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33rd out of 196 books
—
132 voters
Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground
Former hacker Kevin Poulsen has, over the past decade, built a reputation as one of the top investigative reporters on the cybercrime beat. In Kingpin, he pours his unmatched access and expertise into book form for the first time, delivering a gripping cat-and-mouse narrative—and an unprecedented view into the twenty-first century’s signature form of organized crime.
The w...more
The w...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
February 22nd 2011
by Crown
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Jan 06, 2013
Greg
added it
Inside look at the cybercrime underworld, specifically carders (people who steal credit card information). Book is really well written and hard to put down, and additionally it actually manages to cover the technical parts in enough detail to be interesting without being boring. Book follows the life of Max Burton and how he came to rule the carding world. Interestingly, he started out with light stuff, got in trouble, and went white hat for a while. But when the FBI wanted him to inform on one...more
This book explores part of the world of modern cybercriminals.
I tend to think of the "old school" of computer "criminals" as mostly people that were interested in technology, wanted to explore, and just didn't care laws -- but generally not interested in directly stealing money from people. At worst, they would profit by doing things that they didn't consider stealing: for example, taking over a radio station's phone lines to guarantee that they would win a call-in prize.
The newer versions of cy...more
I tend to think of the "old school" of computer "criminals" as mostly people that were interested in technology, wanted to explore, and just didn't care laws -- but generally not interested in directly stealing money from people. At worst, they would profit by doing things that they didn't consider stealing: for example, taking over a radio station's phone lines to guarantee that they would win a call-in prize.
The newer versions of cy...more
Wow... what a powerful book! I noticed this on my friend's book update feed yesterday, searched around for an ebook, found one, started reading, and practically didn't even stop for much else. (Although there was a 16 hour break in between reading there :P)
Normally I don't like nonfiction books: they are dry, not engaging and just don't deal with subject matter in an interesting way that I can absorb readily. This book reads more like an action novel filled with tons of real life tidbits. I thi...more
Normally I don't like nonfiction books: they are dry, not engaging and just don't deal with subject matter in an interesting way that I can absorb readily. This book reads more like an action novel filled with tons of real life tidbits. I thi...more
A good read that is fast paced and riveting due this being a true event with locales in my own backyards of San Francisco and Los Angeles. The book chronicles the life of a hacker from his well-intentioned beginnings to becoming the underground's digital mastermind.
Growing up in the age of the Internet makes this story ever more so real. Poulsen elaborates on events in the recent years that make us sit back and think, "Wow, he did that?". Indeed, Max did. Max's early beginnings were chaotic and...more
Growing up in the age of the Internet makes this story ever more so real. Poulsen elaborates on events in the recent years that make us sit back and think, "Wow, he did that?". Indeed, Max did. Max's early beginnings were chaotic and...more
On one hand you have a brilliant self taught programmer/hacker. On the other hand you have a relative child. And they are both the same person. At least that's how it appeared to me. Relatively few social skills and a need to prove himself, an absolutely brilliant flair for finding holes in computer security = lots of offended people and jail time. Still I quite enjoyed the story/history. In the end I was left wondering - obviously there were quite a few security holes out there in the emerging...more
still too pissed off about my lost hour reviewing Hitch-22 to properly write; suffice to say that this is the best true hax0r crime book written as of April 2011 -- yes, i have read them all (previous title holder: The Hacker Crackdown. it pleases me to no longer need praise anything by confirmed mountebank Bruce Sterling, though he's been replaced by charlatan Kevin Poulsen....whom I think I must reassess).
so much nostalgia. i knew two characters, peripheral but named, personally, and half-expe...more
so much nostalgia. i knew two characters, peripheral but named, personally, and half-expe...more
The pace of this book only started to pick up near the end but I liked that if I hadn't known anything about computers or the various hacks discussed, it would have been easy enough to pick up the different lingo and terminology used. For this, Kevin Poulsen has done laymen everywhere a great service.
However, the ordering of the book seemed haphazard at times and there were a few spelling and grammatical issues that due to the occasional slowdown in pace were made more prevalent and detracted fr...more
However, the ordering of the book seemed haphazard at times and there were a few spelling and grammatical issues that due to the occasional slowdown in pace were made more prevalent and detracted fr...more
I got this for Richard for Father's Day. After reading "The Girl..." series by Steig Larsson, the idea of reading a non-fiction account of high-level hacking was irresistible. This book is fine, but not fascinating or descriptive of an enviable world. The criminal lifestyle -- working around the clock, not having time to engage fully in relationships, doing boring things like shopping with other people's credit cards and then selling the merch on eBay, programming programming programming -- come...more
May 18, 2012
Catherine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone / everyone
Recommended to Catherine by:
Found on Amazon thru random searching
Shelves:
one-and-done
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Kevin Poulsen dives deep into the underground world of 'carders' — individuals that steal, sell, and abuse credit card numbers. Prior to reading this book I thought that a lot of the fraud was based on stealing or intercepting credit card information from online merchants. This book tells the story, though, of stealing cards, printing them on actual plastic stock, and 'shopping' for merchandise that can be easily resold. [return][return]The pace of the book is fast, and with the wide variety of...more
Not for nothing is the author the news editor of Wired.com. He took on a fiendishly difficult topic and delivered, with great clarity, a fast-paced account of a topic that I suspect would send most writers running to hills for cover.
Most impressive of all he does not get bogged down in detail yet still manages to convey how security weaknesses in both software and human behaviour can result in massive breaches of data.
The book has a useful quick reference list of characters and fully referenced...more
Most impressive of all he does not get bogged down in detail yet still manages to convey how security weaknesses in both software and human behaviour can result in massive breaches of data.
The book has a useful quick reference list of characters and fully referenced...more
Mostly good--the subject is fascinating--but occasionally over-simplified to an annoying degree or explained for a reader who is assumed to have no background at all in the technical aspects of computers while other aspects are not explained adequately. Timelines and dates were often muddy and description and background on some of the players was unpredictable in quality. Found myself not always sure when something happened or what other actions where happening at the same time. Over all it's a...more
GoodReads suggested this book just after I finished La reina en el palacio de las corrientes de aire and they did not get it wrong, I enjoyed it a lot. Since the story is based in real facts, the fight between criminals and intelligence agencies can be watched from a closer spot.
It's incredible how the carders use their knowledge to steal identities all around the world without victims even noticing it.
The book also makes you think about the eternal dilema between safety vs. privacy: how much pr...more
It's incredible how the carders use their knowledge to steal identities all around the world without victims even noticing it.
The book also makes you think about the eternal dilema between safety vs. privacy: how much pr...more
Kevin Poulson writes some excellent articles in Wired magazine and this book much like his articles is fascinating and thorough. Kingpin takes the reader into cybercrime and the people who run the sites where criminals gain access to credit card numbers, skimmers, and other tools to defraud companies and individuals. He goes into much greater depth into the FBI sting and their running of DarkMarket than I had previously read and provides insight into what the Secret Service and FBI are doing to...more
Some non-fiction books tend to drag on without an end in sight,but since this subject appealed to my general interest in cyber-crime and it's counterpart cyber-security, I was attuned to keep reading even knowing many chapters would be speckled with hacker jargon and criminal backgrounds being described. Once you get through knowing the characters and the persons of interest in this book, the action does follow a climatic rise of one cyber-criminal who exploits flaws in phone systems, web server...more
Wow! This nonfiction book reads like a novel, sometimes a little too much so. The author is clearly hoping to option this to H'wood--it's got the requisite dramatic moments (truthful or just imagined) baked right in. And another quibble: a little too much gratuitous technical jargon. I mean, I live in Silicon Valley and am no stranger to computers, but a little goes a long way.
Still, a fascinating glimpse into the dark underbelly of the internet. Or, as my husband said after I lent him the book...more
Still, a fascinating glimpse into the dark underbelly of the internet. Or, as my husband said after I lent him the book...more
This book is a tremendous amount of fun. I stumbled across it after listening to an interview with one of its subjects on NPR's Planet Money podcast, Keith "Master Splyntr" Mularski. It's a bit of a slow burn, but man, it is impossible to put this book down after the first 100 pages. Poulsen pulls off the neat trick of explaining the basics of the security exploits used in the book without getting bogged down in jargon or explanations.
All of your fears about hackers reaching out to databases and...more
All of your fears about hackers reaching out to databases and...more
A fast paced, easy, and interesting look at one of the largest credit card thieves and credit card theft forum operators around. Gives a good overview of how credit card breaches have happened, what businesses need to do to help prevent them, and how the feds have set up some pretty complicated stings to take down some of the people who perpetrate them. It may help that I have a tech background, but I found the book easy to read and follow, the technical explanations very good, and the book over...more
Only the Paranoid survive.
Every system or even encryption has a security loophole, you just have to know how to find it, exploit it and cover your tracks.
This is not a book for the paranoid or Internet Newbie. It will most likely scare the be-jesus out of them with regard to shopping with a credit card, especially online.
Recent IT Issues within Australian regarding the National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank will leave you deeply suspicious after reading this book. Buy gold and hide it und...more
Every system or even encryption has a security loophole, you just have to know how to find it, exploit it and cover your tracks.
This is not a book for the paranoid or Internet Newbie. It will most likely scare the be-jesus out of them with regard to shopping with a credit card, especially online.
Recent IT Issues within Australian regarding the National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank will leave you deeply suspicious after reading this book. Buy gold and hide it und...more
I enjoyed this true life cybercrime thriller. Kevin Poulsen writes a very plain, straight-forward accounting of the shady world of credit card hacking. Though his prose is fairly bland, Poulsen does a great job making even the most technical parts of the book accessible to anyone with a basic understanding of technology. The real life details of the story are compelling enough to keep you riveted deep into the night - definitely a book you will find yourself tearing through.
A must read if you ar...more
A must read if you ar...more
Poulsen’s name may be familiar to those who follow cyber-crime. He was a notorious hacker in his own right before serving time and emerging a WIRED correspondent. He knows the sub-culture of hacking, and that really makes this story feel “inside.” This is not the most “active” story, but it is one, like SOCIAL NETWORK, that takes us inside the minds of some brilliant people; introduces us to an intriguing world; and plays out cops and robbers in an entirely new way. And in a time of wikileaks, t...more
Like Ghost in the Wires this is a really good hacking story. This one is much darker as Max Vision was responsible for theft that was estiamted at 86 million dollars. However, of that money he only made about half a million, showing how naive he was. Over all I felt he made some horrible decisions, whereas Kevin Mitnick only had one minor character flaw of excessive curiousity and did little real damage. It amazes me how normal Max looks. I would like to believe that evil looks evil, but in fact...more
A very interesting dive into a world that most of us don't even know exists. For me this was a story. I definitely consider my actions more carefully since reading it. What struck me was how much of a lucrative business this was; albeit it one of dishonesty and constant suspicion. The consideration that this dark side of the internet still very much exists makes me sick.
The book is incredibly well written. Incredibly factual, with real consideration into the story. Oh, and some education, if you...more
The book is incredibly well written. Incredibly factual, with real consideration into the story. Oh, and some education, if you...more
This book is a fascinating chronicle of the rise, fall, rise, fall, rise, and then final fall of hacker Max Vision. Even though this book is a true account of Max's exploits, it reads like a fictional story in large parts. It's just riveting stuff to learn how Max moved from being a young punk hacker, to running massive identity and credit card theft schemes. Poulsen's writing is very clear and easy to follow. He isn't trying to be Truman Copete here, he's just relaying the story as he knows it,...more
Breathtaking, yet meticulous!
The book uses Max Butler/Vision story to describe history of general recreational hacking from 90's and its transformation to true organized crime in 2000's, later focusing on credit card fraud as the main branch of cybercrime.
The book picks up its pace slowly, but as its subject gets narrow later on, the book reads almost like a criminal novel; yet it does not use cheap tricks like wild speculation and unfounded conclusions to keep reader's attention.
When it comes t...more
The book uses Max Butler/Vision story to describe history of general recreational hacking from 90's and its transformation to true organized crime in 2000's, later focusing on credit card fraud as the main branch of cybercrime.
The book picks up its pace slowly, but as its subject gets narrow later on, the book reads almost like a criminal novel; yet it does not use cheap tricks like wild speculation and unfounded conclusions to keep reader's attention.
When it comes t...more
Jun 29, 2011
Brian
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Brian by:
Nick Black
Shelves:
hackerspotting
(3.5) Very interesting topic, not that well written
But at least it's short and he didn't draw it out too much. Lots of goods on cybercriminals, stealing credit card info, identities etc. and big window on the black market in which these good are bought and sold regularly. I have to guess that there's a big bias in the main players covered in the book toward those who were caught and turned on their colleagues, as I got the impression that nearly everyone involved snitched on someone else (except...more
But at least it's short and he didn't draw it out too much. Lots of goods on cybercriminals, stealing credit card info, identities etc. and big window on the black market in which these good are bought and sold regularly. I have to guess that there's a big bias in the main players covered in the book toward those who were caught and turned on their colleagues, as I got the impression that nearly everyone involved snitched on someone else (except...more
I rate some nonfiction books with five stars because of the importance of the subject matter. Some fiction earns five stars through insight into the frailty and transcendence of humankind. But some books, like this one, get five stars because they are just fascinating to read and impossible to put down. My internet connections and credit cards have lost whatever naive innocence they may have still held for me. I have to admire the FBI agent who goes undercover online and yet retains his sanity.
It's been a while since I've read anything tech based (namely because UB has ruined the interest I used to have), but this book was pretty good. It covered an area I didn't have too much familiarity with, but kept a good balance of not overwhelming me with too much, yet providing plenty of detail.
Although it might seem like just stuff that happens in the movies, this book goes into the scary reality of cyber crime & credit card theft. It definitely changed some of my habits.
Although it might seem like just stuff that happens in the movies, this book goes into the scary reality of cyber crime & credit card theft. It definitely changed some of my habits.
4 stars for its descriptions of how hackers work, and of the techniques they use -- this book explains what SQL injection is, for instance, and manages to do it in just a couple of extremely clear paragraphs. Really a marvelous achievement from that perspective.
But as a psychological portrait of a hacker, I don't think it achieves the heights it's aiming for. I can relate to some of the obsessive traits that seem to have driven Max. But I don't understand them any better for having read this.
But as a psychological portrait of a hacker, I don't think it achieves the heights it's aiming for. I can relate to some of the obsessive traits that seem to have driven Max. But I don't understand them any better for having read this.
I liked this book for a few reasons. One, it is well written. The story goes smoothly, it doesn't stay on any one area for too long and it doesn't try to excuse nor demonise the behaviour of the person being written about. Two, the technical things are explained in such terms that a layman can make sense of the book and understands what is going on, without coming off as patronizing. So all in all, a nicely put together book, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in technology and...more
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I add it and you read it in a day?!
I haven't even gotten around to ordering a copy or anything!
You're making me look bad, Xeni. ಠ_ಠ
May 30, 2011 11:22pm