This was a really interesting exploration of security, looking at phishing and the behavioral patterns associated with it. I really enjoyed the background and historical context. Great as an audiobook.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I don’t often read/listen to books but I’m so glad I came across this one. I have a background in computers and found it highly informative but also love how he took the time to explain each concept too. A great listen.

I came for the clever title and stayed for all the details surrounding the infamous Paris Hilton hack of the early aughts. I learned so many things in this book — many of which, frankly, I don’t know that I’ll ever use, but which were packaged so entertainingly that I didn’t quite mind. Does this text have a tendency to get lost in the sauce? Ab-so-lutely. Does this text also wade back to the main plot line, allowing you time to stew in technical details? Yup.

I’m not a computers person - or, at least not to the extent that the very real characters outlined here do. I can do basic SQL and have spoken to computer engineers more than someone not in the industry might. This book reminded me of hitting the bong in college and letting my engineer friends tell me, a communications major, about their classes. Did I enjoy the ride? 100%. Did I understand the ride? Maybe like 65%.

This read is a behemoth. In this context, this is a positive. This isn’t a quick beach read and that’s okay. Each section tells a different story and while many reconnect and double back, Shapiro is great about reconnecting threads and reorienting the reader after adventuring through a parallel story.

This has everything I personally want in nonfiction: a passionate, informed narrator, clearly detailed stories, and an author who isn’t afraid to break the fourth wall when it comes to explaining details.

First off this is a book in society and culture, with a side of comprehensive and clear explanation of technology and computer programming. Shapiro goes beyond the what and explains the why and the how so well. I was amazed as well as educated. Easily the best nonfiction I’ve read this year.

This book is incredibly interesting. I loved learning about the evolution of technology, computers, and computer viruses. With that being said, I do not think this book is for everyone. There is a lot of computer jargon, and some people may not be interested in that sort of thing. Regardless, the narration is good and engaging. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and especially to Scott J Shapiro for this e-Audio Galley of Fancy Bear Goes Fishing.

As a philosopher, historian, and computer whiz Scott Shapiro’s approach to illuminating the history of digital security and attempts (successful and otherwise) to maintain digital security through the history of modern computing makes for a captivating and thought provoking read. While often quite technical, Mr. Shapiro never leaves his audience behind - making excellent use of analogy balanced with precise technical writing to illuminate many of the finer points of Phishing, DDOS, etc. With humor thrown in at regular intervals that improve the overall fluidity of the text, it’s a fun one.

The narrator, Jonathan Todd Ross, is excellent! His cadence, tone, and sometimes-voice of co-conspirator with the narrator lends an air to the listen of hearing from an old friend over a cup of clandestine coffee. The only drawback to an audio version of this text is inherent to the format; namely, that particularly technical, numerically driven sections of the book lose any practical meaning to the listener after the 117th “zero zero one zero one one zero” is uttered.

Entertaining and intimidating, scary but fun, the best kind of non-fiction. A brief history of computer hacking and what hides on the internet.

I love a good non-fiction account that can find the humor and the horror in its subject, and Shapiro does this. By following five of the most famous hacks in the history of the internet we learn both the vulnerabilities, risks and bizarreness of technology most of us use constantly without any thought or understanding.

Shapiro understands the technology and has the ability to teach the reader. While a reader does need to understand a little bit about the tech involved, only a small amount is needed to engage with the material in this book. If anything, reading this book will help readers with limited understanding of how the internet and computers work build a solid functional understanding at the user level.

Overall, this is a surprisingly entertaining and rarely dry read. If you are curious about internet security or want to relive the social and political climate that led to the Paris Hilton and DNC hacks, or the political want to blame foreign powers when really a teenage boy just crashed large swaths of the internet.

I'm oddly fascinated by the world of computer science even though I have very little formal experience in anything beyond the basics. This book was perfect because it allowed me to learn more about hacking alongside five major cybercrime examples.

The teenager that hacked into Paris Hilton's cell phone, the Russian intelligence officers that hacked into the Democratic National Committee, and the effects of the Snowden leaks were a few instances that were discussed at length.

I particularly enjoyed the way these events were described because it focused on the actual, technical steps that allowed these occurrences to happen and not the political finger-pointing that we typically hear.

Overall, I found this to be an eye-opening book. Even technological novices will take away something because the writer does a great job defining and explaining terminology that the average person likely doesn't use in their day-to-day life. Having a fairly strong interest in the subject will be useful because while the book is readable, it does contain heavy historical information that may be tedious if you're more into the real-life anecdotal sections.

This was so incredibly informative and useful. My main takeaway from reading this actually has more to do with me than the content of the book, and that's holy cow I've just blithely swanning about the internet for almost 30 years having NO IDEA how it actually works, and just completely taking it for granted. Even as a person who considers herself pretty on top of cyber security, you know, for an average person. I use a Password Manager! I encrypt emails with sensitive information! I never click on the links!

So, this was eye-opening in that regard, and I learned a TON about how the Internet actually works and how it was built and evolved, all while learning about how hackers and other actors, both bad and good, exploit loopholes both in the technology, and perhaps even more importantly, in human behavior (called here upcode, vs. the downcode of software and hardware and programming).

Highly, highly recommend this one.

I started this audio book knowing very little about computers and coding. This audiobook discusses the history of computers, coding, and hacking, I found this audiobook extremely interesting. And thought-provoking! The narrator did a superb job of making what I normally would consider a dry subject (non-fiction) very interesting. He always sounded enthused and interested in the message. I chose to review this because I found the name fascinating and wanted to know who/what fancy bear was and now I do know! Because this audiobook was so interesting, I now feel like I have learned quite a bit about this subject-enough to know that I have learned only a very small portion about a very deep and constantly evolving part of our society. I love the tools that computers & networking has given us, but I, personally, have not respected them nearly as much as I should have nor does our society, world or government have laws in place to protect the people of the world from the dangers that evil people can do via computers.