This is How They Tell Me The World Ends

 This Is How They Tell Me How The World Ends by Nicole Perlroth



Read: May 2021

Terrifying book, even though poorly written.

This book starts with hobbyist hackers and then reveals the state backed cyber theft, cyber bullying, and even cyber terrorism.

Even for sceptics like me who know that journalists are prone to fear mongering, I am now convinced that nation states are beefing up their cyber warfare capabilities. There are very low entry barriers (you don’t need billion dollar bombers); can remain anonymous (no one can pin point who exactly attacked with viruses (wannacry and notpetya); asymmetrical (you can’t send tanks in retaliation).

While Chinese are more interested in cyber theft (former CIA director called it the biggest wealth drain in history); Russians are intent on fishing in troubled waters (their 2016 election meddling was super successful); North Koreans are petty burglars (they tried to steal $1bn from Bangladeshi central bank); Iranians are vengeful (they tried to remotely open the gates of a dam in US thus endangering lives of 2 lakh people). But the big daddy in this game is US (remember Stuxnet which crippled Iranian nuclear facility for years).

But in the middle of all this you realize how vulnerable all of us have become. The battlefield has now come to our living rooms. Terrifying prospect indeed.

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