The Internet is not what it used to be, and surely not what it was intended to be. It seems, writes the author, that “what was once a brave new world, a digital ’superhighway,’ is now a seedy back road lined with pawn shops and massage parlors.” And worse!

In this well-written, well-conceived, and well-researched book, intended for the layman, Biggs introduces us to the spammers, the scammers, the hackers, the crackers, the pirates, and the creators of viruses, worms, spyware, and worse who have made the innocent global village seem more like Hogarth’s London. In clear language, he explains what they do, how they do it, and what the ordinary computer user can do to minimize the damage they can cause.

Professionals, of course, know all about this stuff, but for the rest of the people on the Internet, this book is definitely worth reading, and taking seriously.