A Review of Sorts: Cybersecurity and Cyber War

Book 7 of the summer! I really liked this book. I picked it up as more of an informal read, mainly because I wanted to read something related to my (hopefully) future job field. While it probably took me longer to read than most books due to its more wordy content, I found it to be very insightful about the world of the internet we live in. It was a good reminder of how easily our information can be at risk in the cyber world, and also clarified some generalizations often made about the nature of hacking and whistleblowers when it comes to releasing content online.

I thought that the authors spent a little too much time talking about the political side of cybersecurity, but I recognize that this part is important when talking about cyber war as a whole. It is interesting to note the reason the authors give for the government not being able to attract talented enough employees for the Department of Homeland Security; often times the people who have the abilities are basement hackers who do not want to work for the government or even go to college at all.

A point the authors make that stood out to me the most was his way of explaining how the internet is at risk; if we as individuals do not make a practice of securing our personal computers and accounts, we are making the internet as a whole an unsafe place for everyone. It isn't just about making sure your own content is secure in order to browse online safely, security on the internet relies on everyone doing their own parts. This is not something I had ever considered before, but it makes complete sense. If your computer is hacked, then it is giving the hacker more information and content from you, and also, if they are seeking to build a botnet (a montage of connected computers used to retrieve information for a malicious purpose), then it is helping the hacker succeed in attacking more victims.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in internet security or is concerned about their online presence and wants to understand the hacking world. Even if you don't read the book cover to cover like I did, just reading sections of it could prove very useful.