Harley Hahn's Internet Insecurity

Harley has a degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a graduate degree in computer science from the University of California at San Diego. Before becoming a professional writer and the author of more than two dozen books, Harley studied medicine at the University of Toronto. When Harleyis not writing, he reads a lot, paints, plays the piano and gives advice to anyone who will listen. Visit Harley at his Web site: www.harley.com

1. Toward A Grand Unified Theory.


The Roots of the Internet. The Internet is Now “The Net”. Is Big Brother Really Watching? Carnivore is an Omnivore. What the FBI Assistant Director Has to Say. When Internet Law Enforcement Runs Amok. What Superintendent Babin Has to Say. How the Internet Works: TCP/IP. Moving the Data: Routers, ISPs, NSPs and NAPs. Who Runs the Internet? The Nature of the Net. Is It Realistic to Have an Expectation of Privacy?



2. Is Your Business Their Business?


It's Different at Work. The Rules Rule. Why You Are on Your Own. What Not to Do at Work. The Weak Links in the Chain of Privacy. It's Worse Than You Think. Even Paranoids Have Real Enemies. Protecting Yourself. Software That Snoops.



3. Staying One Step Ahead.


Some Web Terminology. Your Browser History. Where the Pictures Are: Your Cache. AutoComplete. Controlling Your Browser History. Controlling AutoComplete. Disks and Discs. How Data is Measured on a Disk. Strange Metric Terminology. Files and Folders. Windows Explorer. Windows Explorer Options. Flushing the Cache.



4. Taking Control.


Clients and Servers. Web Clients and Servers. Web-Based Email. How Private is Web-Based Email? How Private is Regular Email? Sneaky Browser Tricks: Cookies. Why Are Cookies Used So Much? An Approach to the Privacy Dilemma. What to Do About Cookies. Tossing Your Cookies. The Balance of Power. You Are Not the Customer. Cleaning Out Your Computer Every Day. Bequeathing Your Computer. The Windows Registry. Programs That Take Your Side.



5. The Psychology of Privacy.


Transition and Ignorance. Why Talk About Privacy? What is Privacy? A Lack of Vocabulary. Our Desire for Privacy. The Controlling Forces. Who Gets Privacy? Our Real Needs.



6. You Just Think You Have Rights.


Do We Have a Right to Privacy? The Highest Law of the Land. What the Supreme Court Has to Say. Thinking on a Large Scale. The American Frontier. Why Americans Are Cowboys. Have the Cowboys Run Amuck? Why We Let Them Get Away With It.



7. The Politics of Privacy.


The Rules. Privacy Policies. How to Think About Privacy Policies. Why ID Numbers Are Important. U.S. Social Security Numbers 172 Should We Be Worried? What Privacy Commissioner Slane Has to Say. Why We Need Regulation.



8. Our Need to Communicate: Email, Chatting and Privacy.


The Biological Urge to Communicate. Computing as a Social Activity. The Golden Age of Computing. The Personal Computer. The Reason for Networks. Is the Net Enough? Sharing by Email. How to Share by Email. Emailing Blind Copies. Embarrassment and Distress: A True Story. Why is There So Much Misinformation on the Net? 8. Sure-fire Ways to Spot an Email Hoax. Hoaxes and Urban Legends. The 5 Biggest Email Mistakes. Protecting Your Email Address. How to Get a Disposable Email Address. Protecting Other People's Email Privacy. Talk is Cheap (and Not Very Private). Abbreviations and Acronyms.



9. The Mystery of Viruses: Revealed.


What Are Viruses? The Virus Challenge. How a Virus Spreads From One File to Another. Who Creates Viruses? The Three Types of Viruses. Virus Hoaxes. The Trojan Horse. Early Computer Viruses. Early Worms. The Last Days of Innocence. The Worm That Brought Down the Net. The Internet Worm: Prologue. Quick Diversion: A Puzzle.



10. Protecting Your Stuff: Viruses and Common Sense.


Who Needs Special Virus Protection? How Viruses Spread by Sharing Files. What to Do About Regular Viruses. How Viruses Spread Through Email. What Happens When You Open a File? What to Do About Email Viruses. Making Sure Attachments Are Really Gone. Security vs Convenience. Macro Viruses. Early Macro Viruses. What to Do About Macro Viruses. Antivirus Programs: The Real Truth. What Should You Do If You Get a Virus on Your Computer? How to Be Safe: 4 Simple Rules. Quick Diversion: The Solution.



11. Protecting Your Stuff: Configuring Your System.


Two Startling Truths. Are There Dangerous Web Sites? Scripting Languages. Making Your Browser Safe. Making Your Email Program Safe. Extra Protection Against Evil Scripts. How to Remove Windows Scripting Host: Windows 98/ME. How to Remove Dangerous File Extensions: Windows 95. Protecting Your Network: Firewalls. Late One Night.



12 Understanding Money (Really!)


What is Money? The Idea of Money. Who Invented Money? Coins. Paper Money. The First Successful Paper Money. Inflation and Hyperinflation. The Real Lesson of History. How Roosevelt and Nixon Ended the Gold Standard. Business Cycles: Why Someone Needs to Be In Charge. Who Controls the Money Supply? How Most Money is Created. How the Fed Creates and Destroys Money: Part I. How the Fed Creates and Destroys Money: Part II. Money Desensitization. Money and You. Money and the Net. The Internet Factor.



13. Protecting Your Money: Shopping and Selling Without Fear.


Two True Stories. How the Net Affects Buying and Selling. What Is It Like to Buy Something on the Net? How to Protect Your Privacy When You Buy Online. Why It Is Okay to Specify Fake Information. Is It Safe to Buy Online? Will a Hacker Get Your Credit Card Number? What You Really Need to Worry About. 6 Ways to Protect Yourself When You Buy Online. 5 Ways to Evaluate an Online Vendor.



Shipping and Handling Charges: The Real Truth. How to Find What You Want: Shopping Bots. How to Find What You Want: Search Engines. Personal Financial Services. Several Words to the Wise. Online Payment Services. What is an Online Auction? Getting Started With Auctions. How to Protect Yourself Against Auction Fraud. 10 Tips to Make Online Auctions Work for You. The Most Important Hint of All.



14. Protecting Your Family: Sex, Relationships and Children.


Understanding Our Basic Nature. Evolution and Natural Selection. The Secret of Life. Sexual and Asexual Reproduction. Why We Need Relationships. Why We Need Friends and Family. What Really Happens When You Talk on the Net. The Nature of Friendship. A Modern-Day True Love Story. Couples and the Net. 8 Signs That Your Spouse is Having an Online Affair. What to Do If Your Spouse is Having an Online Affair. Net Sex and Pornography. Children and the Net.



Appendix.


Index.