Worm: The First Digital World War

Worm: The First Digital World War
Mark Bowden
RRP:
NZ$ 32.99
Limited Stock:
Only 1 remaining at this price
Our Price:
NZ$ 15.00
Paperback
h206 x 137mm - 252pg
16 Oct 2012 US
9780802145949
1
Mark Bowden's Worm: The Story of the First Digital World War is about the next frontier in war. Bowden, the best-selling author of Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo, has delivered a dramatic cyber-crime story that explores the Conficker Computer 'Worm', a potentially devastating computer virus. that has baffled experts and infected as many as 12 million computers to date. Bowden has gained unprecedented access to the key players in the story and produced what could be his most important story to date. When the Conficker Computer 'Worm' was unleashed upon the world in November 2008, cyber-security experts did not know what to make of it. The worm, exploiting the security flaws in Microsoft Windows, grew at an astonishingly rapid rate, infecting millions of computers around the world within weeks. Once the worm infiltrated one system it was able to link it with others to form a single network under illicit outside control known as a 'botnet'. It was soon capable of overpowering any of the vital computer networks that today control banking, telephones, energy flow, air traffic, healthcare informationn - even the Internet itself. Was it a platform for criminal profit, or a weapon? Security experts do not know for sure what Conficker's purpose is, or even where it came from. Their struggle to control it, a dazzling battle of wits between expert programmers over the future of the Internet, pitted those determined to exploit it against those committed to protect it, and awakened the governmentsfor the first time to the urgent nature of the threat. Bowden's book reports this new frontier on terror in a way that has never been done before. Bowden skillfully explores the digital chess match unfolding in the esoteric world of computer security, telling the story from the perspective of both the good-guy hackers known as the 'Conficker Cabal' working to defeat the worm and the bad guys intent on spreading it. In Worm: The Story of the First Digital World War, Mark Bowden delivers an accessible and fascinating look at the ongoing and largely unreported war taking place literally beneath our fingertips.
"["Worm"] is well-written and informative, capturing a key episode in a fast-moving field we all need to better understand."--"The Washington Post" "When Mark Bowden writes, smart readers pay attention. . . . Bowden is a deserved brand name - a superb reporter and compelling narrative writer, whether his subject is war in a forlorn land ("Black Hawk Down," set in Somalia) or a variety of others in seven other books ("Killing Pablo," "Guests of the Ayatollah," etc.). And now we have the current masterpiece, "Worm.""--"The Philadelphia Inquirer" "Worm is a solid although disquieting read for anyone with a stake in the Internet's continued smooth functioning--and these days, isn't that just about all of us?"--"Pop Matters" "In the world of nonfiction, Bowden is an ace, a writer with guts and gusto. . . ["Worm"] does a terrific job of setting the groundwork, turning the highly technical into something comprehensible."--"The Seattle Times" "Worm details a digital-age battle between good and evil . . . It is a harbinger of the future, where threats to the cyber domain are as real and potentially cataclysmic as a weapon of mass destruction."--"Military Review" "Bowden . . . gives this account of the computer world's efforts to neutralize the Conficker worm the flavor of a riveting report from the digital battlefield's front lines. . . . A nerve-wracking but first-rate inside peek into the world of cybercrime and its vigilant adversaries."--"Booklist" "[T]he thumbs of every 30-something untergeek will still Tweet in ecstasy at seeing technical terms like NCP/IP, Port 445, and MS08-067 spread across the pages of a mainstream book. But the rest of us should take Mark Bowden's warnings with the utmost seriousness because of the growing threats to our wired world."--"New York Journal of Books" "[T]his book chronicles a larger threat and should be on the shelves not just of computer collections, but any general lending library."--
Mark Bowden is the author of seven books, including Black Hawk Down. He was a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer for twenty years and now writes for Vanity Fair, The Atlantic and other magazines.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9780802145949
Published: 16 Oct 2012
Published In: United States
Imprint: Black Cat
Publisher: Black Cat
Format: Paperback
Height: 206mm
Width: 137mm
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 295g
Pages: 252

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information