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by Scientific American Editors (Editor)
The ubiquity of computers and smartphones has reshaped nearly every aspect of contemporary life, from how we communicate to how we shop. However, it has also provided a new avenue for criminal activity. Cyberattacks can take many forms, but in general they involve hackers gaining unauthorized access to computers or Internet networks in order to change, destroy, disable, or steal information. These attackers can be private individuals launching cyberattacks for financial gain, governments and state-sponsored groups using cyberattacks to spy on their enemies or attack their infrastructure, and hacktivists who use attacks to reveal illegal or immoral activity. This volume examines the various applications of cyberattacks, how they occur, and what can be done to prevent them.
