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Zero Day Threat: The Shocking Truth of How Banks and Credit Bureaus Help Cyber Crooks Steal Your Money and Identity Hardcover – April 1, 2008

by Byron Acohido (Author), Jon Swartz (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 23 ratings
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“If you bank or manage your stocks online, you have to read this book. Cyberspace is making all sorts of things possible. Unfortunately, among them are fraud, theft, and espionage—all of which can directly impact you.”--Richard Clarke, noted counterterrorism expert and bestselling author of Against All Enemies


A white-collar true-crime story, Zero Day Threat is a powerful investigative expose on bank and lending policies that actually facilitate ID theft and fraud. USA Today reporters Acohido and Swartz reveal the many ways that established corporations and technology giants (including Bank of America, Microsoft, and Google) have fixated on the Internet to maximize their profits, heedless of increased risks to customers. While examining the exploding range of hidden Internet hazards, they reveal the ways in which cyber crooks nab identity data--such as Dumpster diving for bountiful paper trash that offers account user names, passwords and  Social Security numbers--and then exploit that information through channels opened up by careless corporate policies.  
 Using real-life examples of those who have endured the nightmare of a stolen identity, Zero Day Threat organizes its narrative around three central archetypes:
  • The Exploiters: The drug addicts, scam artists, and crime lords who carry out the gritty aspects of data theft and financial fraud;
  • The Enablers: The credit card companies, banks, and credit bureaus who broker data;
  • The Expediters: The technology experts running the gamut from good guys like Bill Gates to the devious virus writers and database hackers always on the alert for fresh flaws.Intended not merely to alarm, but to illuminate, Zero Day Threat exposes how lawbreakers do their dirty work, and how corporations help them do it.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Union Square Press
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    140275695X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1402756955
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Union Square Press; First Edition (April 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 140275695X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1402756955
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

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Byron Acohido

Byron Acohido

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
23 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jerry Werzinsky
5.0 out of 5 stars The true story on cyber crooks and identity theft
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2010
Verified Purchase
I thought this was a great book on credit card fraud and identity theft. It was well written with each chapter broken down into three areas: The Exploiters, The Enablers, and The Expediters. I've been involved in arrests of a few people using counterfeit credit cards and identity theft, and I've learned from this book a lot of the general background of the groups and individuals involved in the crimes. And it was really cheap (45 cents). Apparently a software company, Ironport.com, gave complimentary copies of the book out (sounds like a good reason to get the book!)and and I see as of this writing there are at least four copies for 1 cent...a great deal on a great book!
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James McDonough
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent technical analysis of ID theft explained in plain language.
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013
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Acohido and Swartz did an outstanding job of investigating and researching the many aspects of ID theft, credit card fraud, wire scams and other criminal activity in the information age. But they went even farther than that, explaining the "enablers" in corporations and government tha create the conditions for the criminals to thrive.

Best of all, the book is written a journalistic style that is much easier for most people to read than "techno-speak". The book, because of the notes and index in the back, is also a good reference book for people who must deal with the problems described.

Worth the purchase price!
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Ben Rothke
4.0 out of 5 stars Shows why identity theft is so easy to do
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2008
Zero Day Threat: the Shocking Truth of How Banks and Credit Bureaus Help Cyber Crooks Steal Your Money and Identity is an interesting and eye-opening look at how banks and credit card companies make ID theft and fraud rather elementary. But with all that, this book must be read in the larger context of how today's society deals with, and is often oblivious to risk. When is comes to risk, American society tolerates tens of thousands of drunk-driving deaths, gives millions in federal tobacco subsidies, and is oblivious about near-epidemics such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. With all that, it is doubtful that the myriad horror stories Zero Day Threat details will persuade Congress or the other players to do anything to curtail the problem with identity theft and internet fraud.

The internet and web have indeed revolutionized society, and there is hardly an industry that has not been positively affected by the net. On the down side, the net is the new conduit for criminals. For example, in the few years before the web became ubiquitous, U.S. and international law enforcement nearly had a noose around the child pornography industry and brought it to a near standstill. After the web, authorities have given up hope that child pornography can ever be contained.

Similarly, white-collar crime and fraud has been exacerbated by the net. Zero Day Threat details the various loopholes that criminals use to carry out their attacks and crimes. Each of the book's 18 chapters is divided into 3 section, exploiters -- which details how the crime lords and their teams carry out the crimes, enablers -- which details the history and current practices of credit card companies, banks, credit bureaus, and data brokers, and expediters -- which recounts how technology and technologies enable these crimes. I found that the breaking up of the chapters into such triplets is occasionally confusing, and you are left wondering what story you are in.

The book is based on the premise that the payment industry, namely the credit card companies, banks, credit bureaus and data brokers have created an infrastructure that is pliable, nearly endlessly extendable, but paper-thin when it comes to security. The system is built for ease of access, ease of granting credit, but without a robust security infrastructure or privacy controls.

Consider that the PCI Security Standards Council was not created until late 2004, and that will give you an idea how security is anathema to the industry. The outgrowth of PCI is the PCI Data Security Standard which is the first uniformly created set of comprehensive security requirements for enhancing payment account data security. While the industry debates the efficacy of PCI, attackers are busy at work running innumerable fraudulent schemes.

The authors paint an honest appraisal of the lack of security in the industry and have their facts in order, although an occasional hyperbole does creep in, for instance when the authors repeatedly state that the hackers in question went weeks without sleep. But a huge error is where they state in chapter 11 that PCI is controversial, with some merchants complaining that it is too costly to implement. There is nothing controversial about PCI, and the security controls it requires are sorely needed. While merchants express their discontent about security and its associated costs, attackers steal from underneath them. The quicker the merchants get that they needed security, the quicker the attacks will stop. But as the book shows, that will not happen anytime soon.

Part of the reason why identity theft will not go away anytime soon is similar to the problem in the air traffic control industry, as detailed in Terminal Chaos: Why U.S. Air Travel Is Broken and How to Fix It. There are too many players in the game, all of which focus on their own interests, and no one wants to take responsibility for the problem. The fact that the Social Security number (SSN) is still used as a key personal identifier, combined with the ease at which an individual 's SSN can be obtained and misused should be enough to give anyone pause.

The primary purpose of a SSN has been to track individuals for taxation purposes. But in the last decade, the SSN has become a de facto national identification number. When established in the 1930s, the Social Security Administration meant for the SSN to be used as a way to track a person's earnings for Social Security benefits. Despite its narrowly intended purpose, the SSN is now used more for non-Social Security purposes, than for the reason it was created. Today, SSNs are used for identity verification, and are the de facto identifier for the credit and financial services industry. With SSNs being aggregated by the millions, they are the fodder for the stories in the book.

Book such as Silent Spring, which helped launch the environmental movement, and The Jungle, which exposed the corruption of the American meatpacking industry, were watershed books that changed America. While Zero Day Threat is not in the same category as either of these books, it is highly unlikely that the level of outrage it will create will be much, nor the indignation significant. Because as bad as identity theft is, and as much grief as it causes, there are far too many politicians, powerful companies, lobbyists and more that are in the way of any change.

Nonetheless, Zero Day is a most interesting look at the many players that work together to facilitate the countless identity theft rings. The book is an absorbing look at the many international players and their enablers involved. While identity theft is not going away anytime soon, Zero Day Threat details the problem, and shows what you can do to ensure that you are not a victim.
5 people found this helpful
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Don Franke
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Scary World
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2009
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This book has a nice balance between how the different attacks are done, and the not-so-glamorous people behind them. This book also offers advice on how to protect yourself, and offers a thorough glossary at the end. This book is a fascinating and educating read, recommended for anyone with a social security number.
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Stu Sjouwerman
5.0 out of 5 stars Want to keep your credit record clean? This is a must-read.
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2008
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A must-read for anyone interested in keeping their credit record clean. The objective journalism in Zero Day Threat reveals the shoddy state of IT security and how the Internet underworld benefits by robbing people blind, safely and remotely.

Stu Sjouwerman, Founder, Sunbelt Software
13 people found this helpful
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Thomas L. Cox
5.0 out of 5 stars Zero Day Threat
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2008
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Excellent book re: the international scope of identity theft. From thief to enabler, the authors follow the chain of criminals from start to finish. You'll never feel as secure as you did before you read this book.
7 people found this helpful
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Gene Budsock
5.0 out of 5 stars book review
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2010
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Loved the book. It gives a good prospective on cyber threat modivation and why it is growing.
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2016
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I really enjoyed this book. Such an eye opener. I would highly recommend it to every one.
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P. Barton
4.0 out of 5 stars Scared the ***** of me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2009
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This book, written by 2 investigative journalists, is compelling but scary reading if you use credit or debit cards, the internet, mail order, if you have an identity that could be stolen.
Read it and embrace the truth of what they are saying and put in place measures to safeguard yourself and your family. I now think twice before paying by card for anything.
What surprised me was the amount of data collected every day by the card processing companies and the data held by companies like experion. A cross-cut shredder and good internet security are a must but don't forget the data on your phone.
 Fellowes P-48C Cross Cut Shredder with Patented Safety Lock
AVG Internet Security 9.0 (3 User, 2 Year) (PC CD)
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