FOREWORD
The phrase “information security” has expanded significantly in scope over the last decade. The term now extends beyond protecting the secrets of major corporations and governments to include the average consumer. Our most sensitive information is stored online in vast quantities. The temptations for those who have the tools to dip an illicit, electronic spoon into the pool of confidential data are far too enticing to be ignored. Furthermore, cyber criminals are not scared of the laws that are currently in place.
This volume of Hacking Exposed contains the newest lessons learned about the threat landscape. Its goal is education: a paramount element in the continual fight against cybercrime. This book aims to educate those with the technical expertise to defend our nations, our educational institutions, our banks, our retailers, our utilities, our infrastructures, and our families. In the last two years, the global cyberthreat has more than doubled. Our security professionals need at least twice as much knowledge as the criminals in order to tackle this danger.
Through education, we hope to expand the knowledge of current security professionals and encourage and enable a new generation of IT security experts to stand up to the daunting task of taking on an immeasurable army of skilled foes. As the cybercriminal community grows, networks, and shares information about its hacks, exploits, and electronic malfeasance, so must we share our knowledge of threats and vulnerabilities. If we are to challenge an enemy who has infinite and instant access to the trade’s most current tactics and schemes, we must equip ourselves and our allies with the same knowledge.
In the past, the fear of a data breach would be something that people would only experience by watching a movie. The image of a criminal in a dark room with a PC breaking into “the mainframe” was once a romantic and far-off concept that was not widely appreciated as a real threat. But the last couple of years have taught us, at the cost of over hundreds of millions of private records being breached, that data breaches strike with brutal efficiency at the most pedestrian of locations.
With profit replacing the old hacker’s motivation of notoriety and curiosity, the targets of data breaches have shifted from tightly secured installations to poorly protected supplies of countless credit card numbers. We must educate not only security professionals, but also those in the position to provide them with the resources necessary to protect our most valuable asset: average citizens and their data.
With the expansion of user-created social content, the future of the Web has become clearly dependent on user contributions. By keeping the Internet safe, we also keep it alive and prevent the restrictions brought about by fear-induced regulations, which might choke brilliant new advances in technology and communications. Through collaboration with law enforcement agencies, governments, and international collectives, and continual, state-of-the-art research and education, we can turn the tide against the sea of cybercrime. Right now you hold in your hands one of the most successful security books ever written. Rather than being a sideline participant, leverage the valuable insights Hacking Exposed 6 provides to help yourself, your company, and your country fight cybercrime.
Pages:720
File size: 15.80MB
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