Cyberwar: The Next Threat to National Security & What to Do About It
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- Create Date：2021-03-09 08:15:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Richard A. Clarke
- ISBN：B003F1WMAM
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Summary
Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Against All Enemies， former presidential advisor and counter-terrorism expert Richard A。 Clarke sounds a timely and chilling warning about America’s vulnerability in a terrifying new international conflict—Cyber War！ Every concerned American should read this startling and explosive book that offers an insider’s view of White House ‘Situation Room’ operations and carries the reader to the frontlines of our cyber defense。 Cyber War exposes a virulent threat to our nation’s security。 This is no X-Files fantasy or conspiracy theory madness—this is real。
Reviews
Rich Anderson
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This book is still relevant despite having been published in 2010。 The recent SolarWind hack illustrates that our key infrastucture and networks are still at risk。 Despite the subject matter， this book is very readable。 The authors have avoided the use of technical jargon in order to clearly describe the risks。 The scenarios starting on pages 64 and 180 describe how we might be affected by cyber attacks directed against our civilian and military networks。
Barry Green
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This book provides a good starting point in discussing the generic issues of cyber war。 However， as what others have mentioned， the book becomes repetitive after awhile and I started to lose interest。 As someone who does not know much about cyber war， I could bear with this。 I can only imagine how those that are more well versed in this field would find this book boring。
Anthony Miller
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Some interesting points but overall very shallow and repetitive。
Elwin Kline
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For anyone who has ever served in the military， supports the Department of Defense， or is working in the field of information security， this is a really great addition to your professional development library。 It starts off a bit slow and I began to question if I wanted to continue and it seemed just like "another cyber security book" that spits out and regurgitates the same material like all the others。 However， once you get over the 15-20% mark， it starts to pick up and actually turn into a ve For anyone who has ever served in the military， supports the Department of Defense， or is working in the field of information security， this is a really great addition to your professional development library。 It starts off a bit slow and I began to question if I wanted to continue and it seemed just like "another cyber security book" that spits out and regurgitates the same material like all the others。 However， once you get over the 15-20% mark， it starts to pick up and actually turn into a very well written and attention grabbing book。 This actually made me feel inspired and ultimately I feel a very motivating book for anyone who is in the cybersecurity profession。 I was leaning towards a 3， but considering this is a technical/cyber security book that was actually pretty engaging and enjoyable to go through （as opposed to let's say， a CISSP study guide）。 Also the bonus material included of little snippets of information security/cyber war history sprinkled throughout the book were really great too。 With all that said， had to bump this up to a 4。 I would certainly recommend this book to anyone in the cyber security field who is in the mood for something like this。 。。。more
David Ross
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Pulls no punches and does it's best not to get too bogged down in government acronyms。 An authoritative voice on the cyber capabilities of nation states and the potentially devastating results of an attack on infrastructure。 Delves into the landscape of cyber attacks and also the mind set of the players in regard to their practices。 Repeats itself a bit in the final chapters but a very interesting book nonetheless。 Pulls no punches and does it's best not to get too bogged down in government acronyms。 An authoritative voice on the cyber capabilities of nation states and the potentially devastating results of an attack on infrastructure。 Delves into the landscape of cyber attacks and also the mind set of the players in regard to their practices。 Repeats itself a bit in the final chapters but a very interesting book nonetheless。 。。。more
Paul Dabrowa
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We had to read this for our course at Harvard with Richard。 I've never seen two grown Australian makes sit and read a book from start to finish all night and going straight to class without sleep。 Brilliant。 We had to read this for our course at Harvard with Richard。 I've never seen two grown Australian makes sit and read a book from start to finish all night and going straight to class without sleep。 Brilliant。 。。。more
Ben C。
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In Cyber War， Richard A。 Clarke gives his opinion on the approach the US has towards cyber security。 Clarke examines the vast unsecured power grids across the US which might pose a hazard in coming years and explains the different tools that Russian and Chinese hackers might use to gain backdoors into our code。 Furthermore， Clarke tells the tale of Estonia’s protests and the Russian influence behind it and the growing danger of being the best at computers， but having the worst defence。 He has ma In Cyber War， Richard A。 Clarke gives his opinion on the approach the US has towards cyber security。 Clarke examines the vast unsecured power grids across the US which might pose a hazard in coming years and explains the different tools that Russian and Chinese hackers might use to gain backdoors into our code。 Furthermore， Clarke tells the tale of Estonia’s protests and the Russian influence behind it and the growing danger of being the best at computers， but having the worst defence。 He has managed to be both informative and narrative， leading to an exciting yet educational experience。 。。。more
Justin Fanelli
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Very well organized， nice plenary level to it。Enjoyable tone for what it was。
Brad
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An eye opening account of our cyber risks。 I read this for a Cyber Crime class and found it very informative。
Ollie
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This book is filled with important information that pertains to the United States' problems with cybersecurity。 Clarke carefully analyzes and makes recommendations based on historical examples and an understanding of the future for cybersecurity and the ways that conventional warfare will be changing and evolving in the next two decades。 I admit I disagree with some of the conclusions drawn by the book but that doesn't devalue the important information that the National Security community must u This book is filled with important information that pertains to the United States' problems with cybersecurity。 Clarke carefully analyzes and makes recommendations based on historical examples and an understanding of the future for cybersecurity and the ways that conventional warfare will be changing and evolving in the next two decades。 I admit I disagree with some of the conclusions drawn by the book but that doesn't devalue the important information that the National Security community must understand and adapt to this information going forward。 I highly recommend reading this book in order to show people what the future lies in terms of conventional warfare。 。。。more
Billy Tibbs
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CyberwarGreat book on cyber war with recommendations on how to proceed。 Chapter 6 on offense was really good。 Definitely going to research more on this subject。
Scott Cooper
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Excellent and detailed dissertation on cyber war。 Very scary。
Dennis Littrell
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Dense and authoritativeI think if I were in charge of subverting an enemy's software capabilities I would use hardware， that is to say， missiles。 I would find out where the servers are， where the routers are， where the computers are and I would blow them up。 And as for defense against attack I would have a non-cyber backup plan， something like low tech wireless communication。But guess what？ I would fail。 The crazy thing is that we have become so dependent on cyberspace that enemies can plant "lo Dense and authoritativeI think if I were in charge of subverting an enemy's software capabilities I would use hardware， that is to say， missiles。 I would find out where the servers are， where the routers are， where the computers are and I would blow them up。 And as for defense against attack I would have a non-cyber backup plan， something like low tech wireless communication。But guess what？ I would fail。 The crazy thing is that we have become so dependent on cyberspace that enemies can plant "logic bombs" in our systems that can't be detected until they go off。 The irony of cyberspace is what Clarke calls "asymmetrical vulnerability，" which means that the more advanced nation， the nation that has the smartest cyber tools， is the one that is most vulnerable to attack。 Al Qaeda thinks this is yummy。However it is likely that the real cyber war is being and will be fought between China and the US， with Russia， Iran and North Korea as key players。 Clarke actually ranks North Korea has having the most "overall cyber war strength" with Russia second， China third， Iran fourth， and the US fifth。 （See Chapter Four "The Defense Fails，" near the end of that chapter。） Clarke comments: "Being a wired nation is generally a good thing， but not when you are measuring its ability to withstand cyber war。"As in all other wars one of the dangers that Clarke points to is an escalation from a cyber war into a shooting war。 He notes that logic bombs placed in our electric grid can be as destabilizing as if secret agents had strapped explosives to transmission towers， transformers， and generators。 These cyber weapons "are harder to detect; and with a few keystrokes， one disgruntled or rogue cyber warrior might be able to let slip the dogs of war with escalating results， the limits of which we cannot know。"You can't go home again， it is said， and you can't put the genie back in the bottle。 We have become critically dependent upon the technology of cyberspace。 Think how annoyed you are when the lights go out， or you are disconnected to the Internet， or your cable TV goes out。 Now imagine the situation of a general in charge of the logistics of--not sending missiles--no， simply getting the message out to where the troops are to be at what time。 If his communications network breaks down the battle is lost and possibly worse。 （Presumably missile launches are protected from even the wildest dreams of hackers。） Consequently every communicative device， computer， server， router， or software program is a potential target。 For a modern nation to be completely protected from cyber attack would require a kind of draconian control of all of cyberspace， the kind of control that dictatorial governments are better at than democratic ones。The really scary part of this book for me is just this: the fear of losing a cyber war or losing a shooting war because of cyber attacks furthers the irresistible movement toward totalitarianism for large nation states。In the final chapter， Clarke has a six step agenda detailing how to avert a cyber war。 The first step is to initiate a broad public dialogue about cyber war。 Clarke recalls Herman Kahn's book on thermonuclear war， Thinking about the Unthinkable （1962） as contributing to "a robust public dialogue about" nuclear war and presumably helping to prevent it。 Step two is a defense triad to "defend enough" of our cyber structure "to make an enemy think twice before launching a cyber war against us。" Step three is to reduce the level of cyber criminality that is presently plaguing the Internet。 Those people could become cyber warriors for hire。 Step four is a Cyber War Limitation Treaty equivalent to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty。 Step five is research and development of more secure systems。 Step six is presidential involvement。The book is dense， authoritative and， despite Clarke's six-step program， scary。 --Dennis Littrell， author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is” 。。。more
Kevin
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Dated but intriguing。 I don’t know much about computers， but Clarke writes in a way that lay folks like me can understand。 Technological advances and reliance on the internet expose us to risk。 Clarke compares computing technology to nuclear capabilities in the mid-late 20th century and suggests potential co flirts with Russia， China， non-state actors and what we can do to mitigate risks。
S。
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General principles are decent and applicable。 Somethings were outdated before it was published。 Comments about "the next president should" are interesting because Obama did in fact do some of the things， and Trump has completely ignored the rest。 Decent summary for those less familiar with the field。 has some definite pipedreams that will never happen and are arguable whether they should be put in place。 General principles are decent and applicable。 Somethings were outdated before it was published。 Comments about "the next president should" are interesting because Obama did in fact do some of the things， and Trump has completely ignored the rest。 Decent summary for those less familiar with the field。 has some definite pipedreams that will never happen and are arguable whether they should be put in place。 。。。more
Dushan Hanuska
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I had this book on my shelf for some time。 It has a special sentimental value to me。 It was the last book my friend was reading and left unfinished because he lost his fight with cancer。 Buddy， I finished this book for you！
Felipe
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Really interesting book。 Starts from technological development and its relations with geopolitical and war， and then introduces the readers thru strategy on ciberwar
Steve
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A Tad Old， But 。。。Things are much worse than when this was written。 We’ve seen Russian intervention in our elections。 Will Congress ever pull its collective head out？
Bill
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Even though it is a little dated now， in 2018， the information the authors put into this book is still relevant today。A must read for anyone involved with any aspect of cyber security， cyber war or related fields。
Tim Hanna
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Too long and too many comparisons of cyber to non cyber。 I did like the solutions presented at the end though。
jas
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Too longRehash of same thing over and over。 Should only be about 100 pages long。 I liked the real life stories though。 More of that would have been interesting。
Eddie Massey
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A very thorough analysis of cyberware policies and strategies。 Unlike similiar books， the author s don't give an ABC guide to what cyberware is， but a framework for analyzing national and international policy considerations for preventing unintended escalations。 A very thorough analysis of cyberware policies and strategies。 Unlike similiar books， the author s don't give an ABC guide to what cyberware is， but a framework for analyzing national and international policy considerations for preventing unintended escalations。 。。。more
Glen Stott
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Cyber war takes many forms – Bot computers to crash websites for instance。 US Air Force & Navy have taken the potential for cyber war seriously for many years。 The Army is somewhat behind。 However， all effort in the potential of cyber war has been focused on offense。 Because of the nature of cyber warfare and the speed at which it can be implemented， the most important thing to win is a strong defense。 It seems that anything that is connected to the internet is vulnerable to cyber-attack。I found Cyber war takes many forms – Bot computers to crash websites for instance。 US Air Force & Navy have taken the potential for cyber war seriously for many years。 The Army is somewhat behind。 However， all effort in the potential of cyber war has been focused on offense。 Because of the nature of cyber warfare and the speed at which it can be implemented， the most important thing to win is a strong defense。 It seems that anything that is connected to the internet is vulnerable to cyber-attack。I found the information presented in the book to be particularly scary。 Clarke breaks down all the various ways that hackers can get into utility systems， transportation management， electrical systems， banking， and others。 These targets are not military， but they would be the first hit。 With systems necessary for civilian life disabled， the impact on the military is tremendous。Clarke also goes through step by step activities the US should be doing to protect the country in the future。 Many we are already well into， but still， the defensive actions are weak。This was an informative book。 Started; 2018。09。26 - Finished; 2018。10。07 。。。more
Roy Draa
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A good primer， but repetitive and snarky。
Tom Kammerer
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Eye opening， informative， a bit bland and dry and repetitive
Jack
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Good but dated by now and a very military-centric set of solutions rather than leveraging the private sector more。 This is a decentralized problem。
Cheryll
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I was looking for information on the cyber war。 Because I've read Richard Clarke before I chose this book even though it is dated， 2010。 It provides technical explanations， historical events and analysis。 Look over the glossary terms to determine if you will understand this book。I have a small background in computer science so while understanding the subject I admit fatigue a little past half way through。Clarke provides solutions for the problems outlined but they are not easy nor cheap。The si I was looking for information on the cyber war。 Because I've read Richard Clarke before I chose this book even though it is dated， 2010。 It provides technical explanations， historical events and analysis。 Look over the glossary terms to determine if you will understand this book。I have a small background in computer science so while understanding the subject I admit fatigue a little past half way through。Clarke provides solutions for the problems outlined but they are not easy nor cheap。The simplest seems separate intrANet disconnected from internet。 I have worked in this manner it is difficult。 His other suggestion that like nuclear weapons， too devasting to use， maybe all will settle for gathering info vs sabotage of banking or power grid for example。 This is tough， lets make sure we have elected officials that have the ability and desire to protect our nations critical information。 。。。more
Courtnee
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I gave this three stars because I love the topic， but not so much the author。 I listed strengths and weaknesses （my opinion） of the book。 Strengths: For being written in 2010， the book was probably ahead of it's time， and is relevant today。 It detailed our domestic vulnerability to cyber attacks and raised serious concerns about our ability to function （emergency services and military readiness） should the "unthinkable" happen。 Since the "unthinkable" continues to happen from a domestic terroris I gave this three stars because I love the topic， but not so much the author。 I listed strengths and weaknesses （my opinion） of the book。 Strengths: For being written in 2010， the book was probably ahead of it's time， and is relevant today。 It detailed our domestic vulnerability to cyber attacks and raised serious concerns about our ability to function （emergency services and military readiness） should the "unthinkable" happen。 Since the "unthinkable" continues to happen from a domestic terrorism standpoint， we should probably do something to prepare for this （smart people of the government unite！）。 Given his place in government and how tight-lipped people normally are in those positions， I'm inclined to think the scenario/possibilities are much worse than he let on in the text。 I like that he gave examples of previous attacks， or "trial runs。"Weaknesses: Clarke seems full of himself and comes across as arrogant sometimes （or a know-it-all） in the text。 The book was really， really， really long for the material it contained。 The 290 pages could have been edited to about 150， my opinion。 After page 106 the tone changed from informative to partisan， which was disappointing。 I'm all for assigning blame where it belongs but he came across as petulant。 The text went off on tangents that made me want to skip ahead。 There were no references to specific studies or an index on where some of his information was obtained。 Although he may be the most qualified person （given his experience） to speak on this subject， it would have been nice to verify his sources。 He referenced the movie Live Free or Die Hard （2007）， which was exactly what I pictured while reading the text。 I also think the movie was more entertaining than reading this book， and took less time out of my day。。。 。。。more
Rick Radinsky
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A decent primer that is written in non techno speak that articulates the mostly ignored and very possible dangers of our interconnected networks。
11811 （Eleven）
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