Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

Encyclopedia of Cybercrime, edited by Samuel C. McQuade, III. 210 p. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-313-33974-5. $75.

From phreaking to phishing, from botnets to zombies, the world of cyber crime is replete with jargon. As this type of crime proliferates, knowing the jargon becomes increasingly important in understanding the extent and nature of these illegal acts. Encyclopedia of Cybercrime offers a ready-reference guide of nontechnical explanations about important issues related to cyber crime. Alphabetically arranged, the 80+ entries generally run between one to four pages. Cross-referenced terms are set in bold face and each authored entry concludes with a list of suggested readings. Topics include terminology, security vulnerabilities and technologies, types of attacks, the psychology and sociology of cyber criminals, the impact of cyber crime on individual victims and society and regulatory and law enforcement efforts. Also included are a chronology of cyber crime and a resource guide that includes recommended books, websites and an annotated list of both documentary and feature films. This volume would be an excellent reference resource for those wishing to better understand the issues related to cyber crime. Of particular interest to schools might be entries related to copyright infringement, gaming, social networking and protection of children in an online environment. Recommended for high school and public libraries.