The Future of Hacking: The Rise of Cybercrime and the Fight to Keep Us Safe

In a world, where cyber threats evolve daily, the line between hacker and hero is thinner than you think.

Hacking is no longer just a shadowy underground activity-it’s an essential part of our digital world. The Future of Hacking explores the evolving landscape of cybersecurity, ethical hacking, and digital defense, revealing how hackers protect as much as they attack. Drawing on extensive research and expert interviews from around the world, Laura Scherling uncovers the real-world impact of cybercrime, internet freedom, and digital policy. This accessible yet deeply researched book challenges misconceptions about hacking, highlights the work of those defending our digital future, and helps readers understand why cybersecurity is now everyone’s concern. The future of hacking is here.

Laura S. Scherling, EdD, is a designer, researcher, author, and was the co-founder of GreenspaceNYC, a nonprofit sustainability and design collective. She has been teaching at Columbia University since 2017 and is a director at Columbia University School of Professional Studies. Scherling was the co-editor Ethics in Design and Communication: Critical Perspectives (Bloomsbury Academic, 2020), the editor of Digital Transformation in Design: Processes and Practices (2024) and the author of Product Design, Technology, and Social Change (2024), amongst many other publications in academic and popular journals. Scherling lives in New York City with her husband, son, her dog Maggie, and her cat Maxine.