Trojan Horse

A Jeff Aiken Novel, Book 2

By: Mark Russinovich, Kevin Mitnick - foreword

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

It's two years after the Zero Day attacks, and cyber-security analyst Jeff Aiken is reaping the rewards for crippling Al-Qaida's assault on the computer infrastructure of the Western world. His company is flourishing, and his relationship with former government agent Daryl Haugen has intensified since she became a part of his team.

But the West is under its greatest threat yet. A revolutionary, invisible trojan that alters data without leaving a trace—more sophisticated than any virus seen before—has been identified, roiling international politics. Jeff and Daryl are summoned to root it out and discover its source. As the trojan penetrates Western intelligence, and the terrifying truth about its creator is revealed, Jeff and Daryl find themselves in a desperate race to reverse it as the fate of both East and West hangs in the balance.

A thrilling suspense story and a sober warning from one of the world's leading experts on cyber-security, Trojan Horse exposes the already widespread use of international cyber-espionage as a powerful and dangerous weapon, and the lengths to which one man will go to stop it.

©2012 Mark Russinovich (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

mark is at his best

Love the insight from an insider. The action also keeps the story fresh and moving along quite well.

Very good book entertaining and interesting

Portrait of the cyberwar landscape awesome, unbelievable in certain parts, overall very good book.

A fun romp and cautionary peek into cyber security

A well written and researched journey into the world of network security. Narrated well with a touch of foreign culture to boot. Worth a listen.

Snatched From Today's Headlines?

Excellent narration of a story we could envision popping up any day -- as though it would become public knowledge if it did.

Excellent technical descriptions woven among international events. The story is believable enough we look past the implausibility of the two protagonists even surviving let alone saving the day.

What was I thinking...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

NO! Not sure why I went to hear the second book.

Would you ever listen to anything by Mark Russinovich and Kevin Mitnick (foreword) again?

The only thing I like about this book was the additional interview by Mark Russinovich and Kevin Mitnick.

Was Trojan Horse worth the listening time?

No. I was not sure at what point a kidnapping took place, who were the main characters. When did the security analyst become a world class spy?

5 STARS: Russinovich Is Tranformative

Somewhere in the middle of “hunt For Red October it clicked. “Yoa!” I thought, “This is a new something… a genre… if not a new species, well at least a new breed.” So I read the next 16 (or was that 18?) Clancys… Until somewhere in “Shadow Warriors”, or perhaps “Search and Destroy” he lost his power to fly the class he created (and never recovered them in his own attempts at cyber-fiction).

“Trojan Horse” goes “CLICK!” Mark Russinovich has accomplished where Neil Stephenson and the aging Clancy failed. Issac Asimov argued that if science did not drive the plot, it was not "science" fiction, but fiction in drag. Clancy at his best did the same thing with his techno-fiction where a sort of electro/mechanical engineering drove the plot. Russinovich’s transformational technology-driver has done to Clancy’s breed what the internet has done to newspapers… This is a disruptive book.

While “Zero Day”, the first in this Jeff Aiken/Daryl Hagen series, was engrossing –Russnovich was experimenting with his powers. I enjoyed it, and recommend that you read or listen to it before starting this book since it explains the allusions to that story peppered through “Trojan Horse”. But while each of these books are VERY commercial and crammed-full with action (cinematic is the word that comes to mind), Russinovich is sucking on the cyber-pipe full-on here in “Trojan Horse”.

BTW, this is NOT a Jeff Aiken book. While it’s a partnership, Daryl Hagen is now the stronger member of this pair. I hope someone at Audible will fix that in the series description.

Johnny Heller does a fine, if not masterful, job of presenting this work even if his characters are incompletely nuanced. Still, I won’t do anything to pull all five stars away from “Trojan Horse”. It’s as masterful as “DaVinci” code in its story telling clout yet "cyber"-fiction in the Asimov sense.

This is a cross-over novel that every adventure/mystery lover can enjoy and the best adventure book I’ve listened to in years.

Great Book

As a security professional and a professor of computer science this book covers all the topics I teach and gives real life scenarios to the topics of class and has been recommended to all my students. it is the James Bond of computers

Enjoyed it!!!

If you could sum up Trojan Horse in three words, what would they be?

Captivating, intriguing, creative.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No, thoughtful.

What does Johnny Heller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought inference.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No I didn't.

Any additional comments?

This book was very well worth my time.

Continuation of a Techno Thriller

“Trojan Horse” is the second book in the Jeff Aiken series written by authors Mark Russinovich and Kevin Mitnick; the second of actual hacker fame. The first book in the series was “Zero Day”, which I enjoyed very much, and there is a third book already out in audiobook format which I have not listened too, yet. I felt this book from a story perspective was a bit weaker than the first, but it does have some good action, intrigue and technology that keeps it following and the reader engrossed. If you like a well-written technology thrillers (techno thrillers) this book may be one to pick up. If you like technology and have been involved in the information security field, you may enjoy it more than those who are not. With that said, I believe that there were quite a few Hollywood moments written in for dramatic effect where the reader simply need to suspend belief and move on. Like with forensic drama shows on TV, it is not as easy to hack into a system, decrypt secure files, etc. as is portrayed in the book. Just remember this book is not a primer or educational piece on hacking, but instead a piece of fiction to be enjoyed.

The book picks up two years after the events unfolded in Zero Hour (book 1). Our hero and information security expert, Jeff Aiken, is now a successful and well respected individual in the security community. He also continues to work with Daryl who he is in a relationship with. One day it is discovered that a secure document sent via a secure digital means had been altered somewhere between the sender and the person receiving it. Making changes to a Word document may seem irrelevant or not all interesting unless one understands how documents are secured and validated using digital hashes providing assurance that the file has not been altered. Today’s financial, corporate, and government industries depend on these file protections controls to ensure money transfers, etc. What if someone could, in transit, change the deposit amount or reroute it completely to a different account? This would cause chaos in our digital world, nothing could be trusted to be accurate. This newly uncovered piece of malware can make changes to files and documents, without modifying the digital hash (watermark) or signature while also not leaving any tracks of the infection on the computer; fileless malware. This is where Jeff and team are brought in to root out the creators and the intentions of this nasty virus.

Again, if you understand the technology covered in the book, you will find it more interesting than if you did not. However, I think the book can be read and understood as simply a technology spy thriller and most of the technical details could be ignored and you will still get the jest of the story, as with a Clancy novel. The book takes us from one infected customer around the world to many other location to hunt down the virus’ creator so we can once again put our trust in document security. The book continues to unravel and we discover more and more the purpose of this virus.

Note for younger readers, this book is rather gritty and at time quite dark and graphically violent. Again, not a surprise for a techno-thriller. I will say that there points that vulgar language was used heavily and some subject matter involving sex or sexual content is also contained within.

Johnny Heller has narrated over three-hundred and fifty other books on Audible at the time of this review, so he is no new-comer to narration. I know other reviewers have said they did not like his narration of this book, but I’m in with a larger majority that did. I thought his reading speed and voicing of the characters solid. I did notice a few potential mispronounced words, but this was not something that ruined the book for me. The audio was also professionally produced, coming from a known publisher, and lacked any noticeable artifacts.

In summary, if you liked Zero Day or if you are one who enjoys a delve into techno thrillers, Trojan Horse if well worth the listen.

You don't want to skip this book!

Where does Trojan Horse rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the very top! I thought it couldn't be as good as Zero Day. I was totally wrong. This book was fantastic! I can't wait to listen to Rogue Code now!

What other book might you compare Trojan Horse to and why?

Zero Day @markrussinovich. Best computer security related fiction books out there.

Have you listened to any of Johnny Heller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Zero Day.... He is fantastic! He really brings you into the story as if you were right there with Jeff and Daryl!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely! Gripping!

Any additional comments?

I have been in IT for the past 20 years and I can tell you that Mark writes with expertise in technology and it shows. Even if you are a non-IT listener, you will love it! The book have suspense, intensity and edge of your seat listening. The scary part of the storyline is that all of it could happen in the society we live. Get this book. You won't be disappointed!!!