A top cybersecurity journalist tells the story behind the virus that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear efforts and shows how its existence has ushered in a new age of warfare—one in which a digital attack can have the same destructive capability as a megaton bomb. “Immensely enjoyable . . . Zetter turns a complicated and technical cyber story into an engrossing whodunit.”—The Washington Post The virus now known as Stuxnet was unlike any other piece of malware built before: Rather than simply hijacking targeted computers or stealing information from them, it proved that a piece of code could escape the digital realm and wreak actual, physical destruction—in this case, on an Iranian nuclear facility. In these pages, journalist Kim Zetter tells the whole story behind the world’s first cyberweapon, covering its genesis in the corridors of the White House and its effects in Iran—and telling the spectacular, unlikely tale of the security geeks who managed to unravel a top secret sabotage campaign years in the making. But Countdown to Zero Day also ranges beyond Stuxnet itself, exploring the history of cyberwarfare and its future, showing us what might happen should our infrastructure be targeted by a Stuxnet-style attack, and ultimately, providing a portrait of a world at the edge of a new kind of war.

An airliner's controls abruptly fail mid-flight over the Atlantic. An oil tanker runs aground in Japan when its navigational system suddenly stops dead. Hospitals everywhere have to abandon their computer databases when patients die after being administered incorrect dosages of their medicine. In the USA, a nuclear power plant nearly becomes the next Chernobyl when its cooling systems malfunction. At first, these random computer failures seem like unrelated events. But Jeff Aiken, a former government analyst who quit in disgust after witnessing the gross errors that led up to 9/11, thinks otherwise. Jeff fears a more serious attack targeting the United States computer infrastructure is already under way. And as other menacing computer malfunctions pop up around the world, some with deadly results, he realizes that there isn't much time if he hopes to prevent an international catastrophe. Written by a global authority on cyber-security, Zero Day presents a chilling 'what if' scenario that, in a world completely reliant on technology, is more than possible today... it's a cataclysmic disaster just waiting to happen. 'Mark came to Microsoft in 2006 to help advance the state of the art of Windows, now in his latest compelling creation he is raising awareness of the all too real threat of cyber-terrorism.' Bill Gates 'CyberTerrorism. Get used to that word and understand it because you're going to see more of it in the newspapers and hear it on the news in the not too distant future. Mark Russinovich is a CyberSecurity expert who has turned his considerable knowledge into a very scary and too plausible novel. Zero Day is not science fiction; it is science fact, and it is a clear warning of Doomsday.' Nelson DeMille 'While what Mark wrote is fiction, the risks that he writes about eerily mirror many situations that we see today.' Howard A. Schmidt, White House Cyber Security Coordinator 'An up-to-the-moment ticking-clock thriller, Zero Day imagines the next 9/11 in a frightening but all too believable way. An expert in the field, Mark Russinovich writes about cyberterrorism with a mix of technical authority and dramatic verve. I was riveted.' William Landay, author of The Strangler 'When someone with Mark Russinovich's technical chops writes a tale about tech gone awry, leaders in the public and private sector should take notes.' Daniel Suarez, author of Daemon 'Nothing if not topical... a full share of conspiracies, betrayals, violence and against-the-clock maneuvers.' Kirkus Reviews

Eight years ago, Addie Webster was the victim of the most notorious kidnapping of the decade. Addie vanished—and her high-profile parents were forced to move on. Mark Webster is now president of the United States, fighting to keep the oval office after a tumultuous first term. Then the unthinkable happens: the president's daughter resurfaces. Addie is brought back into her family's fold, but who is this sixteen-year-old girl with a quiet, burning intelligence now living in the White House? There are those in the president's political circle who find her timely return suspicious. When a national security advisor approaches Darrow Fergusson, Addie's childhood best friend and the son of the president's chief of staff, he doesn't know what to think. How could the girl he's missed for all these years be a threat to national security? Still, at the risk of having his own secrets exposed, Darrow agrees to spy on Addie. He soon realizes that his old friend is much more than the traumatized victim of a sick political fringe group. Addie has come with a mission...but will she choose to complete it?

In April 2004, Barbara Egbert and Gary Chambers and their precocious 10-year-old daughter Mary embarked on a 2,650-mile hike from Mexico to Canada along the famed Pacific Crest Trail. This the well-told tale of their epic adventure, which required love, perseverance, and the careful rationing of toilet paper. Six months later, Mary would become the youngest person ever to successfully walk the entire trail.The trio weathered the heat of the Mojave, the jagged peaks of the Sierra, the rain of Oregon, and the final cold stretch through the Northern Cascades. They discovered which family values, from love and equality to thrift and cleanliness, could withstand a long, narrow trail and 137 nights together in a 6-by-8-foot tent. Filled with tidbits of wisdom, practical advice, and humor, this story will both entertain and inspire readers to dream about and plan their own epic journey.

The realistic portrayals of researching, developing, and ultimately defending the Internet from a malicious "Zero-Day" attack will appeal to every corner of the IT community. Although finctional, the numerous accounts of real events and references to real people will ring true with every member of the security community. This book will also satisfy those not on the "inside" of this community, who are fascinated by the real tactics and motives of criminal, malicous hackers and those who defent the Internet from them.* The realistic portrayals of researching, developing, and ultimately defending the Internet from a malicious "Zero-Day" attack will appeal to every corner of the IT community.* This book will entertain, educate, and enlighten the security and IT community about the world of elite security professionals who safeguard the Internet from the most dangerous cyber criminals and terrorists.* Although finctional, the numerous accounts of real events and references to real people will ring true with every member of the security community.

A new and dangerous computer bug is sweeping the internet. But this bug is different. Smart, quick, sophisticated, and developed by elite hackers working for a cybercrime syndicate, it can break through an unknown flaw in the world's most secure computer chips and cripple any system within seconds-the ultimate cyber weapon. Reluctant American cyber sleuth Chuck Drayton unwittingly finds himself caught in the deadly crossfire of an unfolding cyber war, with no idea what lies ahead. Chuck and his small team of investigators join a desperate race against the great cyber powers, and an unscrupulous tech entrepreneur, to stop the zero-day, before it's too late.

Zero-day vulnerabilities--software vulnerabilities for which no patch or fix has been publicly released-- and their exploits are useful in cyber operations--whether by criminals, militaries, or governments--as well as in defensive and academic settings. This report provides findings from real-world zero-day vulnerability and exploit data that could augment conventional proxy examples and expert opinion, complement current efforts to create a framework for deciding whether to disclose or retain a cache of zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits, inform ongoing policy debates regarding stockpiling and vulnerability disclosure, and add extra context for those examining the implications and resulting liability of attacks and data breaches for U.S. consumers, companies, insurers, and for the civil justice system broadly. The authors provide insights about the zero-day vulnerability research and exploit development industry; give information on what proportion of zero-day vulnerabilities are alive (undisclosed), dead (known), or somewhere in between; and establish some baseline metrics regarding the average lifespan of zero-day vulnerabilities, the likelihood of another party discovering a vulnerability within a given time period, and the time and costs involved in developing an exploit for a zero-day vulnerability"--Publisher's description.