Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow Review

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Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow ReviewDid you enjoy the previous three Stealing the Network books? Are you looking for more? Then move along now, nothing to see here.
The prior books were interesting because they introduced the reader to new ideas or new angles on old ideas, then moved on without belaboring them. If you wanted more details, there were often URLs provided. The last two tied the stories together with the intriguing Knuth character. But the folks running the project chose to switch to a new format, with fewer characters and stories, not to mention fewer authors, and fewer ways to split the profits.
After three books with the same (proven) formula, it's understandable the authors would want to try something new. Alas, it's a disaster.
Welcome to "How to Own a Shadow," aka "The SQL Injection Adventures of Pawn." Pawn is one of the new characters in this volume, and is the first StN character I hoped would get shot to death by the cops in a mini-mall parking lot. Yes, he's that irritating. Particularly after reading 40 pages about his childhood as a high-functioning autistic (or something like that), and around 100 pages of him performing SQL injection attacks. Most of which is totally unrelated to Knuth. Note to the authors: SQL injection is interesting, but if you want to write a book about it, just write a book about it. I even gave you a title, what more do you want? You can even recycle much of this book, like you recycled part of the last one here.
Oh, you noticed the real subtitle of the book, "The Chase for Knuth." First, one chases _after_ fugitives, and hunts or searches _for_ them. Not that it matters, because there's not much chasing or hunting going on in this book. There isn't much Knuth, either. We see him in the first hundred pages, which is mostly about his son analyzing poker software. That's the last we see of either of them. Because, really, this is "The Biography of Pawn." We do get 50 pages of Knuth at the end of the book, but don't get excited: it's all from the last book, added as obvious filler.
Speaking of filler, there's a 17 page advertorial thrown in for BiDiBLAH, which is commercial software by SensePost. Oddly enough, they're listed as technical advisors for the book. I'm sure it's a fine app, but the authors have forgotten about Knuth again, since it has nothing to do with the story. If it had been relevant, it might have been a less obnoxious addition.
Not everything is bad. There's a brief bit about RFID, which of course turns into how to use RFID for SQL attacks. We get to meet Knuth's supposedly dead wife, and a charming shrew she is. All in all, though, this book isn't worth reading unless you're a truly devoted fan of the series, or SQL. I'm still a fan of the previous books, and I hope the authors can recapture what made them so intriguing for their next book. I won't be buying that one until I'm sure it's not Book Two of the Pawn Saga, however.Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow OverviewThe best-selling Stealing the Network series reaches its climactic conclusion as law enforcement and organized crime form a high-tech web in an attempt to bring down the shadowy hacker-villain known as Knuth in the most technically sophisticated Stealing book yet.Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow is the final book in Syngress' ground breaking, best-selling, Stealing the Network series. As with previous title, How to Own a Shadow is a fictional story that demonstrates accurate, highly detailed scenarios of computer intrusions and counter-strikes. In How to Own a Thief, Knuth, the master-mind, shadowy figure from previous books, is tracked across the world and the Web by cyber adversaries with skill to match his own. Readers will be amazed at how Knuth, Law Enforcement, and Organized crime twist and torque everything from game stations, printers and fax machines to service provider class switches and routers steal, deceive, and obfuscate. From physical security to open source information gathering, Stealing the Network: How to Own a Shadow will entertain and educate the reader on every page. The book's companion Web site will also provide special, behind-the-scenes details and hacks for the reader to join in the chase for Knuth. The final book in the Stealing the Network series will be a must read for the 50,000 readers worldwide of the first three titles The companion Web site to the book will provide challenging scenarios from the book to allow the reader to track down Knuth Law enforcement and security professionals will gain practical, technical knowledge for apprehending the most supplicated cyber-adversaries

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Careers In Private Security: How to Get Started, How to Get Ahead Review

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Careers In Private Security: How to Get Started, How to Get Ahead ReviewThe book may tell you how to become a security guard but it does not point to available jobs. There are many websites that claim to offer jobs but it often remains difficult. At, http://www.physicalsecuritycrossing.com you can find jobs dealing with this specific career field. At http://www.physicalsecuritycrossing.com/ , they only have jobs from employer websites and offer far more jobs than other job boards.Careers In Private Security: How to Get Started, How to Get Ahead OverviewIn this straight-from-the-horse's-mouth guide to jobs in the private security field, author Leigh Wade shares what he's learned during 30 years of working all sorts of armed and unarmed positions. With honesty and humor, he describes the hierarchy of private security jobs, starting with unarmed fixed-post positions and moving up through armed guards, bouncers, correctional officers, armed couriers, bodyguards and the top of the field - computer/information security experts. Wade, a Vietnam veteran who served with Special Forces, tells potential security personnel how to find jobs, what kind of training to expect, the pay scale and benefits, advancement potential, the good and bad points of each job and what to expect during a typical workday. Let this knowledgeable guide help you avoid the pitfalls and advance to where you should be in the field of private security.

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Security and Loss Prevention, Fourth Edition: An Introduction Review

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Security and Loss Prevention, Fourth Edition: An Introduction ReviewHere is a book that is a must for all security supervisors in the contract and private sector in security. We all have to start with the basics when training new security supervisors and officers. Here is a book that can aid greatly to the end result that we in the industry are striving for well trained and knowledgable Security Supervisors and officers. All chapters of this book can be set to lesson plan for classroom study or chapters can be assigned to all and have them answer the questions at the end of each chapters. Teaching how and when a security survey should be conducted and explaining to the client the findings and the recommendations that were found during the survey. If you have the book keep it if you do not get a copy ASAP it will only make that much prepared for the changes in the industry that will taking place today into the next century and beyond. Good Luck. Dennis MedickSecurity and Loss Prevention, Fourth Edition: An Introduction OverviewContinuing the tradition of the original editions, the Fourth Edition of Security and Loss Prevention is designed to provide security students and professionals with an introduction to loss prevention concepts and security program implementation.Functioning as a bridge between physical security and computer security, the Fourth Edition provides proven strategies to prevent and reduce incidents of loss due to crime, fire, accident, error, and mismanagement.The Fourth Edition is completely updated with new coverage of Information Technology (IT) as it relates to Physical Security, the Business and Careers of Security and Loss Prevention, Risk Analysis, E-business Loss Prevention, and OSHA standards.The book includes new case studies, sidebar questions, international perspectives, Web exercises, and industry links throughout the text.Written in a reader-friendly, interactive style, it serves as an essential reference to applying loss prevention theory to create real-world security solutions.A brand new Instructor's Manual is available for this edition. * Recommended reading for the ASIS International Certified Protection Professional (CPP) exam* Includes practical case studies and dozens of illustrations* Covers cutting edge and extremely timely topics and threats including the Internet, terrorism, and e-commerce security issues

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Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business Review

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Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business ReviewWhile I am not an international business person, I do enjoy saving my skin. I saw this book in a store one day and immediately added it to my list. It was certainly worth reading.
Juval Aviv first addresses what he feels to be the most important battleground in staying safe -- your very own thinking. Settling for more dangerous behavior because it saves you time, money, or the "hassle" of paying attention to your surroundings is what Aviv would most passionately warn against.
From there Aviv discusses almost all aspects of staying safe: survival and escape strategies for all kinds of events, travel safety in foreign countries and on airplanes, identity theft, and those pesky carjackings. Here are a couple favorite strategies -- when yelling for help, yell "Fire" instead of "Help!" People are more likely to come to your aid. And if you're in your car and a carjacker hops in the passenger seat, take your keys and throw them out of your door as far as you can. Now what's he going to do?
In actuality, of course, most of us do not need to incorporate EVERY recommendation of Aviv into our own lifestyles. Most of us do not need to open our mail in an isolated area, nor will we likely remember many of Aviv's tips if we actually find ourselves in the middle of a terrorist incident. Many of Aviv's concepts, however, can be very helpful, if only in a more general sense. And, for the international executive, government official, or prominent public figure, Staying Safe is a fantastic resource. I would also suggest J.J. Luna's book, How to be Invisible for these individuals.
If these ideas interest you, then you will enjoy this book.
Staying Safe: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Family, and Your Business Overview

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The Private Investigator Handbook: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Protect Yourself, Get Justice, or Get Even Review

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The Private Investigator Handbook: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Protect Yourself, Get Justice, or Get Even ReviewChuck Chambers has been a private investigator in Florida since 1982. Before that he was in the Manatee County Sheriffs department, and before that in the US Marine Corps...He brought those experiences to his work as an investigator, and now enjoys the fruit of his work. He is constantly quoted and searched out in the Sarasota-Bradenton area for his comments and expertise on the mysterious cases that pop up from time to time. His book is nothing less than a treasure trove of information, advice and exposition regarding just about every area of investigation. If you are thinking of hiring a PI, or have concerns about privacy or asset protection, this is the book for you. You could save thousands of dollars just by reading the book and following Mr. Chambers' advice.The Private Investigator Handbook: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Protect Yourself, Get Justice, or Get Even OverviewChuck Chambers has seen it all in his 22 years as a P.I., working thousands of cases. His hands-on experience and hard-nosed detective work has made him one of the most sought-after private investigators in the business. Here, Chambers shares his insider expertise, with true case histories from his files, tricks of the trade, and step-by-step advice to help readers be able to: - Catch a cheating spouse - Uncover hidden assets, monetary malfeasance, and fraud - Tail and track a mark - Use the Internet to get information on anything and anyone - Protect one's privacy - Prepare an intelligence file on anyone-on and off line - Find and preserve legal evidence The Private Investigator's Handbook is as fascinating to read as it is useful for anyone looking to get the undercover legal help they need, and the peace of mind they deserve.

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Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition, Final Chapter, and DVD Review

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Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition, Final Chapter, and DVD ReviewI have just finished a marathon session of reading "Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition" and I have a very conditional review of it: It's a must-have if you don't already own the previous editions of these guilty pleasures. If you are already a fan, however, prepare to be let-down by the compilation.
The stories of the Stealing the Network series entertain in the same way that "war stories" from fellow hackers and security professionals often keeps a more intimate audience's interest: by mixing intriguing situations with juicy technical detail that can serve as a useful take-away. No one will accuse these books of containing fine literature, but that's not really the point. The stories are well written enough to keep you wanting to know what will happen next, while the technical information is as accurate as you're likely to see in fiction. Segments involving hacking are written and illustrated with enough attention to detail and length to serve as introductory educational tutorials for the topics (including web application hacking, reverse engineering, and wireless security). Most of these scenarios are believable as parts of larger-scale operations.
The first book of the series consists of independent short-stories based around characters of the authors' creation. The other three books in the compilation tell an over-arching story of a larger "operation", which involves many characters and their independent stories. The second book, "How to Own a Continent", is probably my favorite, along with the first ("How to Own a Box"), for keeping things simple, technical, and focusing on the individual stories. The third book, "How to Own an Identity" suffers from having worse editing then the rest of the series, and may lose some readers' interest. The fourth book ("How to Own a Shadow") reads a lot better, and wraps the overall story up well, however it focuses only on a relative handful of the series' characters.
As a compilation, this Collector's Edition leaves much to be desired. While the original description for this edition described the books contained within as being "author-annotated", this is not the case. The individual books are reproduced exactly as they were in their original editions, with no additional commentary from the authors, and with all the same problems as the originals. For example, screenshots in the first chapter of the first book are the same illegible black squares that were in the original edition of the book published 7 years ago. The annotations along with other features described in the original description (emails, photographs) that would provide a lot of interesting background material, would have made this compilation a must-buy.
The extra content that you are receiving is a brief new forward by Jeff Moss, and a "Final Chapter" by Ryan Russell. The new chapter is about 20 pages long, and gives the story-line a proper ending. I won't ruin anything about it, but I will say that I enjoyed it. Syngress has promised in the description of the book to make this content available separately in electronic form in six months.
The included DVD is described on the back-cover copy as being "full" of behind-the-scenes stories. In reality, you will only find 20 minutes of interviews with a few of the authors. I enjoyed these interviews, however, much like the print companion, I felt like more should have been done. Also beware that there are problems with the audio on the DVD. When played on my MacBook, there was noticeable crackling/popping in the audio of the DVD. The same noise was present, but less noticeable when played through a stand-alone DVD player through a television.
To summarize, I like the books, and find them as entertaining as I did when they were originally published, and I like the new hardcover binding. I do think that it is unfortunate that the "Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition" does not meet its potential to be more than the sum of its parts. There seems to have been intent at some point to add value to the set, but it wound up simply being a rough concatenation of the individual books.
If you haven't read these books, then I very much recommend picking up this set. It's 1,000 pages of interesting stories and technical material. If you already have the previous editions of the Stealing the Network Series, however, you might find it hard to justify paying for them again.Stealing the Network: The Complete Series Collector's Edition, Final Chapter, and DVD Overview
"Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box is a unique book in the fiction department. It combines stories that are fictional, with technology that is real. While none of the stories have happened, there is no reason why they could not. You could argue it provides a road map for criminal hackers, but I say it does something else: it provides a glimpse into the creative minds of some of today's best hackers, and even the best hackers will tell you that the game is a mental one." - from the Foreword to the first Stealing the Network book, How to Own the Box, Jeff Moss, Founder & Director, Black Hat, Inc. and Founder of DEFCON

For the very first time the complete Stealing the Network epic is available in an enormous, over 1000 page volume complete with the final chapter of the saga and a DVD filled with behind the scenes video footage!

These groundbreaking books created a fictional world of hacker superheroes and villains based on real world technology, tools, and tactics. It is almost as if the authors peered into the future as many of the techniques and scenarios in these books have come to pass.

This book contains all of the material from each of the four books in the Stealing the Network series.

All of the stories and tech from:


How to Own the Box

How to Own a Continent

How to Own an Identity

How to Own a Shadow

Plus:


Finally - find out how the story ends! The final chapter is here!

A DVD full of behind the scenes stories and insider info about the making of these cult classics!
* Now for the first time the entire series is one 1000+ page book* The DVD contains 20 minutes of behind the scenes footage* Readers will finally learn the fate of "Knuth" in the much anticipated Final Chapter

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No Place to Hide Review

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No Place to Hide ReviewYou've rented a car to drive from Connecticut to Virginia. You head south on I-95, but at times, your speed creeps up to 80 mph like many of the drivers around you. Finally, you stop to buy gas but your credit card is rejected at the pump. The reason? The company who rented you the car has been monitoring your driving in real time. Not only that, they've fined you three times, at $150 per violation, for speeding, and already deducted it from your credit card. Sound impossible? It's not, and Robert O'Harrow's NO PLACE TO HIDE describes how car rental companies can do it, and have already done it.
Perhaps you have never heard of Acxiom, Seisint, ChoicePoint, HNC Software, TransCore, Searchspace, and Verint? Well, that's just the way those companies want it. And they are just some of the companies who know all about you - your name, address, and social security number, every place you've ever lived, your credit histories, who your friends are, what you say and do on the Internet, where you travel, even your faces, fingerprints, and DNA. In the interest of catching terrorists and preventing terrorism, federal and local law enforcement agencies have increasingly turned to these companies for help - all conveniently situated outside the privacy laws and Patriot Act restrictions and free to collect virtually any information they can lay their hands on. The result is a boom in the "total information awareness" business that is creating a world of commercial "big brothers." It is a world about which most Americans are blissfully, and foolishly, unaware.
Faster machines, bigger databases, more networking, and microminiaturization to the level of flea-sized RFID chips and "smart dust" will only make these systems more and more pervasive. But as O'Harrow repeatedly demonstrates, mistakes get made and innocent people's lives are ruined without recourse. One of the strengths of NO PLACE TO HIDE is the author's retelling of nightmarish occurrences that victimized innocent American citizens, stories that resound with the eerie randomness and facelessness of Kafka's THE TRIAL. The author points out as well that system missions creep from anti-terrorism to criminal behavior to ... what? Furthermore, he demonstrates that these systems are so uncontrolled an open-ended in their use, law enforcement personnel can use them for any reason whatsoever, even for personal reasons or for personal gain. As O'Harrow quotes one sheriff's deputy from Michigan, "There isn't anybody, anywhere in law enforcement, that doesn't check people out. If they say they don't I'd stake you a hundred that they're lying."
NO PLACE TO HIDE is not without shortcomings that render it a 4-star rating rather than 5 stars. To begin with, O'Harrow's writing style is a bit tedious, employing more or less the same dramatic and illustrative devices in each chapter. As a result, the book feels longer and more repetitive than it really is. Second, by striving mightily to stay even-handed, the author creates an odd distance to subject matter that should be raising his hackles and creating a greater sense of outrage or dread. Third, the book is so full of little-known company names, products and services, and governmental agencies, they tend to blend into a sort of surveillance industry soup. A few well-conceived charts or diagrams would have been invaluable in sorting out the players. Finally, the book ends without so much as a word on what should be done to bring the post-9/11, Patriot Act-inspired information and surveillance crusade back under some semblance of citizen control.
Nevertheless, it's fair to say that O'Harrow's book is indeed a harrowing look into a 1984-ish, MINORITY REPORT future. Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, you're likely to find much to disturb you in this eye-opening book. NO PLACE TO HIDE outlines the framework for an America few of us would knowingly choose, evidence (if any more was needed) that Osama bin Laden's 9/11 plan succeeded far beyond anything he could possibly have dreamed. After all, could he ever have imagined being able to turn us so aggressively against ourselves? Or, to quote Ben Franklin in what is probably the best sentence in the book, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety." When are we finally going to wake up from our 9/11 stupor and heed Mr. Franklin? Perhaps NO PLACE TO HIDE is the alarm we need.
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How to Be Invisible: A Step-By-Step Guide To Protecting Your Assets, Your Identity, And Your Life Review

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How to Be Invisible: A Step-By-Step Guide To Protecting Your Assets, Your Identity, And Your Life ReviewI used to keep an overseas bank account but I learned it is far more private to keep one's cash INSIDE the U.S. Also, the idea that my name should never be connected with where I live, not on one single document, was an eye-opener. At first it seemed impossible but the author shows simple ways to follow this advice on everything from bank accounts and credit cards to drivers' licenses and income tax returns. I have thirty-two books on privacy and asset protection but Luna's book has more practical information that all the others put together. He deals in facts not theory. My only complaint is that the book could have been longer. I would have liked to read more anecdotes about the author's various clients and how they solved their problems.How to Be Invisible: A Step-By-Step Guide To Protecting Your Assets, Your Identity, And Your Life Overview

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How to Be Invisible: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Personal Privacy, Your Assets, and Your Life (Revised Edition) Review

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How to Be Invisible: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Personal Privacy, Your Assets, and Your Life (Revised Edition) ReviewI'll review the book briefly before responding to some of the criticism of the work. I initially read this book nearly one year ago, and have since then put into practice many of the suggestions in the book.
For example, I don't carry my drivers license around anymore. The entertainment factor of pulling a passport out is almost as beneficial as the privacy factor. Bank employees, concert security, bouncers, etc. usually look quite strangely at the passport, since most of them are used to reading everyone's drivers license all day. The cost of this small protection was minimal, and now I never have to give anyone my home address unless they deserve it, or I want to give it to them. Anyone who ever steals my wallet or gets ahold of it if I drop it won't find anything except a small amount of cash and useless items.
The book contains many other examples of protecting privacy, such as setting up ghost addresses, titling vehicles in LLCs, and not relying on borrowing money to live.
The small information on using credit is potentially the most important part of the book. In my work, I daily talk to people who have relied on credit to get them through life. When they come upon a hardship, they lean even heavier on credit to get through the hardship, while waiting for the future to get better. Unfortunately, hardships last longer than a few days or weeks, usually, and continuous leaning on credit will eventually cause the crutch to break.
In actuality, this could turn out to be a very long review, if I let it, because the ideas that are presented in the book are all a cause of conversation and reflection. However, for some readers, they will merely read the ideas and develop a thought pattern of saying "I can't do that, it's a lot of work." They will then deem the book impractical, outdated, or useless.
It's amazing to me, reading some of the low-star reviews, how misguided most of these reviewers are when reading this book. I assume they have read the book, or else they would presume to review it it, but their arguments sound like they read the concepts and assumed the practice would be too difficult, or they read the practical suggestions and did not have the creativity to use the examples as a starting point, not an ending point.
Apparently, one of the most visual and easily rememberable examples in the book is renting an empty broom closet for a ghost mail address. The argument that using an unoccupied broom closet as a mailbox is outdated is absurd. I honestly have not found a broom closet as a mailbox, but I'm sure one could be tracked down and rented. And renting a closet as a mailbox is an example of creativity in protecting your privacy, not a direct order from the author. Step One is not "Rent a broom closet and receive mail there," it's "Stop receiving mail at home." The broom closet and other examples are suggestions to get you thinking of uncommon ideas.
(If you don't like the broom closet idea, track down the guy using that as his address, and let him know you do not appreciate his creativity in protecting his privacy.)
In fact, that's the point most low-star reviewers seem to miss: the examples are examples of creativity in making a difficult activity (protecting your privacy) slightly easier. Of course it would be easier just to rent a box from a local UPS Store, but then you have to show ID, give them your actual address, and your name goes into the company database, to be sold or rented to anyone.
It would be even easier to continue using your own home address to receive mail. But again, the book was not written to tell you how to do what you are already doing.
And the argument that you can't see any way around giving out your SS#, etc., to employers or for a background check for a job is just as absurd. You may as well argue that you're no better than a cow being herded for slaughter, to be cut up, creatively packaged, and sold off piece by piece. Actually, I might prefer that to working some of my old jobs, which I only took because I felt I didn't have any other option than finding a good company to work for.
It's because I read this book that I decided to get out of being employed and opened my own business. Almost a year later, I haven't been forced to find even a part time job to supplement my self-employment income.
More than just becoming invisible, maybe the major theme of the book is Creativity, and the book is targeted to creative people who are willing to work to change their lives.
For the uncreative, who are stuck with no other options than working for an employer and lacking the skills and motivation to protect their privacy, maybe the government will pass a law allowing people to become "invisble" by filing a simple form at the post office. Just give them your SS#, home address, phone number, and two pieces of picture ID every few months, and they will put you in a database to keep you invisible. That'll be easy enough for everyone to do, right?
One last point about the "extreme" newspaper exceprts in the book: you can consider those quite dated because since those stories appeared, hundreds of stories just like them have been published with the same results. Search Google, Yahoo, your local library's stock of newspapers, or any other source and you'll see more "extreme" cases of stalkers, scam artists, criminals, and frivolous lawsuits.
In conclusion, this is a great book if you want to protect your privacy. Use it as a starting point and as a reference for future ideas. But if you're expecting the book itself to protect you, then you are making a dangerous assumption. Only you can protect yourself.
Hopefully this wasn't an overly long review, and if you enjoyed reading any part of it, then thanks! And if you disagree with any part, then I'd be happy to mail you a personal note asking for forgiveness. Just email me your name, home address, and social security number. :-) Just kidding.How to Be Invisible: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Personal Privacy, Your Assets, and Your Life (Revised Edition) OverviewFrom cyberspace to crawl spaces, new innovations in information gathering have left the private life of the average person open to scrutiny, and worse, exploitation. In this thoroughly revised update of his immensely popular guide How to Be Invisible, J.J. Luna shows you how to protect yourself from these information predators by securing your vehicle and real estate ownership, your bank accounts, your business dealings, your computer files, your home address, and more.J.J. Luna, a highly trained and experienced security consultant, shows you how to achieve the privacy you crave and deserve, whether you just want to shield yourself from casual scrutiny or take your life savings with you and disappearing without a trace. Whatever your needs, Luna reveals the shocking secrets that private detectives and other seekers of personal information use to uncover information and then shows how to make a serious commitment to safeguarding yourself.There is a prevailing sense in our society that true privacy is a thing of the past. Filled with vivid real life stories drawn from the headlines and from Luna's own consulting experience, How to Be Invisible, Revised Edition is a critical antidote to the privacy concerns that continue only to grow in magnitude as new and more efficient ways of undermining our personal security are made available. Privacy is a commonly-lamented casualty of the Information Age and of the world's changing climate-but that doesn't mean you have to stand for it.

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