Book description
Nearly every week the headlines of national newspapers shout
allegations about the latest credit card fraud, internet paedophile,
or major corporations whose computers have been hacked. But what
people may not realize is that the nature of computer crime is
becoming even more sophisticated. In the same way that all of us use
computers increasingly in our business and personal lives, so too are
criminals using computers, not just to commit high-tech offences, but
to plan, research and co-ordinate a wide variety of crimes. The role
computers play in crime, and in particular the detection and
prosecution of crime has never been as significant as it is today.
In a gripping true-life detective story, ex-hacker and now one of
the UK's leading crime experts Neil Barrett guides us into a world
where the seemingly innocuous computer screen can provide a window
into the mind of even the most hardened criminal. Through some of his
own high profile cases, Barrett shows us the cutting edge of modern
crime. It is a dimly-lit world where hackers pit their wits, man to
man, with the police experts and where the digital detective is the
latest and best weapon in the police arsenal.
Neil Barrett studied mathematics and computer science at
NottinghamUniversity, where he also completed a Ph. D. He became the
UK's youngest lecturer following his appointment at YorkUniversity in
1985. He currently works as the Technical Director at IRM, where he is
responsible for the development of security policies and contingency
plans, penetration testing and forensic analysis. In addition, he has
recently been appointed Professor of Computer Criminology at the Royal
Military College of Science, CranfieldUniversity. He has appeared as
an expert witness in a number of court cases, and has advised lawyers
and police forces throughout the UK on computer crime.
