Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who Are Bringing Down the Internet

When Mikko Hyponnen (of F-Secure fame) posted about this book on Twitter, I immediately pre-ordered the book. I got it two days later. (I was only one-day advanced on the pre-order, it seems.) I wasn't quite sure what to expect exactly, only I knew it had to do with cyber-security, so I was intrigued.What I got was a fascinating book with two main stories told from the perspectives of the good guys. The first was a story of how a young dyslexic man struggled against the odds to become one of the best people around at defeating Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attacks. His story, which spans at least two continents and his unwitting participation with some of the internet's shadier characters, is a fascinating one. That story comprises part one of the book, and ties into part two quite neatly. Part two is the story of a British detective and his exploits in foreign countries (particularly Russia) in his efforts to find and eventually catch several of the same cyber-criminals from part one. While it has the tempo of a fictional "cyber-thriller", this book is non-fiction and is based on the very thorough work of Joseph Menn, a reporter for the Financial Times (previously of the LA Times). The overall theme is that of the war that is taking place using the world's computers and networks as a battleground. Despite the chronicled successes outlined in these two stories, it's a war that's very quickly being lost.I've been working in the cyber-security industry for a while now, so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with some of the more sinister aspects of what happens on the internet. However, I think for the "layman" or someone who doesn't work with technology and/or cyber-security, this book will be a really good look into a world that you don't ordinarily see, replete with real heroes, real villains, and real consequences to real people. Most people will understand some of the consequences from the flood of spam that they're used to getting; for the unlucky few, identity theft will bring the stories even closer to home. Even if you're fortunate enough to have never experienced any of those consequences yourself, you may have recently heard of the attacks on Google and several other companies. The war taking place in cyberspace is all too real, and while I would hope that most people never have to be involved, the opposite is likely the case. It is escalating, and there need to be more stories like the ones in this book if we ever hope to win.

See full review at my blog site: TerebrateIf you are interested in the evolution of cyber crime, Fatal System Error is a good first reference. The author, Joseph Menn, is able to capture the early years as the cyber criminal community was just beginning to productize its cyber business, to professionalize it so that it ran more like a business. He tells the story through two early cyber security practitioners: a very young Barrett Lyon—a cyber security services businessman who built one of the first denial of service protection companies called Prolexic Technologies—and Andy Cocker—at the time, an agent for the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit. Lyon gets sucked into protecting organized crime operations that dabbled in offshore gambling and pornography, and Cocker used old-fashioned police work to arrest some of the early cyber criminals when the FBI seemed completely impotent at the prospect. Menn also manages to sprinkle in a discussion of some of the most significant cyber security milestones between 1995 and 2009, such as the emergence of the Russian Business Network and the identification of the Chinese Network Crack Program Hacker group. Fatal System Error is a vital historical reference for the cyber security community regarding the evolution of cyber crime. It is worthy of being a part of the cyber security canon, and you should have read it by now.

I first saw this book a day or two after it came out and I must admit that I was quite turned off due to the title. At the time there were no reviews, so I decided to go on chance and pick up a copy for my Kindle. I think all in all I ended up reading the book in a solid 2-3 days. This wasn't because I was eager to finish the book to review it, but rather because I found it interesting. I have been working in this field for close to 6 years now and details like this aren't always covered to the extent that they should be. I think the book was a great overview of how hackers (some, certainly not all) operate, but far from a comprehensive piece of work on cybercrime (wasn't meant to be that anyway).To keep it short and sweet:If you enjoy hearing about cybercrime stories and justice being served then this book is a good one to add to your collection. I would almost compare it to SPAM kings in regards to the level of detail and technical knowledge needed to understand the whole subject. Don't expect to learn any new techniques or new attack methods that hackers are using, but do expect to walk away with a story of cybercrime with some pretty detailed (almost too detailed at times) highlights.

An interesting read.

What is hidden in the Internet, scary stuff

Well written . Hope it isnt true.

Well written an interesting in site into online gaming and the origins of cybercrime. A good starting point for those knowing nothing about the internet and why we need antivirus...

Awsome!