A Complete Hacker's Handbook: Everything You Need to Know About Hacking in the Age of the Web Book

A Complete Hacker's Handbook is a technical book, not a journalistic account of hacker activities and the implications of their work. Dr K, the founder of the Phreak/Hack-United Kingdom e-zine (P/H-UK), touches on the issues, but concerns himself mostly with practical information for people who want to investigate computer systems. If Unix, TCP/IP and cgi scripts don't turn you on, this is unlikely to be for you.If Dr K had written "How to Rob a Bank", he would almost definitely have found himself in trouble. But here he actually creates a persuasive case for indulging in harmless investigation of computer systems. His list of "The Ethics of Hacking" makes sense. For example one of his principles is that "Corporations and government cannot be trusted to use computer technology for the benefit of ordinary people". That rings true. Today's hacker may be tomorrow's champion of freedom. But he does hint at the seamier side, like the chapter about going through people's bins to get an idea of their computer systems.Computer viruses do cause many problems for people, and manipulation of the telephone system is likely to be a criminal activity, but it is perfectly reasonable to want to learn about how these things work. Certainly the Hacker's Handbook helps you understand the importance of good computer security and gives a little glamour to the process of learning about how the Internet works. --Brian JennerRead More