America the vulnerable ebook

In America the Vulnerable , Brenner offers a chilling and revelatory appraisal of the new faces of war and espionage-virtual battles with dangerous implications for government, business, and all of us. Media America the Vulnerable. Save Not today. Format ebook.

ISBN Author Joel Brenner. Publisher Penguin Publishing Group. Release 29 September Subjects Computer Technology Politics Nonfiction. Search for a digital library with this title Search by city, ZIP code, or library name Learn more about precise location detection.

A former top-level National Security Agency insider goes behind the headlines to explore America's next great battleground: digital security. An urgent wake-up call that identifies our foes; unveils their methods; and charts the dire consequences for government, business, and individuals. He saw at close range the battleground on which our adversaries are now attacking us-cyberspace.

We are at the mercy of a new generation of spies who operate remotely from China, the Middle East, Russia, even France, among many other places. These operatives have already shown their ability to penetrate our power plants, steal our latest submarine technology, rob our banks, and invade the Pentagon's secret communications systems.

Incidents like the WikiLeaks posting of secret U. State Department cables hint at the urgency of this problem, but they hardly reveal its extent or its danger. Our government and corporations are a "glass house," all but transparent to our adversaries.

Counterfeit computer chips have found their way into our fighter aircraft; the Chinese stole a new radar system that the navy spent billions to develop; our own soldiers used intentionally corrupted thumb drives to download classified intel from laptops in Iraq.

And much more. That said, he does take it a bit too far at times making statements that seem to serve no purpose at all towards the thesis of the book.

Who cares that the pilot who rammed the USN EP-3 near Hainan had a history of being reckless , what does this have to do with America being vulnerable. So what is the East Asian currencies were overvalued and that Soros's actions merely put them back where they should have been These are examples that read a justification for events that do not need to be justified to meet the books aim, and therefore detract from it as a whole.

This is a pity as Brenner makes a very valid and important point, "organizations must learn to live in a world where less and less information can be kept secret, and where information will remain secret for less and less time. In summ: Despite some obvious errors Yom Kippur War was not in which detract from the book's attention to detail, Brenner does provide some interesting insights and useful advice. Jun 18, Chris Bauer rated it really liked it.

Joel Brenner has plenty of credibility when it comes to this topic. Just read the back of the dust jacket to see his background. I found the book to be written in a manner ideal for a wide variety of audiences. Too many books of this nature get bogged down in lengthy explanations of how different protocols work, the architecture of Internet and other fairly arcane topics.

Brenner does an admirable job of sticking to the facts and calling it like he sees it. The old adage of "discover your world While a few of his case studies border on hyperbole comparing the ORCL v. SAP lawsuit to Chinese espionage the facts are sound. And there is reason to be alarmed. In my day to day work as an IT professional I have a focus on security and I found myself nodding violently at several of his positions.

He is dead on. If you've ever wondered about what harm could come about from making any aspect of your Facebook profile as an example open to the public, this is a thought-provoking book. Quick to read as well. Nov 11, Socraticgadfly rated it it was amazing.

Fortunately, I read on. Joel Brenner tells us why we need to be more worried about China, the Russian mafia, and international drug smugglers, among others, conducting cyberespionage and other things. China stands No. Brenner adds that many of these attacks are against private business, not just defense contractors, but financial agencies and also non-defense contractors for the federal government.

Add in the amount of products these companies had that are at least partially made in China, and we have a problem indeed, he says. Brenner recommends solutions while also looking at some possible bad-case scenarios of Chinese blackmail a decade or two ahead.

A bit of hyperbole here and there about some of the possible threats, but, given that both major political parties don't want to address this, maybe some hyperbole is needed. Sep 30, Edward rated it really liked it. Great book bringing together real events to show how we are not only at risk, but have already been hit with significant events.

Some of the details when correlated brought new light into many small news events over the last few years, and demonstrate how badly exposed we really are. It also shows how complacent our government and business managers can be in protecting sensitive data.

This is a must read to help understand things like the Snowden fiasco, Chinese industrial espionage, data breach Great book bringing together real events to show how we are not only at risk, but have already been hit with significant events. This is a must read to help understand things like the Snowden fiasco, Chinese industrial espionage, data breaches and why banks typically cover fraudulent charges on your bank or credit cards. Many interesting details, and delivered in a readable manner.

Apr 04, Caro rated it it was amazing. Incredibly good book. It's written by the former counterintelligence executive for the NSA and he worked extensively on computer network issues. The book looks at cyber security from many sides. He talks about how the internet has changed culture, how it affects business, politics, intelligence agencies, national security.

He gives concrete examples of vulnerabilities in the system and how they can be addressed and does a very good job of explaining how the lack of cyber security in private comp Incredibly good book.

He gives concrete examples of vulnerabilities in the system and how they can be addressed and does a very good job of explaining how the lack of cyber security in private companies and industry is a critical threat to overall national security.

I highly recommend this. Jan 17, Jari Pirhonen added it. The author is the former senior counsel at the NSA. This book is his attempt to raise awareness of cyber threat. Most of the book is stories and examples of different, mostly well-known incidents. Not very interesting if you have followed the scene, but could be an eye-opener for some readers.

The problems USA has in its attempts to prepare itself against cyber threat are discussed at the end of the book. The author also has some recommendations to fix those problems. If you are familiar with "c The author is the former senior counsel at the NSA. If you are familiar with "cyber" it's enough to read last 50 pages or so. Jan 20, Donald added it. A scare-the-pants-off-you look at America's self-inflicted vulnerbility caused by our dependence on insecure software and computer systems written by a former NSA Inspector General and former National Counterintelligence Executive.

If you want to feel scared everytime you go online, read this book. If you prefer to remain blissfully ignorant and continue enjoying your onlune experience - stay away from this book - at least until you suffer some undesirable consequence from your online activities A scare-the-pants-off-you look at America's self-inflicted vulnerbility caused by our dependence on insecure software and computer systems written by a former NSA Inspector General and former National Counterintelligence Executive.

If you prefer to remain blissfully ignorant and continue enjoying your onlune experience - stay away from this book - at least until you suffer some undesirable consequence from your online activities Sep 01, Ray Null rated it really liked it.

This book scared the crap out of me. Imagine no power, no water, no cell service, no Internet If you think that is an impossible scenario then read this book and tell me you still think that way.

Sep 10, Brandon rated it it was ok. Listened to the audio book. The reader sucked. Made it all choppy, every sentence seemed like a new paragraph. Although I'm not sure it was all the readers fault as it seemed like the book repeated itself a lot.

It was interesting enough and effectively made a case for how screwed this country is in terms of how we treat our technology. I am glad I read it, but I'm interested in the subject. I would recommend this book if you have a special interest in cyber security. Sep 30, Anthony rated it really liked it Shelves: politics , non-fiction , study , x-american , y-work , research , research-data-security , research-national-security , research-cyber-security.

Some very interessting points to think about. I definitely recommend reading this book if you are interested in current challenges to national security. It is very inspiring and offers many new aspects to think about. I have though only given it four stars as I do not agree with all conclusions and also do find that some aspects of the book are not presented objectively.

But nevertheless, if reading with a critical mind, this is a great introduction into current cyber challenges. Oct 11, Kent rated it it was amazing. This is very, very good. It's an unsettling look into a world where most only have a marginal understanding.

This ties together things you know well with realities that few imagine. It weaves a web of technology, cyber-crime, cyber-espionage, cyber-war, contemporary spycraft, corporate security and counterintelligence. You will never look at a thumb drive the same way again.

Dec 31, Michael Frederick rated it really liked it. A fascinating, eye opening look into the cyber crime and threats to our national security, commerce, energy grid, etc. Proved insight into the various organizations and governments that are behind the attacks and their motivations.

Jan 02, Bill Nall rated it it was amazing. As an IT professional, I was fascinated by the various social engineering methods used to conduct "digital" espionage.