Looking for some summer reading? We’ve pulled together a little reading guide for when you get some well-earned downtime. We asked around the Tessian offices for recommendations for good reads in the tech and security space. Here’s the team’s recommendations.
Cyber Privacy: Who Has Your Data and Why You Should Care
April Falcon Doss
Amazon, Google, Facebook, governments. No matter who we are or where we go, someone is collecting our data: to profile us, target us, assess us; to predict our behavior and analyze our attitudes; to influence the things we do and buy — even to impact our vote.
Read more at Good Reads
The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Country, Our Companies, and Ourselves in the Age of Cyber Threats
Richard A. Clarke
“Great book on the challenges of cyberwarfare policy” – Paul Sanglé-Ferrière, Product Manager, Tessian.
An urgent new warning from two bestselling security experts – and a gripping inside look at how governments, firms, and ordinary citizens can confront and contain the tyrants, hackers, and criminals bent on turning the digital realm into a war zone.
Read more at Good Reads
The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power
Jacob Helberg
From the former news policy lead at Google, an urgent and groundbreaking account of the high-stakes global cyberwar brewing between Western democracies and the autocracies of China and Russia that could potentially crush democracy.
Read more at Good Reads
This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race
Nicole Perlroth
Filled with spies, hackers, arms dealers, and a few unsung heroes, written like a thriller and a reference, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is an astonishing feat of journalism. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, The New York Times reporter Nicole Perlroth lifts the curtain on a market in shadow, revealing the urgent threat faced by us all if we cannot bring the global cyber arms race to heel.
Read more at Good Reads.
The Art of Invisibility: The World’s Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data
Kevin Mitnick & Robert Vamosi
In The Art of Invisibility Mitnick provides both online and real life tactics and inexpensive methods to protect you and your family, in easy step-by-step instructions. He even talks about more advanced “elite” techniques, which, if used properly, can maximize your privacy.
Read more at Good Reads
The Cuckoo’s Egg
Clifford Stoll
“Probably the original threat actor report – so good” – Matt Smith, Software Engineer at Tessian
In 1986, Clifford Stoll – a systems administrator at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – wrote this book. Based on his field notes, this is arguably one of the first documented cases of a computer hack and the subsequent investigation, which eventually led to the arrest of Markus Hess. It’s now considered an essential read for anyone interested in cybersecurity.
Read more at Good Reads.
CISO Compass: Navigating Cybersecurity Leadership Challenges with Insights from Pioneers
Todd Fitzgerald
While this book covers all the fundamentals of IT security governance and risk management, it also digs deeper into people. After all, being a CISO isn’t just about technology.
The insights in the book come directly from CISOs. In total, 75 security leaders contributed to the book, which means there’s plenty of actionable advice you can apply to your strategies.
Looking for more insights from security leaders? Check out Tessian’s CISO Spotlight series.
Read more at Good Reads.
Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers
Andy Greenburg
Politics play a big role in cybercrime. This book is focused on Sandworm, the group of Russian hackers who, over the last decade, has targeted American utility companies, NATO, and electric grids in Eastern Europe and paralyzed some of the world’s largest businesses with malware. But the author, Wired senior writer Andy Greenberg, also provides plenty of background on both the technology and the relationships between various countries.
Read more on Good Reads.
Cult of the Dead Cow
Joseph Menn
Cult of the Dead Cow is the tale of the oldest, most respected, and most famous American hacking group of all time. Though until now it has remained mostly anonymous, its members invented the concept of hacktivism, released the top tool for testing password security, and created what was for years the best technique for controlling computers from afar, forcing giant companies to work harder to protect customers. Cult of the Dead Cow explores some of the world’s most infamous hacking groups – particularly the cDc – and explains how technology, data, and – well – the world has changed because of them.
Read more at Good Reads.
The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You
Julie Zhuo
Congratulations, you’re a manager! After you pop the champagne, accept the shiny new title, and step into this thrilling next chapter of your career, the truth descends like a fog: you don’t really know what you’re doing. Read more at Good Reads.
CISM Certified Information Security Manager All-in-One Exam Guide
Yes, this is an exam guide…and yes you should add it to your reading list. If nothing else, to have on-hand as a reference. Why? It covers everything. Security governance, risk management, security program development, and security incident management. Curious as to whether or not other security professionals have their CISM certification? We interviewed 12 women about their journeys in cybersecurity. Read their profiles here and the full report, Opportunity in Cybersecurity Report 2020.
Read more on Good Reads.
The health benefits of reading
Whatever you choose to read these holidays, the health benefits of reading are well documented. As our Lost Hours report revealed, many CISOs aren’t taking time out from their jobs to de-stress and unwind. So make sure you schedule a little you time with a good book.
