Fascinating insight into hacker mindset.
345480
I found this book to be an entertaining and very quick-paced read.  It has an great mix of story and technical detail.  I highly recommend it to people who work in or are interested in computer/network/information security.
3572564
If you're connected to high-tech and have an appreciation for the impact that chip technology has had on our lives, you will find it easy to "be a part of the action." Game players will definitely love getting a peek at how it all "happens" before they get the product in their hands.

And if you've ever longed for a job that involves corporate politics, huge financial stakes and visionary projects . . . this will definitely give you a taste of what the pressures are like while working with hundreds of people on the same development team.

It's an exciting story to read. I think even those without a heavy IT background will still be captivated.

Now, years after the release of the XBox and Playstation 360, it fascinates me to see how decisions and efforts made in this one particular area of technology had such huge, long-lasting impacts on the giants, Microsoft and Sony. This will be added into my collection of tech stories I frequently share about the history of the IT industry and its affect on our world.
4796959
The book is good for anyone interested in how social engineering works. I nice look into a "white hat" hacker without getting too technical. I'm looking forward to reading the series!
3741640
I'm a programmer by profession, and concepts inside this book continue to cross into my day job from night hacking with Arduino. Mr. Igoe could have edited out many concepts not really required for completion of the many cool projects inside this book, but he chose to complete this book with his expansive writing, motivating the reader to approach new horizons of knowledge with accurate and pleasurable topics. This is a must read for the novice Arduino hacker.
1594638
If you followed the mainstream media you may remember the wild stories about "the world's most wanted hacker", who could steal all the money held by any bank, launch nuclear missiles by whistling into a payphone, or wiretap any telephone out there. The last part was almost true. In his book, Mitnick takes us deep into the technology used by telephone companies in the 90s, and that used by law enforcement to wiretap suspects. He recalls how he turned these tools against those out to get him, and gives us an insight into his real motivation, none other than that of a real hacker - curiosity. Particularly interesting are his attempts at leading a normal life, and how terribly twisted was his story put in front of the eyes of the public. If you are a hacker, this book is a must. If you are not, this book will teach you what hacking is really about, so you can start discerning truth from fantasy the next time a "hacker story" appears in the media.
4830828
I am not by any means a "techie," but this book is long and held my interest the entire time. I enjoyed learning about the man who really entered a new frontier of technology and opened my eyes to see how he saw computers and my iPhone through his perspective (which we use every day and don't think twice about). I really enjoyed this book. It is worth going through all the technical terms and makes you wonder if he hadn't died so young what else this man could have been capable of. Don't think twice about reading this book, you will grow from it.
4854764
I'm a techie. I hate ads. I tend to be careful about passwords.  I sympathize a lot with the author's search for privacy. I don't go as far as she did, but I was already using some of the tools she found. Her saga was fascinating and I learned a lot.
2135530
As someone who is not a social engineer, I have always found it fascinating how some of the most sensitive corporate information can be obtained by a complete stranger. Chris takes an in-depth but easy to read approach in explaining not only different attack techniques but also the psychology and physiology involved. From Neuro-Linguistic Programming to Microexpressions to the Human Buffer Overflow, this book delves deeply into not only the results that can be obtained through social engineering attacks but also WHY they are effective and most importantly for defenders, what you can do to help mitigate the risks to your organization.
Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking is an excellent read and is very easy to digest. The writing is of excellent quality and Chris Hadnagy makes it clear that he is an authority on the subject of social engineering but doesn't suffer from "knowitallism" like other authors on this subject. This is a book that should be read by both auditors and those who have information to protect. Highly Recommended.
4641984
This book provides a fascinating insight into the origins of the information age in which we now live. Covering everything from Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace right up to Google, the scope of Isaacson's book is quite breathtaking. This is certainly not "The History of Computer Science for Dummies". A long but engaging read, but a really worthwhile investment of time.
342989
I've read Little Brother a few times now.  It is a great book for anyone, but I'm particularly impressed that it is young adult fiction.  You could easily think that you are reading just a good story, but there's a lot more to this tale than simply a yarn.  Doctorow wants people (and kids in particular) to think for themselves and question things we take for granted.  More so, he not only presents computers and technology in a positive light, but gives his readers tools to discover these things on their own.  This book will be on the reading list of a generation of hackers to come.  Any kid with the proper motivation can become a Linux hacker, and books like this will interest the crowd that doesn't take technology for granted and wants to know what is happening under the hood.
1806805
Well researched insightful linking of hundreds of pieces of computing history. It brought together many threads that were loose in my awareness.  Interesting stories of the people involved from Lord Byron to Bill Gates to Al Gore.
2723429
The book is an interesting source for people who are aware and interesting in computer, data and specifically cybersecurity. It points straight to the nature of surveillance along with its application and the uses of it. Furthermore, the most interesting part of the book is Schneier gave some insights about the mass government surveillance and prove that whether we should give up some of privacy for security.
2251594
Computer coding might as well be a foreign language to those of us who aren't in the field, but even if were severely uneducated to the world that CD Reiss introduces us to in Taylor and Harpers story, the machinations of this profession and the intellectual abilities of the programmers/hackers is intriguing, especially due to the competitive nature of computer hackers and the fact that they're always trying to one up each other in order to call themselves unhackable.

But as CD Reiss proves in King of Code, there will never be one single ruler in the hacker world because as specialized as the skillset seems to be, there are quite a few computer geniuses whose goal in life is to hack into systems that are supposed to be impenetrable, proving themselves the superior coder and outing the flaws of systems that shouldnt be made public knowledge. 

Im always in awe of Reiss world building and with Taylor and Harpers story, she must construct a setting that most readers won't have a lot of knowledge about, and while Reiss aptly portrays and describes the content involved in this location, a clear perspective will still be difficult to obtain simply due to the fact that for a lot of her readers, they will be outsiders looking into an atmosphere that they cant connect with due to the specialized information that is involved. And while it shouldnt detract from the enjoyment of Reiss words and the construction of her multifaceted characters, in some ways, it does because a lack of understanding makes readers frustrated and disconnected.

As characters, Taylor Harden and Harper Watson are beyond flawed; the very act that brings them together suggests deviant minds at work, which also seems to translate to the intimate relationship that these two embark on when Harper takes it upon herself to prove her hacking skills as well as get what she needs from Taylor with a modicum of blackmail.

Getting the entire story through Taylors perspective adds an interesting spin on all of the events that occur in the text because his mind, at times, is a jumbled mess and sorting through everything as well as dealing with the upheaval that occurs due to Harpers antics leads readers and the main characters down a very twisted and at times volatile path, upping the angst as well as the intrigue of the events that play out in both Taylor and Harpers professional and personal lives.

CD Reiss continues to be an innovative romance writer in her latest release, King of Code, and the premise of the story may not be overly unique, the way Reiss gets into the heads of her characters and allows them carte blanche with her words and her plotline makes Taylor and Harpers story standout, even for those readers who don't really understand the technological world that serves as the setting of the story. And while Ill be the first to admit that Im not a techie, which I did find a bit problematic and disconcerting at times, the fact that Reiss feels at ease with the language and concepts in this setting is shown through the characters interactions with the materials and the ease with which they claim their spots in the field.

Once again, Reiss unique writing style and multi-dimensional characters take readers on one heck of a journey and while at times I felt like I fell down the rabbits hole, by the end, I didn't mind being a bit lost because it was quite a riveting experience.

4 Poison Apples
4095753
In early 1990, the US national telephone system was struck by a fault that brought down large parts of the network for several hours. We now know that this was caused by a fairly prosaic programming error that was further  compounded by a lack of testing before new software was installed. At the  time, this was not known and many people involved in law enforcement in the  US feared that the attack was the result of the activities of a group of  computer hackers.
These circumstances led to an extraordinary sequence of  events. The authorities launched action against many in and on the  periphery of the hacking world. As is normally the case in these  situations, not everyone targetted was involved in the activities against  which the actions were directed.
Bruce Sterling, well known as a modern  SF author became aware of this and was spurred into investigating the  investigation and writing a book about the events of the Hacker Crackdown.  This book is the result.
It is a very fine book. The writing is a lucid  as you would expect from a professional author but the investigation too is  a fine piece of work. As well as detailing the events, the author tells the  story of the people involved in the operation. As a result, we get a  picture of the players on both sides as well as the game.
Of course,  several years on, many of the technical details of the story seem quaint  but this does not detract from the fact that the book tells an interesting  story very well. It also raises a number of questions about the  vulnerabilities arising from the internet era and the way in which society  attempts to defend itself.
4697066
Spam Nation reads more like fiction than the works of a once Washington Post tech writer.  Brian Krebs does an outstanding job of chronicling the fact-based details of Russian cybercrime partnerships as a fast-moving drama.  The book covers much more than Spam and describes the international aspect and global sourcing of this criminal ecosystem.  The book focuses on the 'Pharma Wars' of a few years ago and the development of illegal pharmaceutical businesses that advertise by spam email.  While claiming to derive from Canadian sites, products are actually shipped from India to mainly American customers.  One of the more intriguing aspects of the book are the interview results of numerous customers who actually buy from spam and, surprisingly, most seem satisfied with their purchase, even though the sources are highly questionable.

What I liked about this book is how the story derives from a unique combination of sources to include phone interviews with key cybercriminals, hundreds of pages of internal chat logs from online criminal forums given to Krebs, academic research from several named American universities, Russian news media (Krebs knows Russian)... and lots of old fashion investigative reporting.

Non-techies will have no problem following this book as Krebs explains what a Botnet and DDOS attack is, for example.  If you get the audio version like I did, the narrator, Christopher Lane, does a good job of sounding an accent when quoting Russians, which is funny at times as Krebs shares his numerous phone interviews with the key spammers of this story.  Krebs also conducts an in-person interview with one kingpin at his office in Russia -- gutsy.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think anyone with an interest in cybersecurity, privacy, criminology and/or organized crime will as well.
2804995
Unusual genre of book for me but this is an extraordinary book about getting more familiar with hacking. The author gives good instructions, recommendations and tips. Excellent book that I will recommend to anybody that wants to make a style change and upgrade their skills at work. This will help us stay true to the principles of hacking.  The book is very comprehensive on starting your hacking journey
3496388
This book is highly enjoyable, especially for anyone who has been involved in technical projects at big companies. Like Dilbert, everything Lundstrom writes has the ring of truth to it. From ego-centric VP's to genius engineers and everything in between. It's also a fascinating glimpse into the very earliest days of commercial computers. I haven't seen much else written about this period. I hadn't realized that the Minneapolis area was at one time such a hotbed of high tech companies. He has a lot about the origins of Cray computers. Most of the other companies have shrunk or faded from the modern scene.