Name: John Manoogian III's review of This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends by Nicole Perlroth
Item: This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends
Rating: 4
Author: John Manoogian III

Nicole Perlroth

'Reads like a modern-day John le Carré novel, with terrifying tales of espionage and cyber warfare that will keep you up at night, both unable to stop reading, and terrified for what the future holds' Nick Bilton, author of American Kingpin Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break in and scamper through the world's computer networks invisibly until discovered. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to tap into any iPhone, dismantle safety controls at a chemical plant and shut down the power in an entire nation – just ask the Ukraine. Zero days are the blood diamonds of the security trade, pursued by nation states, defense contractors, cybercriminals, and security defenders alike. In this market, governments aren't regulators; they are clients – paying huge sums to hackers willing to turn over gaps in the Internet, and stay silent about them. This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth's discovery, unpacked. A intrepid journalist unravels an opaque, code-driven market from the outside in – encountering spies, hackers, arms dealers, mercenaries and a few unsung heroes along the way. As the stakes get higher and higher in the rush to push the world's critical infrastructure online, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is the urgent and alarming discovery of one of the world's most extreme threats.

The Cyberweapons Arms Race

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends

“Part John le Carré and more parts Michael Crichton . . . spellbinding.” –The New Yorker From The New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, the untold story of the cyberweapons market-the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market on earth-and a terrifying first look at a new kind of global warfare. Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break into your devices and move around undetected. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to silently spy on your iPhone, dismantle the safety controls at a chemical plant, alter an election, and shut down the electric grid (just ask Ukraine). For decades, under cover of classification levels and non-disclosure agreements, the United States government became the world's dominant hoarder of zero days. U.S. government agents paid top dollar-first thousands, and later millions of dollars- to hackers willing to sell their lock-picking code and their silence. Then the United States lost control of its hoard and the market. Now those zero days are in the hands of hostile nations and mercenaries who do not care if your vote goes missing, your clean water is contaminated, or our nuclear plants melt down. Filled with spies, hackers, arms dealers, and a few unsung heroes, written like a thriller and a reference, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is an astonishing feat of journalism. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, The New York Times reporter Nicole Perlroth lifts the curtain on a market in shadow, revealing the urgent threat faced by us all if we cannot bring the global cyber arms race to heel.

Jayme Bosio

The most likely way for the world to be destroyed…is by accident. That’s where we came in; we’re computer professionals. We cause accidents. 

maique madeira

John Manoogian III

A bit breathlessly sensational, a bit high on her own supply, having reminded us approximately 47 times that she writes for the NYT and HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE NYT SHE WRITES FOR IT, but overall just an amazingly thorough, clear, compelling whirlwind read through a complex and bewildering subject that most people will never know exists.

Liam Ellul

Great insights into cyber security and state actors as well as a history of information warfare.

This was a good follow up from “Chip Wars” which I found a fascinating exploration of technology and its impact on geopolitics.

The book made me much more curious about computer networking.

Róbert Istók

Felt like reading a thriller, but the fact that this is based on real-life was chilling. 

We live in a world where everything is connected to the internet. This gives hackers more surface than ever before to attack us, nation-states a vast battleground to advance their interests from the comfort of their homes and makes us extremely vulnerable in case we get hacked.

This book is a fascinating walkthrough of the major cyber hacks from the last 20+ years. Stuxnet, NotPetya, Wannacry, she has it all. And oh, if you read the book, you can also find out how the conspiracy theories around Bill Gates & the Covid pandemic might have gotten mainstream, amongst other gems from 2020.

Want to reduce the chance of getting hacked? 
- Never click on suspicious links
- Use a password manager to have different passwords for every app
- Please turn on two-factor authentication. 

This is the minimum you can do to protect your online identity.

Ben Jenkins

This is more of a history of cyberweapons than a current state of affairs, and I do wish it had gotten a bit more technical at points, but nonetheless this is a very good book outlining an underrated threat in an easily readable way. An enjoyable and informative read, for sure. Keep your software updated ;)

Excellent book geared towards the layman to help understand the seriousness of our cybersecurity problem. 

Garrett Jansen

This is a cool, fast flying top-level view of the world of cyber weapons which surprisingly has tendrils everywhere. While I’m familiar with the stories told, I hadn’t thought about them in the interconnected manner that they truly are which is a good exercise for tech folks to consider.

maique madeira &
This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends by Nicole Perlroth

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

maique madeira &This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends by Nicole Perlroth

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

maique madeira &
This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends by Nicole Perlroth