Since the development of the Internet, millions of people have logged on to participate in the online world. Users have discovered that a computer and a connection allows them to meet faraway people, purchase new items, and complete everyday tasks without ever leaving their homes. These online conveniences, however, are not completely innocent; while there are advantages to participating in online services and communications, loss of personal and financial security has become the Internet's largest disadvantage. Hackers, hate groups, and spam all pose a threat to individuals and organizations, and continued technological growth only empowers them. In Digital Security: Cyber Terror and Cyber Security, learn how governments and ordinary citizens become vulnerable online and the measures they are taking to protect themselves.

Ananda Mitra, Ph.D., is the chair of the Department of Communication at Wake Forest University. He teaches courses on technology, popular culture, issues related to South Asia, and research methods. He has been a technology commentator for regional, national, and international media, such as Time magazine. Mitra has published articles in leading communications journals as well as two books.

Since the advent of widespread Internet use, digital technology has been used for criminal intent. From computer viruses capable of shutting down and destroying infected computers to recruiting members online for hate groups, the ways the Internet can be used for nefarious purposes is practically limitless. But there is hope. Those in the digital industry are working to increase safeguards from cyber terrorists, such as heading off viruses before they can infect computers, and increasing cyber security.Digital Security: Cyber Terror and Cyber Security describes how computers are used both to commit crimes and to prevent them and concludes with a discussion of the future of digital crime and stopping its spread.

---

Excerpted from Digital Security by Ananda Mitra
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.