C yber Spying: Tracking Your Family's (Sometimes) Secret Online Lives, by Ted Fair, Michael Nordfelt, Sandra Ring, and Eric Cole, is an interesting testament to our times, when spying on others has become a daily practice in businesses and families.

Look around—our world is changing quickly. The emergence of computers has only accelerated various transitions and added new directions to where the world is heading. Nowadays, such practices as e-commerce, e-government, and e-learning are commonplace. For many of us, it's almost impossible to imagine our lives without email. As the world evolves, we must embrace change and clearly understand the associated dangers. For instance, children have personal computers and Internet access at home and in school, and they often know more about computers than their parents. Illegal drug use, skipping class, bullying, and pornography aren't new problems, but the Internet can make getting away with such behavior easier. The Internet also creates conditions for sophisticated methods of cheating, intellectual property theft, and criminal hacking.

Cyber Spying argues that many people have no idea of the Internet's evils and the problems that answering an innocent-looking email could cause. "If they only knew what could happen based on an innocent conversation, they would turn off their computers and never use them again," the authors write in the foreword. According to the authors, being unaware of a problem places us more at risk for problems. Cyber Spying's motto seems to be "Let's make the Internet a safer place for all by raising awareness and working together—cyberspying on each other." We might not like it, but we should realize that difficult situations sometimes occur in which spying can be helpful. The authors discuss such situations in detail and discuss the difficult moral and ethical problems related to spying.

In Part 1 (chapters 1 2), the authors cover possible dangers lurking on the Internet, introducing us to cyberspace's dark side. After reading this section, many readers might be frightened enough to consider cyber spying on their children; they might begin to wonder what their children are doing in chat rooms. But continue reading—the authors insist that before you begin spying on someone, you acknowledge the possible consequences. You could destroy your relationship with the person you're spying on by learning hard truths or losing that person's trust. If you're thinking about spying on someone, you have to ask yourself some other questions, such as "Why do I want to spy on someone?" and "What information am I looking for?" The authors remind us of these questions as a final warning.

Part 2 (chapters 3 4) addresses computing beginners. It uses photos and screenshots to clearly explain basic notions and devices connected with your PC. It also defines new, possibly obscure terms, such as main memory, video card, motherboard, operating system, device drivers, and permission. You could probably skip Part 2 if you're not a beginner.

If you still want to spy after reading the first four chapters, Part 3 (chapters 5 10) introduces you to various possibilities, from simple tricks that let you spy without using special devices and programs to more complicated spying methods. Notably, all the software that Cyber Spying mentions (like Snort, One-Way Network Sniffer, and Ultra Virtual Network Computing) is free and easily available. The book also gives URLs for downloading, installing, and accessing the software's user manuals.

The last question the book poses is that of your own vulnerability. In Part 4 (chapter 11), the book discusses the tools you'll need to minimize your exposure to negative spying and make it difficult for others to spy on you. The book covers such methods as creating Virtual RAM drives or OS and encrypting email, chat, and files. After reading it, you should be able to examine your computer for different traps to make sure that you aren't being watched.

I would recommend Cyber Spying primarily for parents who wish to make cyberspace secure for their children. If you're ready to go to the extreme, this book can help you achieve that goal. It could also be useful for small and medium enterprises with limited resources for hiring spying and antispying specialists. In this situation, the book's tips and tricks could support business activities—providing the reader believes that spying will solve cyberspace's evils.

Maria Ganzha is an assistant professor of computer science at the Prywatna Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa w Giżycku. Contact her at ganzha@pwsz.net.