A brief history of cyberterrorism with a spotlight on Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia. As someone with very little knowledge or experience in this field of study, I was very impressed with the amount of information packed into the book. I walked away from this having a better grasp on the timeline of events that have led US policy to where it stands currently.

An extremely timely and important book for our current state in the world. So much is happening behind the scenes that we are unaware of, and given the lack of response to the hacking of elections, we have been left unprepared.

The systems that we depend on for everything including electricity, water, food, information, healthcare, entertainment, etc. are being attacked everyday from threats foreign and domestic. This needs to be a top priority for lawmakers and the private section, and I fear it is now.

With all of the news about the Russian government's attempts to influence the 2016 election, this book seems both an important history of the past and a specter of the future. Carlin describes the US government's attempts to deter cyberattacks from foreign adversaries. Although Russia dominates the news today, much of the book focuses on China, which looms larger as a threat in the future. Carlin also goes into the history as far back as the 80s, providing some context to our current situation. Perhaps unusually for a book of this type, Carlin's writing is clear and accessible. Recommended for readers interested in national security issues.

The inside story of how America's enemies launched a cyber war against us-and how we've learned to fight back
With each passing year, the internet-linked attacks on America's interests have grown in both frequency and severity. Overmatched by our military, countries like North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia have found us vulnerable in cyberspace. The "Code War" is upon us.
In this dramatic book, former Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin takes readers to the front lines of a global but little-understood fight as the Justice Department and the FBI chases down hackers, online terrorist recruiters, and spies. Today, as our entire economy goes digital, from banking to manufacturing to transportation, the potential targets for our enemies multiply. This firsthand account is both a remarkable untold story and a warning of dangers yet to come.

Do you bank online?
Do you use social media?
Do you have a smartphone?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are vulnerable to cyber attack.  As much as we depend on technology in our lives, it's important to think about the implications of these choices we are making as individuals, as citizens of nations. Many further questions arise as we start to ponder the subject more: What precautions do we take to protect ourselves? Who is in charge of protecting the institutions we trust our information with? How do entities such as corporations and government protect themselves, especially when they themselves are made up of tech-dependent individuals? Former Assistant Attorney General, and Chief of Staff and Head Council for Robert Mueller, John P. Carlin uses his extensive experience to write a riveting book about the international cyber war the United States is waging every day.

Carlin uses the organization of a good prosecutor to step-by-step explain the origins of the hacker. From the pranksters to the rebels to the thieves to the terrorists, the evolution of the crimes is outlined for the reader. What began as a personal challenge for the teen in the early 80s has become state-sponsored missions to steal military and corporate secrets. After a fantastic overview in the first chapter, he focuses on some key cases that have shaped the war over the last ten years. He details the reasons why Russia, Korea, Iran, and China pose the biggest threats to our businesses, infrastructure, and military secrets, and uses cases such as the attacks on Sony, The Sands Casino, and the 2016 elections as evidence.

I particularly enjoyed the personal sections Carlin included about his experience working in the Hoover building. Yet, at times I wanted more of this type of writing, and less of the fact-for-fact details. This is my preference and I’m sure others will see the strength of all the particulars of the cases.

Overall, Dawn of the Code War is an honest, clear-eyed description of the issues of cybersecurity in our nation and our world. With tech continually ruling our every day lives, Carlin gives us some essential questions to think about. He references several times how amazing it is that so many fictional plots have now become reality. This book is great for true crime fans looking to educate themselves on the current state of our war in cyberspace, a war that has no boundaries.

Carlin has been working in various capacities in the federal government to bring various hackers, both private individuals and state-sponsored, to justice. His perspective is interesting. One revelation in the book is how Chinese hackers have been determined to steal various industrial and commercial secrets, which is reinforced with this recent news item. Then the WSJ reported that last month Trump signed an executive order that will relax cybersecurity regulations, including ones that were put in place by Obama, so his book is very much an indication of how we got to this point in time. His analysis of the Sony Pictures hacks -- there were three different episodes -- is interesting, particularly in light of the recent indictment of the North Korean spy who was behind them.

A good scary book for me as I am in no way a "techie" but realizing the current state of our nation coupled with the unending fascination with all things trivial this book depressed me. We seem to be far too vulnerable to attack than I ever dreamed. A scary good read for me.