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Showing posts from December, 2012

Book Review: “Little Brother (2008)” by Cory Doctorow

Executive Summary : I enjoyed this book. The story is gripping and the tech is realistic. It is not a must-read for cyber security professionals, but it is an enjoyable one. At the very least, it provides some insight into the “anonymous” culture and introduces young folks to the ideas of the hacking culture. When it is hitting on all cylinders though, it makes the reader pause and consider what he is willing to give up in terms of personal rights in order to feel safer. Read this novel for insight into the history of computer security and the motivations behind Cyber Hactivism. The author also describes real techniques that hackers could use today. The story is intended for young adults but cyber security professionals will benefit ( See this description of categories that I think will interest cyber security professions ). I admire what Mr. Doctorow is attempting with this novel. At some level, he is telling a modern-day story set in the 2000s with a hacker philosophy that came o

About this Blog

My name is Rick Howard and I am a cyber security geek[1]. I have been thinking about computer security issues for well over two decades now. Like most of my colleagues, one of the things I love about the subject is that it is constantly changing. If you want to keep up, you have to work at it. Many of us do that by reading (among other things). The number of security blogs in my current weekly reading rotation is north of 55. Most of those fall into two broad content categories: News Analysis and Technical Explanation. In the Technical Explanation category, some bloggers review the latest and greatest technical books that hit the market. All of that content is invaluable to the Cyber Security Geek. What I have discovered in the current manifestation of the blogosphere is a lack of content in three specific areas: 1: Cyber Security Book Reviews regarding Canon (Books that you should have read by now if you are a cyber security professional) Historical Context (Books that explain