Approaching Zero
                          ================

                 Data Crime and the Computer Underworld

                    by Bryan Clough & Paul Mungo

      Published by Faber and Faber              ISBN 0-571-16813-2


Approaching  Zero  is  a  book  on  hacking and phreaking as you may have
guessed.  The book is divided into 8 main parts.

1. Phreaking for Fun
This  chapter  explains  what Phreaking is and how it came about, it also
highlights some of the equipment used and the infamous people involved.

2. Breaking and Entering
This  part  of the book deals with Captain Crunch, another infamous Phone
Phreaker  from  the  US  when  he visited the UK.  Also the ways computer
hackers gain access to the UK telephone network.

3. Data Crime
This  chapter  deals  with  Pat  Riddle,  the  very  first  hacker  to be
prosecuted in the US, and his various hackes, crackes etc.

4. Virus, Worms, Trojans, Bombs
As  you might have guessed this chapter deals with the software danger to
computers  commonly  know as Viruses.  Also so mind blowing info on Logic
Bombs.

5. The Bulgarian Threat
Now this chapter is quite interesting, its all about the birth of Viruses
and  in particular about the Bulgarian hackers and virus programmers.  An
amazing read about the problems caused and the future threats of Viruses.

6. Hacking for Profit
A  few  tails of how a few hackers broke the International bank codes and
stole  loads of money.  It might be true but if it is, well better keep a
good  eye  on  you  bank  statements.   Also a few other computer related
scams,  one  being  an  attempt  to blackmail people into sending a virus
programmer money for an antidote to a most dangerous virus.

7. The Illumminati Conspiracy
Hacking  has  always been seen as a bit of fun, by the hackers of course,
but  to  the  rest  of  the  world its considered a very serious and even
deadly offence.

'Karl Koch was last seen alive on the 23 May 1989.......  Nine days later
the  police went to a wood on the outskirts of the small village of Ohof,
just  outside  Hannover, on a routine inquiry.  They were investigating a
report  of  an  abandoned  car,  its roof, hood and windscreen thick with
dust.   In the undergrowth near the car, the police stumbled on a charred
corpse lying next to an empty gasoline can.'

This  is  a  TRUE account of what dangers lie in wait for all hackers, if
they  go poking where they shouldn't.  This book is worth buying just for
this chapter a most gripping read.

8. Crackdown
Another  account of the huge crackdown on computer hackers in the USA, if
you want a better account you best buy 'The Hacker Crackdown'.

This  has  to  be  one  of my favourite books on the computer underground
manly  because  a lot of the info within the book is based on Europe, the
only place to live :-).

END
===