Review of Future Crimes by Marc Goodman (2015, Bantam Press)

In Future Crimes Marc Goodman details the dark side of the Internet and networked technologies and the various ways in which they are open to cyberattack and illicit activity.  Drawing on his experience working with LAPD, FBI, Interpol and others, he documents a whole series of real world cases of systems being hacked, data stolen, and software infected with viruses and malware, and all kinds of scams and illegal trading.  The whole book is something of an uncomfortable read given all the vulnerabilities exposed.  While fascinating, the narrative would have been greatly aided by a really good edit: there is a fair amount of repetition, points are over-laboured, the structure seems a little haphazard, and the discussion is often overly descriptive rather than explanatory.  Overall, a somewhat scary read that’ll make you rethink your own online security and behaviour.