Orange Hat

1,269 search results.  That’s how many books Amazon.com stocks on the topic of hacking.  It is strange to think that twenty years ago, when The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage was published, very few people thought about computer security, let alone published stories or books on it.  Computer networks were built around mutual “trust” and “ethical behavior.”  Naiveté ruled the day.  Times sure have changed.  Scan headlines today and you’ll find plenty of people using their computers unethically.  One can’t even imagine the world without virus scanners, firewalls, and regular security updates.  Hacking is now the trendiest hobby since the pet rock—amusing to some, but silly to the rest.  Wouldn’t it be nice if hacking went away, just like that ridiculous rock?  Unfortunately that’s about as easy as getting criminals to stop committing crimes.  Until we figure that one out I’ll continue to install those pesky security updates that protect me from the hacker at the next computer over.