Thru the eyes of the Sandworm's hunters and prey

I've always enjoyed Wired's in-depth reporting on major cyber attacks, so when Andy Greenberg put out a book last week I grabbed it. While many recent books have been about stolen personal data and influence campaigns by China and North Korea, this books has a clear focus: weapons of cyber destruction by Russia.

Chronogically, the book starts with the first attack on the Ukrainian power grid in 2015. This attack use the Dark Energy malware, which included the first of many references to Frank Herbert's Dune, hence Sandworm. If you have read other books on cyber war, you can probably skip the first two sections.

It gets interesting in Section 3 with the second hack on the Ukrainian power grid, in which experts note that the attackers held back from doing their worst possible damage. The group was also responsible for NotPetya, the most damaging cyber attack till date that ravaged the Ukraine and also several MNCs, who had links to Ukraine.

Greenberg also links the group to the hacking of various elections and concludes that all these attacks - whether noisy influence campaigns or stealthy destruction of infrastructure - are all by Russia's GRU and all have the primary goal of influence.

What makes the book very readable is seeing the story of each attach unfold through the viewpoints of key players in each incident. So while I may have revealed some of the takeaway, I am definitely not spoiling the enjoyment of anyone who wants to read it.

For some samples of Greenberg's writing (you can skip these sections in the book later):
https://www.wired.com/2016/03/inside-cunning-unprecedented-hack-ukraines-power-grid/
https://www.wired.com/story/crash-override-malware/
https://www.wired.com/story/untold-story-2018-olympics-destroyer-cyberattack/

4 people found this helpful

An important expose - well researched, frightening & prescient.

This is a supremely important expose of the development, use and effects of state-sponsored computer hacking as warfare - initially Russian in Ukraine, and now while still primarily by Russia, carried out be other nations including the US. As the US still steadfastly refuses to promote international, Geneva-style sanctions on these immensely dangerous and potentially catastrophic crimes (because such limitations would limit US offensive opportunity) I am reminded of the opposition John Kennedy faced from his Joint Chiefs when he attempted to work with Khrushchev to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons, advocating instead for a nuclear first strike, claiming that while the US might lose 30 million people, we’d ultimately win because the USSR would lose more. This book is a prescient warning and analysis - at a time where we still have the opportunity to advocate a change in course.

4 people found this helpful

Trump bashing book - Author is Russian Agent

Andy shows how he is an idiot. Author and Russian KGB misinformation are the same. If he left the politics out of the book and maintained the facts about Sandworm, it would have been a good book. However, he misses a lot of concepts. Such as Hillary Clinton's email server in Ukraine. Perhaps the reason for email server in Ukraine is to send secret messages to Russia. And Hillary Clinton and Uranium One deal with Russia. Wow. Author missed those connections to Hillary and Obama.
Russia tempering with America vote is about as bad as this book, CNN and comedians spewing out misinformation about Trump. Andy grow up.

2 people found this helpful

Riveting Revelation

Global codex, keys to the kingdom, comfort or paranoia, offense or defense...you pick. The revelation of this book, transcends everything we think we know about the grid. Are we moving headlong into a New Stone Age, perhaps. I now see my computer and access to the globe in light or not so light. Next time you see me I’ll be.......end of line.

2 people found this helpful

Listening a second time.

I restarted the book from the beginning as soon as I finished it the first time. On the second listen I was better with tracking the dates & main characters. The writing is as smooth as the voiceover & I've rarely found that to be true. Especially with non-fiction. The author reveals shocking details that I can't believe the general public isn't aware of. We should all know what's coming.
If you're easily frightened about doomsday scenarios, you won't care for this book.
I can't fathom that any human being could find out this much info, weave it together a great narrative & turn it into a great book.

1 person found this helpful

Thrilling. True. Currently on-going .

Very much worth listening to, especially by members of the infosec community at Silicon Valley companies. The narrator is earnest and there are slight technical inaccuracies but this is because it is a complex topic and the author, coming from outside the field, did his honest best. Any minor confusion or incorrect descriptions is minor and does not detract from the narrative: a real-life spy thriller that’s happening •today•.

1 person found this helpful

How hacking has become the new war front

The author is well researched and so how cyber warfare has progressed. Also found that while the Russian GRU is a big problem. the US government is not with out it's issues.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent

I really enjoyed this book. Thoroughly researched, the book introduces the theme which the overall book is built on and breaks it down into a handful of incident related stories that make for really easy reading, at least for those who have even the most basic knowledge of cyber attacks or even an interest in online security. In short, the author does a fantastic job of turning what could be, and is often done so in similar books on the topic, really esoteric information laid out page after page into a fast paced read. If you have any idea of or have read about Stuxnet, this book will 100% appeal to you.

1 person found this helpful

Fascinating.

To good to be a true. Knowing little about IT with a strong appetite to learn more; this story gets me excited and a little spooked. It helps that the voice narrative is easy on the ears.

Extensive research pays off

I was very impressed with Andy Greenberg‘s research on the subject of cyber warfare. He traveled the world to talk directly to people with first-hand knowledge of the events written in this book. These events are real, but very poorly covered by the main stream media in the United States. This book should actually be read (or listen to) by anybody and everybody that is a citizen on this planet. It is entertaining eye-opening and inspirational.