Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
DarkMarket: Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You
by
Misha Glenny (Goodreads Author)
"This extraordinarily powerful book demonstrates how utterly we lack the shared supranational tools needed to fight cybercrime. Essential reading." --Roberto Saviano, author of Gommorah
The benefits of living in a digital, globalized society are enormous; so too are the dangers. The world has become a law enforcer’s nightmare and every criminal’s dream. We bank online; shop...more
The benefits of living in a digital, globalized society are enormous; so too are the dangers. The world has become a law enforcer’s nightmare and every criminal’s dream. We bank online; shop...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
October 4th 2011
by Knopf
(first published 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
564)
Mar 28, 2012
Kate O'Hanlon
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
technology
Facsinating story let down in places by workmanlike prose and a confusing cast of characters. A dramatis personae would not have gone amis.
Also I'm annoyed that he didn't tell us the outcome of the Dietmar Lingel trial. Did I miss something?
These complaints aside it's impossible not to be impressed by the hours of research and good old fashioned journalistic leg work that goes into something like this.
For a little taster of what's in the book you can listen to Glenny on the RSA podcast
http://ww...more
Also I'm annoyed that he didn't tell us the outcome of the Dietmar Lingel trial. Did I miss something?
These complaints aside it's impossible not to be impressed by the hours of research and good old fashioned journalistic leg work that goes into something like this.
For a little taster of what's in the book you can listen to Glenny on the RSA podcast
http://ww...more
Published in 2011, an action-packed account of the events and characters involved in the rise, operation and decimation of several high-profile online marketplaces that provided a venue for scammers, credit card fraudsters, hackers, and such cyber criminals, to build reputations, form connections, and exchange goods and services.
Key insights from the book:
Cultural, political, legal and societal differences between countries give rise, as with any criminal activity, to loopholes that lawbreaker...more
Key insights from the book:
Cultural, political, legal and societal differences between countries give rise, as with any criminal activity, to loopholes that lawbreaker...more
I gave this book four stars despite the fact that it is not an easy book to read and leaves you with a sense of hopelessness about the safety of anything of yours (including your own identity) that can be manipulated via the Internet. DarkMarket is explores the three fundamental threats facing us in the twenty-first century: cybercrime, cyberwarfare and cyber-industrial espionage. Governments and the private sector are losing billions of dollars each year fighting an ever-morphing, invisible,...more
This was an easy read which was actually a disappointment as I was expecting something a bit more serious and less like a novel. It was a little dumbed down which I think is unnecessary with the younger audience who surely know what the internet is but need to understand more about the dangers of using your credit card. There were a lot of characters and I occasionally got lost between remembering thier real name and thier virtual identity. There were a few loose ends but I can live with that.
I...more
I...more
Aug 24, 2012
Gerald Sinstadt
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction-general
Cut up your credit cards, close down your PC, cancel on-line banking, hide your money under the mattress. After reading Misha Glenny's investigation of cybercrime you will find it hard to believe anything is safe. If you haven't been affected yet, put it down to luck. But don't doubt that it is coming to an ATM near you any time soon.
DarkMarket is the story of a loose alliance of (mainly young) geeks, sufficiently bored, sufficiently savvy and sufficiently amoral, who find ways of helping themse...more
DarkMarket is the story of a loose alliance of (mainly young) geeks, sufficiently bored, sufficiently savvy and sufficiently amoral, who find ways of helping themse...more
Glenny's secret here as with his earlier McMafia is to take a fragmented subject which has many real world loose ends and forge something close to a novel type structure which makes the whole story accessible. Certainly the issues here are serious although it is slightly oversold as most of the crime is credit card fraud (although there is an astonishing amount of that). Its difficult to see how our national law & order systems ever get to grips with an international problem like this partic...more
Mar 30, 2013
Doug Newdick
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
information-technology
Dark Market just isn't as good as Misha Glenny's previous book McMafia. That was a roller coaster ride through the world of organised crime, funny and shocking. Dark Market is more of a short road trip to an unpleasant place populated by weird characters. The basic story is reasonably interesting (though hardly what I would call riveting) - the rise and fall of website that acted as a focal point for credit card hacking - and some of the characters are colourful enough in their own right. But, o...more
A very good journalistic essay, excellently written. The author accurately describes the cyber underworld (or almost due to conflict fantasy vs reality of many of the interviewees) and even creates a plot with the stories of RedBrigade, JilSI, Master Splynter, Script, etc, making the reading of this book extremely interesting and extremely informative. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand a little bit of what is going on in cyberspace and to understand in what extent is the illusion of...more
The book "DarkMarket, Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You" by Misha Glenny brilliantly shows the dark cyber world in the internet realm. Misha Glenny uses uncanny accuracy in shedding light on the scenes behind the forums and sites that computer hackers dwell. I enjoyed playing Dungeon and Dragons while a teen. This dark world parallels Dungeon and Dragons in many ways. It does in that Dungeon and Dragon players are portrayed through their chosen characters as the cyberthieves are portrayed through...more
I work in this field. This is one of the most misleading inaccurate titles I've read. It doesn't give a good understanding of the field and skirts around some of the most important issues around. See the definition of viruses, trojans and worms for just how wrong this book is.
It actually hurt to read at points.
This is incredibly disappointing because Misha Glenny is a fantastic journalist who cut his teeth doing war journalism in the Balkans.
It actually hurt to read at points.
This is incredibly disappointing because Misha Glenny is a fantastic journalist who cut his teeth doing war journalism in the Balkans.
1 like · like · see review
Nothing like as interesting as I thought it would be. I'd expected (maybe I should have read the cover blurb closer) a more detailed story of modern hacking groups (it has a person wearing an Anonymous mask on the cover, so perhaps not the stupidest of assumptions), but it is actually about a group of characters who shared credit card details / sold card skimming machines on a site a few years ago.
It quickly gets dull, though, and I struggled to care enough to see it through to the end.
It quickly gets dull, though, and I struggled to care enough to see it through to the end.
Cringe-worthy.
While I had a few problems with this book, my primary one was undoubtedly the writing style, which seemed too colloquial, simplistic and almost condescending to any adult. See, for example, how the footnote on page 34 ends an explanation on the differences between viruses, worms and trojans with: "But, basically, they all do bad things to your computer."
While I had a few problems with this book, my primary one was undoubtedly the writing style, which seemed too colloquial, simplistic and almost condescending to any adult. See, for example, how the footnote on page 34 ends an explanation on the differences between viruses, worms and trojans with: "But, basically, they all do bad things to your computer."
Enjoyed but preferred Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground which had access to major players and provided an accurate representation of events.
Glenny informs me again about the underworld. Loved his book McMafia. Forget being upset about Facebook owning your photos or Google owning your email: this book just makes me want to give up on ever controlling anything I own (my bank accounts, my passwords...). A good quick read.
Really enjoyed this (and subsequently found a 'Trojan' on my computer, because this book convinced me to get an anti-virus software thingy majig).
It's a cross between a crime/thriller and a really good tv documentary. I liked it.
Would have been 5 stars but the writing got a bit messy and hard to follow towards the end.
A very worthwhile read - McMaffia's up next!
It's a cross between a crime/thriller and a really good tv documentary. I liked it.
Would have been 5 stars but the writing got a bit messy and hard to follow towards the end.
A very worthwhile read - McMaffia's up next!
Saw Misha Glenny speak at a panel at NYU about cybercrime, cyberespionage, and cyberwarfare----really interesting, really scary:
http://alumni.nyu.edu/s/1068/social.a...
This is his newest book
http://alumni.nyu.edu/s/1068/social.a...
This is his newest book
For nonfiction it reads like a novel. Great format, great pacing. Not only is the hacking world documented in detail but some of the major players are vividly brought to life under Misha Glenny's deft touch. Really fine writing.
Very interesting read on the dark side of the cyber world- history of hacking, the key players, and the future. Intense and funny at times, gives you perspective on an otherwise obscure topic.
Fascinating book. I found the cast of characters a bit confusing, though, so I sometimes had the feeling of losing the plot. I liked reviews of this book by Xing and Gerald Sinstadt.
Lot of things I didn't know about. ( IAACA : International Association for the Advancement of Criminal Activity ... )
I thought that this book was really interesting. It opens up your eyes to what has been happening in the cyber world.
It's an interesting book. Done similar to Michael Lewis, it tracks two Investigations into cyber crime.
Good read for those interested in computers. Excellent investigative journalism but could probably have been told in a more coherent manner with less suspense.
An enjoyable, easy read that makes you think... if you hadn't already!
Tell me again why credit cards and direct deposits are a good idea?
Pretty well written in terms of structure, as the writer roughly follows a linear path but splits the book into blocks focusing on the different players involved.
This removes the need to keep referring back to find out who someone is etc, since you learn about them all in one go and not in little titbits.
This removes the need to keep referring back to find out who someone is etc, since you learn about them all in one go and not in little titbits.
I think everyone should read this. EVERYONE
The rise and fall of DarkMarket and their administrators. Easy reading.
The book focused specifically on card-skimming, the websites that promoted it and the main players. Thus it was well focused but not what the title promises. And quite frankly, grew boring as one quickly understands that cyber thieves are as boring as the non-criminal computer geek.
Fun but ultimately disappointing.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Il crimine non era l’unica opzione per Vision. Esistevano altre possibilità da prendere in esame. Si sarebbe potuto rivolgere ad amici e famiglia. Ma era stanco, si sentiva abbandonato e [Jeffrey] Normington era convincente. Un’altra svolta, un altro errore.
Max Vision, un bravo ragazzo sotto tutti i punti di vista, si ritrovò di nuovo in fondo al baratro. Al suo posto emerse Iceman, un cattivo ragazzo sotto tutti punti di vista, anche se con un alter ego, Vision, che aveva precedenti come collaboratore dei federali.”
—
1 person liked it
Max Vision, un bravo ragazzo sotto tutti i punti di vista, si ritrovò di nuovo in fondo al baratro. Al suo posto emerse Iceman, un cattivo ragazzo sotto tutti punti di vista, anche se con un alter ego, Vision, che aveva precedenti come collaboratore dei federali.”
“Matrix passò il Rubicone in uno stato di trance psicologica, incapace di percepire le acque che gli mulinavano intorno. Era un ragazzino e stava scivolando in maniera lenta e inesorabile nella delinquenza. In qualche recesso della sua mente era consapevole che forse qualcosa non andava, ma nel cyberspazio le linee di demarcazione sono molto confuse, sempre che siano visibili.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Aug 09, 2012 01:43am
Aug 28, 2012 05:02am