Underground
(SUELETTE DREYFUS)
The opening chapter of Underground describes the
WANK virus that afflicted NASA in 1989. This is the only chapter written from
the perspective of administrators and security experts, however. The rest of
the book follows the lives and exploits of a number of hackers: Par in the United States, Pad and Gandalf in the United Kingdom, and, in Australia, Force, Electron, Phoenix, Mendax, Prime Suspect, and Anthrax. Dreyfus''
dramatized recreation keeps the reader glued to the page as they hack and freak
their way around phone systems, X.25 networks, and the Internet, breaking into
systems of all kinds and sparring with administrators, security experts, and
law enforcement. All eventually end up in the jaws of the legal system, but
none come to real grief.
The technical detail provided is minimal, but there''s enough for the
cognoscenti to follow what is happening. The odd boo-boo (FTP is not Fast
Transfer Protocol) suggests Dreyfus may not be a technical expert
herself, but she has clearly done her research well. She does an excellent job
of conveying mood and atmosphere ? the total focus of an all night hack
session, the nervous energy imbued by an illicit root shell, and even the
tedium of much hacking (though this isn''t conveyed too
realistically!). What is most impressive, however, is the personal detail she
has managed to garner about her subjects: more than anything else, it is this
is which gives underground its appeal. The result is a sympathetic
portrait of both individual hackers and their way of life. Dreyfus concludes
with a suggestion that the skills possessed by hackers are a valuable resource
which should be put to better use by society.
Resumos Relacionados
- A Complete Hacker's Handbook: Everything You Need To Know About Hacking In The Age Of The Web
- Code Breaking: A History And Exploration
- Being Popular
- Unofficial Guide To Ethical Hacking
- Learning The Unix Operating System, Fifth Edition
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