dorothy_gale's review against another edition
4.0
4.4★: SCARY AS HECK!!! CURRENTLY QUESTIONING EVERYTHING I HAVE IN THE CLOUD! This book was eye-opening. I’m shocked that some of the biggest hacks so far were done by 16-year-old boys. It was interesting to hear about how cyber-security-savvy Hillary Clinton’s team actually was as that is not how the media characterized her in the emailgate scandal, and how complex those hacking events were. And I will NEVER question or skimp on multi-factor authentication again! I was also surprised by a few things with Bill Gates and Microsoft in the early Internet days. I didn’t have much interest in Paris Hilton, but that story was fascinating as well.
This book was just published on 5/23/23, so about seven weeks ago. It has a 4.13-star rating by 193 people and I hope more people read it. It did fall short of a 5-star rating from me due to a couple chapters that were *YAWN* overly technical. And I wasn’t sure if his “upcode” and “downcode” terms were unique to him; I think it would’ve been better with plain English.
FUN SIDEBAR: It also had a bit of psychology and philosophy in it, and it had me ponder the question: ‘ARE HUMANS FUNDAMENTALLY RATIONAL?’ It’s funny that it’s something I’ve always just taken for granted, probably from a lifetime of arrogant, speciesist indoctrination. My answer is now NO. History is filled with irrationality across every culture I’ve learned about so far. We react emotionally and try to pass it off as logical choice. We have deeply imbedded biases that practically take dynamite to change. We make thousands of decisions on limited and faulty data ALL THE TIME — ego, emotions, biases, disinformation, misinformation, myths, and legends. Humans are distinguished from other animals by their capacity for reason, but it doesn’t mean we always use it and when we do, we don’t always use it correctly (that feels like it could be a meme). Obviously, we have been able to choose the correct course of action enough of the time to survive and reproduce. We are a successful species, but JUST BARELY. How many times have we been on the brink of World War 3 or nuclear annihilation? I feel like it has been just as much LUCK! And how much of that survival was instinct? Drives and reflexes for food, water, sleep, fight or flight, etc. — how much of that is hard-wired physical self-preservation (i.e. animal instinct?) Look how much has transpired in the world in the last few years: the pandemic, civil unrest, racial reckoning, climate change realities. Wouldn’t a rational choice to co-exist on the planet mean choosing to unlearn our biases and learn how to cooperate for the greater good? Isn’t a greater part of America driven by fear and/or denial? If we were fundamentally rational, the epidemic of school and other mass shootings wouldn’t be happening IMO.
This book was just published on 5/23/23, so about seven weeks ago. It has a 4.13-star rating by 193 people and I hope more people read it. It did fall short of a 5-star rating from me due to a couple chapters that were *YAWN* overly technical. And I wasn’t sure if his “upcode” and “downcode” terms were unique to him; I think it would’ve been better with plain English.
phsn's review against another edition
5.0
“cybercrime has less to do with defective programming than with the faulty wiring of our psyches and society”
Main questions explored:
1- why the internet is so insecure?
2- how hackers do what they do?
3- what could be done?
This book explores cybercrime's roots within the societal structure and human psychology. The book starts off with earlier chapters narrating different events that seems initially unrelated then gradually converge towards a cohesive narrative reaching the end. Intriguingly, the book begins with focusing on computer history which takes an unexpected turn as the narrative unfolds. The story gradually transforms into a reflection of the challenges posed by state actors and their vast resources. Shapiro pull it off with his approach of elucidating intricate technical subjects tho in my opinion, some parts of the chapters might be a bit technical for beginners. The narrative definitely illuminates the exploration of infamous hacks, uncovering unexpected hackers behind all of the major cyberattacks. Shapiro weave hacking events with insights of profound analysis of cyber-espionage and the intricacies of human decision-making very well that it adds depth to the overall story.
Would highly recommend to those who are interested to dip into computer science or cybersecurity. For tech professionals, it may sounds redundant and will not offer much value tech-wise though I would still recommend to pick this up to explore and ponder on the social as well as psychological impacts. In short, the book does not only delves into the world of cybercrimes but also presents a meticulously crafted, captivating, and informative examination of the interplay between technology, psychology, and society. It effortlessly connects technical concepts with relatable anecdotes making it an amazing read for those who seek to understand the captivating and constantly evolving landscape of cybersecurity. Definitely an informative and insightful read that provides fresh perspectives and opens up our eyes on the the topic of internet safety in the fast-evolving world of cyber threats.
Thank you Times Reads for the ARC!
Main questions explored:
1- why the internet is so insecure?
2- how hackers do what they do?
3- what could be done?
This book explores cybercrime's roots within the societal structure and human psychology. The book starts off with earlier chapters narrating different events that seems initially unrelated then gradually converge towards a cohesive narrative reaching the end. Intriguingly, the book begins with focusing on computer history which takes an unexpected turn as the narrative unfolds. The story gradually transforms into a reflection of the challenges posed by state actors and their vast resources. Shapiro pull it off with his approach of elucidating intricate technical subjects tho in my opinion, some parts of the chapters might be a bit technical for beginners. The narrative definitely illuminates the exploration of infamous hacks, uncovering unexpected hackers behind all of the major cyberattacks. Shapiro weave hacking events with insights of profound analysis of cyber-espionage and the intricacies of human decision-making very well that it adds depth to the overall story.
Would highly recommend to those who are interested to dip into computer science or cybersecurity. For tech professionals, it may sounds redundant and will not offer much value tech-wise though I would still recommend to pick this up to explore and ponder on the social as well as psychological impacts. In short, the book does not only delves into the world of cybercrimes but also presents a meticulously crafted, captivating, and informative examination of the interplay between technology, psychology, and society. It effortlessly connects technical concepts with relatable anecdotes making it an amazing read for those who seek to understand the captivating and constantly evolving landscape of cybersecurity. Definitely an informative and insightful read that provides fresh perspectives and opens up our eyes on the the topic of internet safety in the fast-evolving world of cyber threats.
Thank you Times Reads for the ARC!
litwtchreads's review against another edition
4.5
This book was thoughtful, in depth, and very much a compelling read. I learned a lot about computer history that I had not ever heard of and the way Shapiro structured this book was well thought out. The language he used was easy to grasp and I think anyone interested in technology could understand and get something from this book. 4.5/5 stars
knenigans's review against another edition
4.0
Very engaging, though I wish it had been more technical and the author used significantly fewer metaphors.
Subtracted 0.25 star for the annoying prolonged hypothetical scenarios and 0.75 star for the invented definition and subsequent incessant abuse of the word "upcode" which drove me absolutely insane.
Subtracted 0.25 star for the annoying prolonged hypothetical scenarios and 0.75 star for the invented definition and subsequent incessant abuse of the word "upcode" which drove me absolutely insane.