Content area
Full text
Encyclopedia of Cybercrime. Ed. by Samuel C. McQuade. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2009. 232p. alkaline $75 (ISBN 978-0-313-33974-5).
Broadly defined, "cybercrimes include illicit using of information systems, computers, or other types of information technology" (xiii-xiv). As system capabilities and user sophistication increases, there are more opportunities for attack. Readers who only encounter cybercrime through an occasional spam message may be shocked by the dizzying array of tactics that criminals use these days. The Encyclopedia of Cybercrime aptly demonstrates that individuals, businesses, and community groups of all kinds - and even national governments - are at risk. It describes child pornography, copyright infringement, cyberbullying, espionage, identity theft, malware, and many other illegal activities.
McQuade's aim was to address the "information needs and interests of high school and undergraduate college students" (ix), and he has largely succeeded. Beyond basic descriptions of types of crimes, the Encyclopedia of Cybercrime introduces readers to theory, research,...