Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

Internet Safety, edited by Richard Joseph Stein. 176 pp. New York: H.W. Wilson, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8242-1089-2. $50.

Preparing a print publication about Internet safety is a bit like hitting a moving target. The pace of developments is so rapid that information is outdated almost as quickly as it hits the page. While this is true with some of the articles included in the Reference Shelf volume, the five sections provide a good snapshot of the weight and breadth of current issues, including malware, identity theft, safety for teens and cyber attacks that threaten national and global security. Some of the articles require an extensive grasp of the nomenclature around software and hardware. Consider this passage about threats to browsers: “The botnet originally derived from phishing attempts to draw unwitting users to malware via short-lived Web sites, but in the last few months, Asprox has morphed into SQL injection attacks against legitimate sites.” However, many of the articles provide a clear picture of a particular problem and offer general advice to protect against various attacks to computer and personal security. More than one article reveals that teens are more likely to be victims of sexual advances and cyberbullying from other teens than by adult predators, pointing to the need for more extensive education and training for this group. Michelle Andrews’ U.S. News & World Report article about the way teens use MySpace and the parents’ responsibility for monitoring their children is as relevant today as it was when it was written three years ago. This volume offers useful articles on a wide range of issues related to Internet safety and should remain useful for at least a few years. Recommended for high school and public libraries.