Book Review: This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends

<h3>Short Review</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a book that an ICS security professional should give to friends and family to read so they know why they do what they do. Nicole guides the lay person through her compelling journey to understand the 0day market and its impact on the security of the systems we all rely on. The ICSsec pro will find it to be interesting except for the parts on ICS / critical infrastructure where it is a historical fiction ... historical incidents extrapolated to their most dire possible results rather than presented in their true context.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3><strong>Detailed Review</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was a very difficult book to review. I'm conflicted because the story is engaging and will keep the lay person turning the pages. The 0day market through line is well told, and the theme and major points Nicole is making are clear and compelling. And yet the parts I know in detail, ICS security and critical infrastructure, are portrayed in a light that is misleading, and even deliberately misleading. Misleading because a lay reader, including government policymakers, would almost certainly conclude the US critical infrastructure at this moment is compromised and a click or two away from the Russians, or other adversaries, causing a major catastrophe.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>The Story ... The Positive</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Imagine you are trying to tell your Mom or Dad, your Husband/Wife/Partner, your close friend about cybersecurity risk and how it could affect their lives, their communities and their country or region. This is hard. If you get into the technical details you will lose them. If you try to add too much nuance (HT: RLee) you will lose them. There needs to be a captivating story that makes the non-technical audience keep reading even if they don't care about the tech.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -