveal a lot of truth.
In order to appreciate this book, you have to take note of the word
History in its subtitle. That word appears because the articles in this book, though many of them make great reading, deal largely with old technologies and well-known attacks for which defenses now exist. Interesting problems that contemporary hackers may have solved--such as how to get free satellite Internet access, how to defeat ATMs' "service fees," how to defeat password protection on Windows XP, and how to get an overwhelming number of positive reviews to appear for your book--aren't covered. This book is all about the exploits of the past. Articles about how to get free phone calls on old pulse-signaling public phones aren't of much practical value anymore, and viruses for the Amiga computer are of purely academic interest these days (though virus source code, several examples of which appear here, shows up in few other books). Therefore, don't buy this book so much for how-to information as for its history lessons and entertainment value. Read it for its first-hand look at hacker culture.
That said,
Hack Attacks Encyclopedia would be a lot better if John Chirillo had looked at his considerable collection of text files and
software and unified it with a running narrative. Good historians and documenters of cultures don't just present primary sources without annotating them. They use their knowledge and skill to derive meaning from the primary sources, and perhaps make some predictions about the future.
--David Wall Topics covered: Hack attacks--which is to say, tools and techniques for getting services and information you're not really supposed to have--through the ages (mostly in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s). Emphasis falls on "harmless" hacker exploits, such as getting free phone calls, rather than on "black-hat" stuff like shutting down Web servers for no real reason. A large glossary explains technical terms and hacker lingo.
Software World, May 2002
" The author has amassed an enormous amount of material and it is supplemented by a bound-in CD-ROM in each book".
Reader ReviewsThe widespread availability of computers and access to telephone and Internet technologies has contributed to the sharp rise in the number of people going online over the years. Unfortunately, many of these people found their way online through less-than-honest means, and once online, they would set out to perform a great deal of mischief and damage to various computers and computer information systems. Hack Attacks Encyclopedia edited by John Chirillo serves as the ultimate source for collected information on the history of hacking, cracking, and phreaking. The book features nearly 2,000 text and HTML document extracts that includes news articles, online postings, and other snippets of insightful information. Some of the accounts are startling. Readers will quickly pick up just how clever some hackers, crackers, and phreakers really are. The following snippet exemplifies available talent in Northern America: "Silver Spy has everything going for him - comfortable surroundings, a father who is an engineer. He ranks in the top 3 percent of his high-school class. His SAT scores for college admission totaled 1,400 of a possible 1,600. He wants to attend Stanford or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But in the eyes of the phone companies he is a thief, and in the eyes of the law he's a criminal. Such is the portrait of this 17-year-old computer "hacker" and "phone phreaker" who lives about twenty miles outside Boston. He spoke with U.S. News & World report on the condition that neither his real name nor home town be revealed." The Hack Attack Encyclopedia is broken up into major sections by decade - the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, the Millennium, and a special historical synopsis. From beginning to end, readers will be able to follow the history of mischievous behavior. It will be an eye-opening experience for anyone to follow the advancements made in communications technologies and how they can be easily circumvented and otherwise compromised to carryout further activities. Although some of the technologies disclosed in the book are outdated and have been replaced, readers will still gain helpful insight of the mindset of hackers, crackers, and phreakers operating today. They are a force to be taken very seriously. An extensive 217-page glossary of terms will enlighten readers about the slang talk used in the hacking, cracking, and phreaking communities. As a special bonus, the CD accompanying the book features full-length editions of the article and snippet extracts included in the book, hundreds of computing and Internet exploits, and a sampling of useful utility programs. Hacking, cracking, phreaking, and virus infection still poses problems for many people today. This book will open the eyes of many people - including business people, IT managers, and law enforcement officials. It will serve as an excellent starting point for taking necessary corrective action to prevent further mischief and harm caused to personal and company computer systems. I can't wait to see an updated edition. Highly recommended reading.
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