Salami slicing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In computer crime, salami slicing is the illegal practice of stealing money repeatedly in extremely small quantities, usually by taking advantage of rounding to the nearest cent (or other monetary unit) in financial transactions. Salami slicing is most often performed by employees of the corporation that handles those transactions, and, if not guarded against, it can be difficult to detect.
"Salami slicing" can (often pejoratively) refer to any practice of doing something in small parts to achieve something that would otherwise be impossible or extremely difficult; for example, breaking up complex pieces of legislation.
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[edit] Other references
[edit] Film & television
Salami slicing has played key roles in the plots of several films, including Superman III, Hackers, and Office Space - which mentions Superman III as an inspiration. It is also used as a significant plot element in the anime series Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG. Woody Allen joked that as a young man he stole a loaf of bread one slice at a time from a bakery at which he worked. After a crisis of conscience, he broke into the bakery to try to return the loaf but was caught red-handed.
[edit] Music
The term is used the country song "The Ballad of Silicon Slim". A non-digital variant of the practice is described in the Johnny Cash song, "One Piece At A Time", in which the protagonist, an automotive factory worker, steals individual parts to build a complete car over a period of decades.
[edit] Literature
An example of salami slicing also appears in a volume of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series. The revolutionaries in Robert A. Heinlein's The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress use the technique to fund their war for independence. Thomas Whiteside's 1978 book, Computer Capers, documents how a programmer at a mail-order company diverted money from rounded-down sales commissions into a phony account for three years before he was caught.
[edit] Academia
In academics, salami slicing refers to the practice of creating several publications out of material that could have been published in a single journal or review.
