8 Hot Summer Fiction Reads for Cybersecurity Pros
A reading list of recommended novels curated by cybersecurity experts for cybersecurity experts.
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Do cybersecurity professionals ever relax? Some tell us that they don't read cyber-themed novels in their off-hours, but we know there are still many readers out there who can't get enough of what's become a burgeoning genre in the last decade or more: the spy novel tinged with lots of good security themes and tech.
We asked some security experts what they've been reading — and what they would recommend to their friends and peers for a summer cyber-read on the beach. This is obviously not an exhaustive treatment, so please share your faves with us via Twitter or LinkedIn.
"The summer reading list is chock-full of a variety of books that would appeal to different types of tastes, some more technical, some more sensationalized, some fact, and some fiction," says Chris Grove, director of cybersecurity strategy at Nozomi Networks. "Anyone aspiring to get into cybersecurity should pick a few of these great books to get started on peeking behind the curtains to see one of the most rewarding and exciting careers one can choose."
Happy summer reading!
Sonali Shah, chief product officer at Invicti Security, describes Mark E Sorenson's A Restaurant in Jaffa as a captivating story in which the author develops a realistic narrative of cyberattacks that both the United States and Israel could face. Shah says the book is especially well-suited for those who don't work and live in the cybersecurity world: It drives home the eye-opening fact that cyberattacks are the new normal.
"It's a page-turner and tells the story through the lives of different characters that keep the plot exciting while also educating audiences about software compromises, the NSA, malicious hackers, and global conflicts that are all very real today," Shah says.
Sorenson worked for decades in the computer industry, including stints at EMC and HP.
Curt Franklin, a senior analyst for enterprise security management at Omdia, adds that the novel combines plausible computer security with an exciting cyber-terrorism plot and a wonderful sense of place. "The details of restaurants and neighborhoods are as realistic and colorful as those of the software and computer worlds," Franklin says. "They create a book that's enjoyable, fast-paced, and more than a little nerve-wracking as it moves to its conclusion."
Attendees at the RSA Conference in June may have twigged on to the latest novel from security journalist Dennis Fisher, Be Gone. Chris Eng, chief research officer at Veracode, says he read Fisher's novel earlier this summer at the beach in Cape Cod.
"Enjoyed it," Eng says. "Especially all the local Massachusetts references. It was a fast and engaging read, and it's always nice when the hacking-related parts of a novel are not too outlandish."
Be Gone is a gripping murder/crime/cybercrime mystery, and is the second novel by Fisher, who is editor-in-chief at Decipher.
Chris Wysopal, founder and chief technology officer at Veracode, says he plans to read Fisher's new novel but hasn't yet started on it. "Dennis Fisher gave me a shout-out in the book," he notes.
Speaking of shout-outs: Dark Reading also got one in Fisher's novel. On page 356, he writes: "A few of the better tech sites — Dark Reading, Decipher, Wired — had pieces about a widespread ransomware attack that hit thousands of people around the world."
Investigative reporter Deb Radcliff's new cyber-thriller novel, Breaking Backbones: Information Is Power, is the first in a trilogy. At the heart of the story: hackers battling to thwart an evil company from taking over the world via human-chip implants.
Karen Crowley, director of product and solutions marketing at Deep Instinct, says after following Deb Radcliff for her insights for years, she was eager to read her book — and it did not disappoint.
"The novel is a page-turner with great characters that leaves us with the important lesson of protecting our privacy and not trading it in for 'likes,'" Crowley says. "While it's a dystopian tale, it's also a cautionary tale that's worth the read, and I am looking forward to the second book of the trilogy."
Curt Franklin, a senior analyst for enterprise security management at Omdia, says Design Flaw has everything: technology, fashion, and desperation.
Author Erica Anoe, who works in the cybersecurity industry, tells the story of protagonist Christina Yee's plan to hack a fashion show in an attempt to stage a career comeback in the fashion world.
"What more could you ask for in a summer read?" asks Franklin. "This is the sort of book that entertains without asking too much of the reader — in other words, the perfect sort of book to leave face-down under your beach umbrella while you go splash in the waves, and then return to over and over until you hit the last page on the last day of your vacation."
In the cyber-warfare genre, there's gAbriel, authored by Chase Cunningham, former chief cryptologist for the US Navy and currently CSO of Ericom Software.
"Dr. Zero Trust" takes a venture into fiction, and it's a great read," Karen Crowley, director of product and solutions marketing at Deep Instinct, says of Cunningham's novel.
"This book tackles the hacker theme from a more realistic standpoint than many authors who haven’t lived it as Chase Cunningham has," she says. "From the SEAL mission to cyberwarfare and AI — near and dear to my heart — this book kept me engaged until the end."
Best-known as a foreign affairs columnist for The Washington Post and a frequent guest as a commentator on cable and network news, David Ignatius also has had a prolific second career writing spy novels with cybersecurity themes.
Few people know the inner workings of the CIA better than Ignatius — and The Paladin does not disappoint. The story revolves around Michael Dunne, a CIA operative who was hung out to dry by the agency and looks to take his revenge on the people who made him rot in a cell for a year and destroyed his family.
Ignatius writes well about spycraft and how the agency operates, and shows how many of these hacking groups are powerful and vicious — and armed with new technology such as deepfakes, they can ruin a person if they so choose.
The Enigma Threat, published last year, is the twelfth in a popular series dating back to 2013.
Curt Franklin, a senior analyst for enterprise security management at Omdia, says if the real worlds of cryptocurrencies and cyber threats aren't exciting enough, the Enigma series of books can take readers inside those worlds — and more — alongside a team of experts and offbeat individuals who come together to stop crimes, solve problems, and generally keep the world from spinning out of computer-aided control.
"The characters keep you coming back and the stories make you want to spend time with them," Franklin says. "With 12 books (and counting) in the series, you can do that through summer vacation and into your holiday travels."
In a short period of time, 16-year-old Fireball and her Team Raven are exposed to the tip of the iceberg for several types of cybercrimes that could take lifetime career to witness, notes Chris Grove, director of cybersecurity strategy at Nozomi Networks, of the novel Raven.
Financial crimes against a bank, hacks into networks, cyber stalking, and even terrorist-level attacks against critical infrastructure are among the threats detailed in this hot summer novel that Grove recommends. Grove says author Sue Loh has written about software programming, so this techno-thriller is chock full of realistic details, ensuring the reader will actually learn something material after finishing this techno-thriller.
In a short period of time, 16-year-old Fireball and her Team Raven are exposed to the tip of the iceberg for several types of cybercrimes that could take lifetime career to witness, notes Chris Grove, director of cybersecurity strategy at Nozomi Networks, of the novel Raven.
Financial crimes against a bank, hacks into networks, cyber stalking, and even terrorist-level attacks against critical infrastructure are among the threats detailed in this hot summer novel that Grove recommends. Grove says author Sue Loh has written about software programming, so this techno-thriller is chock full of realistic details, ensuring the reader will actually learn something material after finishing this techno-thriller.
Do cybersecurity professionals ever relax? Some tell us that they don't read cyber-themed novels in their off-hours, but we know there are still many readers out there who can't get enough of what's become a burgeoning genre in the last decade or more: the spy novel tinged with lots of good security themes and tech.
We asked some security experts what they've been reading — and what they would recommend to their friends and peers for a summer cyber-read on the beach. This is obviously not an exhaustive treatment, so please share your faves with us via Twitter or LinkedIn.
"The summer reading list is chock-full of a variety of books that would appeal to different types of tastes, some more technical, some more sensationalized, some fact, and some fiction," says Chris Grove, director of cybersecurity strategy at Nozomi Networks. "Anyone aspiring to get into cybersecurity should pick a few of these great books to get started on peeking behind the curtains to see one of the most rewarding and exciting careers one can choose."
Happy summer reading!
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