Cyber Security Corner
Summer 2024 Reading List
Written by Mike Conner
Here is my summer reading list from a couple of years ago. These books really highlight the depth and limitations of how the cyber landscape has evolved. These books are available in soft cover and audiobooks. If you read any of these books and want to discuss further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker April 24, 2012
by Kevin Mitnick (Author), William L. Simon Steve Wozniak (Foreword)
This is the autobiography of Kevin Mitnick which is a great story. The story goes from learning social engineering at a young age to some of his exploits which landed him in jail.
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security October 17, 2003
by Kevin D. Mitnick (Author), William L. Simon (Author), Steve Wozniak (Foreword)
If you want to understand the mind of a social engineer, this is a collection of real world instances where everyday people are exploited using common social engineering techniques.
Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon September 1, 2015
by Kim Zetter (Author)
Stuxnet is my favorite piece of malware. A piece of code was able to destroy centrifuges to slow down the Iranian nuclear program at Natanz Enrichment Complex. It highlights how the Idaho National Laboratory ran the Aurora Generator Test in 2007 to demonstrate how a cyberattack could destroy physical components of the electric grid. Then goes through the geopolitical tensions with Iran wanting to enrich uranium, which led to Stuxnet.
The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage January 1, 2005
by Cliff Stoll (Author)
This is a great read if you are interested in cat and mouse thrillers. Cliff Stoll was an astronomy graduate student at Berkley where he ended up working in the computer lab. In the 1980s, computing time cost money. He was tasked with auditing two programs, one to calculate computing time and another to calculate what each department owed. He found a $0.25 discrepancy. This led to his chase of a German spy, working for the Soviets, exfiltrating US military secrets. Cliff Stoll literally wrote the book on Cyber Security.
Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers October 20, 2020
by Andy Greenberg (Author)
If you are interested in the war in Ukraine, this is the cyber aspect of the conflict. The book highlights several attacks that were orchestrated by the Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) called Sandworm and a few others. This is a great example of how cyber attacks from rival countries pre-empt physical altercations. The last few chapters posit excellent questions on how we, globally, should handle these incidents.