Product Description

Nearly every week the headlines of national newspapers shout allegations about the latest credit card fraud, internet paedophile, or major corporations whose computers have been hacked. But what people may not realize is that the nature of computer crime is becoming even more sophisticated. In the same way that all of us use computers increasingly in our business and personal lives, so too are criminals using computers, not just to commit high-tech offences, but to plan, research and co-ordinate a wide variety of crimes. The role computers play in crime, and in particular the detection and prosecution of crime has never been as significant as it is today. In a gripping true-life detective story, ex-hacker and now one of the UK's leading crime experts Neil Barrett guides us into a world where the seemingly innocuous computer screen can provide a window into the mind of even the most hardened criminal. Through some of his own high profile cases, Barrett shows us the cutting edge of modern crime. It is a dimly-lit world where hackers pit their wits, man to man, with the police experts and where the digital detective is the latest and best weapon in the police arsenal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #296969 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-29
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Publisher
'An important and valuable read; Barrett takes us into a hitherto unknown world and gives us a new perspective on twenty-first century crime.' Paul Britton, author of The Jigsaw Man

From the Back Cover
Nearly every week the headlines of national newspapers shout allegations about the latest credit card fraud, internet paedophile, or major corporations whose computers have been hacked. But what people may not realize is that the nature of computer crime is becoming even more sophisticated. In the same way that all of us use computers increasingly in our business and personal lives, so too are criminals using computers, not just to commit high-tech offences, but to plan, research and co-ordinate a wide variety of crimes. The role computers play in crime, and in particular the detection and prosecution of crime has never been as significant as it is today.

In a gripping true-life detective story, ex-hacker and now one of the UK’s leading crime experts Neil Barrett guides us into a world where the seemingly innocuous computer screen can provide a window into the mind of even the most hardened criminal. Through some of his own high profile cases, Barrett shows us the cutting edge of modern crime. It is a dimly-lit world where hackers pit their wits, man to man, with the police experts and where the digital detective is the latest and best weapon in the police arsenal.

About the Author
Neil Barrett studied mathematics and computer science at NottinghamUniversity, where he also completed a Ph.D. He became the UK's youngest lecturer following his appointment at YorkUniversity in 1985. He currently works as the Technical Director at IRM, where he is responsible for the development of security policies and contingency plans, penetration testing and forensic analysis. In addition, he has recently been appointed Professor of Computer Criminology at the Royal Military College of Science, CranfieldUniversity. He has appeared as an expert witness in a number of court cases, and has advised lawyers and police forces throughout the UK on computer crime.

Customer Reviews

Computer Forensics Exposed
This intriguing book kept me riveted and distracted during a very cold train journey (it was less than 45 degrees), with its tales of evidence turning up in some very surprising places. Barrett's expertise and acid humour as he describes these flashbacks into his experiences were gripping. The book is accessible to those of us who are not as technically competent as the author: anecdotes about criminals, their attempts to evade capture, and real doctoring of the evidence were all easy to follow. I can't begin to recommend this book enough.

I learned so much from reading this book
Neil Barrett has led a fascinating life. This Yorkshire bloke has gone from being a computer hacker to a Professor of Computer Criminology and is now one of the acknowledged leaders in the fight against computer crime in the UK.

Traces of Guilt takes us through some of his activities, most notably as an expert witness to the courts in the fight against computer crime.

He has that rare gift of the good teacher - the ability to make the driest of details comprehensible and interesting. Not that many of the details in this book are dry; we are led on a case-by-case tour of some of the wide variety of crimes he has worked on as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes of the computer crime world.

It's not just hackers that Professor Barrett is after - this book features rape and murder, data theft, paedophile cases and many other types of crime. In every case a computer features among the evidence for the prosecution.

Despite its subject matter, this is a very human book and Professor Barrett takes us on a journey of personal highs and lows as he, quite literally, invents the science - or art - of prosecuting criminals based on the evidence provided by computers. It's an entertaining and inform@tive book, peopled with larger than life characters and detailed accounts of real-life crimes. I enjoyed it immensely.

Very Informative
Neil has written an excellent book about the way computers are used in many varied crimes today. His explanations are clear and some of the crimes described are gruesome! Read about the Gary Glitter case from how the police approached the case.
Great Book!