Marc Goodman

If you want to dive into the dark side of the digital age, “Future Crimes” will scare the hell out of you. Goodman lays out the world of cybercrime, illuminating the myriad ways technology can be exploited for nefarious purposes. From cyberterrorism, identity theft, online scams, surveillance, and the vulnerabilities inherent in our increasingly interconnected world, Goodman draws on real-world examples and case studies to illustrate the gravity of these threats and their potential show more impact on individuals, businesses, and society. It’s not just a book highlighting the problems though, it also offers practical advice on mitigating the risks. "Future Crimes" serves as a wake-up call to the potential dangers lurking in the digital realm while also providing a roadmap for safeguarding against them. show less

At first I thought about this amazing quote I heard at a conference: "don't ever raise fear if you don't have somewhere to channel it". It seemed like a long doomsayer rant. The points he raises are somewhat based in speculation but he seems to have a very rich wealth of understanding of the history.
By the end of the book though, he gives an attainable and thorough call to action.

This book is terrifying and though provoking. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone sensitive - there are truly show more awful people on this earth and all the amazing tech we make to help good people can be used for evil. If, however, you have a strong stomach and can deal with a lot of tech talk then this might inspire you to help us all prepare for the future. show less

Future Crimes is a very smart book, Goodman has looked at computer crime from every possible angle. It is also oddly entertaining as computer crime is so clever by its nature. Computer crime is a vast subject and the stories are endlessly fascinating. The first third covers what has already happened, he then looks at the "future of crime" by extrapolating where technology is headed. Moore's Law means that technology is giving individuals unparalleled amounts of power for good or evil. show more Meanwhile the institutions who are meant to protect us are unable to keep up with the rapidity of changes. Indeed technology may make some of these institutions irrelevant. Society is woefully unprepared for what is happening today, much less in 10 or 20 years. It's easy for an individual to say "I don't own a smart phone and rarely use email" but it doesn't matter as it will affect everyone because it impacts our institutions, government, everything we depend on as a society. Like saying the newfangled motor vehicle won't impact me because I will keep riding my horse.. that works for only so long. The leading edge users of technology are criminals operating in spaces not yet well regulated or understood and this book is an excellent introduction to what's happening and the possibilities to come. show less

I wasn't sure if I would make it through this six hundred page technological "thriller" borrowed from my brother-in-law who works in IT security. I'm sure he would understand a lot more of it than I did.

Future Crimes gives the lay reader a glimpse into the criminal world of the dark net. It is unbelievable that the internet that we see and use everyday is just a tiny proportion of what is out there. Even more shocking is that cyber criminals have set up sites similar to Ebay and Amazon show more where they offer criminal services ranging from child porn to drugs, and guns to hacking.

Worryingly, the author, who clearly has inside knowledge, claims that the authorities are always lagging behind in the race to identify security threats. It makes sense due to their hands being tied by bureaucracy and regulation that criminals obviously ignore. The author documents numerous case details of crime and cyber attacks all of which turn this possibly mundane subject matter into a page turner.

The author exposes our own lackadaisical attitudes towards online security pointing out that the majority of people still use 123456 or password as their password and that over 50% of people use the same password across all of their sites. He warns that our household gadgets will soon be so interconnected that they will control us and actually be spying on us and reporting back. Before you think this is the stuff of conspiracy theories, he provides real life examples of where this has actually happened and is happening including the inside stories for many of the recent cyber attacks that we have seen in the media.

I read the first two thirds of this book a few months ago and have just finished it, therefore I can't comment extensively on the language although I think I recall a few swear words but not a lot. There are also some details of some of the crimes which may cause some readers to become afraid of the dangers of an attack or worried about where things are heading.

I'm surprised that I found a book probably written for computer nerds fascinating, but it's true. The only annoying thing is that the author used the word EXPONENTIALLY about a thousand times. It was as common as a regular author would use "that" or "this." How a decent editor didn't pick this up I don't know but I'm sure other readers will have noticed it. It's irritating.

If I was a non-Christian, this book would definitely make me paranoid and I would start to feel as if the threats are impossible and that everything is heading for a big final conclusion resulting in the end of the world. As a Christian, I know that that is what will happen in the end when Jesus returns and that maybe God will choose to use the downfall of our technological systems to accomplish His purposes. As Christians we have nothing to fear from Future Crimes--we need to reassure others and help them find true eternal security rather than temporary online security which has limited value.... show less