Fancy Bear goes phishing

Scott J. Shapiro is a Yale professor of law and philosophy. For a change of pace, he directs the Yale Cybersecurity Lab. Built around the historic “five extraordinary hacks” mentioned in the sub-title, the work is full of charm and humour. It is also strewn with fascinating bits of historical and sociological detail.

Before picking up this book, I used the internet as I do my fridge or my car — I can defrost the freezer and take the car for its regular services, but I know little about what goes on “under the hood.”

I was inspired to read this book in order to learn more about how the internet works, and also about the current state of cybersecurity. Halfway through reading I took issue with the use of the word “dark” in the subtitle, and took the liberty of crossing it off on my personal copy. Reading the second half of the book confirmed my cautious optimism and also provided me with a lot of interesting data.

Like the cover illustration, the content of the book is dark, light, and ambiguous. Lighter moments for me included a sample of the truly vacuous messages leaked from Paris Hilton’s cell phone and the fact that LIndsay Lohan was deluged with calls from her film fans in Japan when her number was made public.