The Perfect Weapon

War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age

By: David E. Sanger

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Soon to be an HBO® documentary from award-winning director John Maggio

“An important - and deeply sobering - new book about cyberwarfare.” (Nicholas Kristof, New York Times)

The Perfect Weapon is the startling inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes, cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists. Two presidents - Bush and Obama - drew first blood with Operation Olympic Games, which used malicious code to blow up Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, and yet America proved remarkably unprepared when its own weapons were stolen from its arsenal and, during President Trump’s first year, turned back on the United States and its allies. And if Obama would begin his presidency by helping to launch the new era of cyberwar, he would end it struggling unsuccessfully to defend against Russia’s broad attack on the 2016 US election.

Moving from the White House Situation Room to the dens of Chinese government hackers to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger reveals a world coming face-to-face with the perils of technological revolution, where everyone is a target.

“Timely and bracing.... With the deep knowledge and bright clarity that have long characterized his work, Sanger recounts the cunning and dangerous development of cyberspace into the global battlefield of the 21st century.” (Washington Post)

©2018, 2019 David E. Sanger (P)2018, 2019 Penguin Random House LLC

Critic reviews

"[Sanger's] description of the cyber portion of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election is thorough and convincing. It ought to be required reading for anyone who doubts the extent and seriousness of the Russian effort.... The great value of The Perfect Weapon is less in its specific policy prescriptions than in its being the most comprehensive, readable source of information and insight about the policy quandaries that modern information technology and its destructive potential have spawned." (The New York Times)

"In his new book, The Perfect Weapon, Sanger offers a panoramic view of the rapidly evolving world of cyber-conflict. He covers incidents from the covert US cyber-campaign to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program (a story we know about largely because of Sanger’s diligent reporting) to Edward Snowden’s epic heist of National Security Agency data. And yes, there’s also plenty of background on Russia’s active measures during the 2016 campaign. But there’s also a wealth of gripping material on stories that have probably been missed by the broader public.... It all adds up to a persuasive argument for the truth of the book’s title." (Christian Caryl, The Washington Post)

"[The Perfect Weapon] reads like a thriller spy novel, except the stories are true, which makes the book more terrifying.... Sanger shows the political, military, and economic impacts of actual hacks, moves made by governments and industry to counter moves and protect against future attacks, and the counter to the counter to the counter, all told at a breathtaking pace. But this is more than just a real-life drama; it also is a cautionary tale of the policy of information power.... This book at turns was both fascinating in its detail and access and terrifying in its implications." (Proceedings)

Riveting!

Riveting, frightening, scary, and all too real. Excellent narrator who leads the listener through the evidence for the ongoing hacking occurring right now.

Informative and gripping

I am fan of David Sanger’s work. His is thorough and has a very engaging writing style. This book is an excellent example of that. The topic is serious and at times very worrisome and the book reads like a gripping thriller, except that it’s all real. It is going to take very enlightened leadership worldwide to come up with a framework similar to nuclear arms control to limit the use of cyber technologies for only enriching our lives. We aren’t there yet but let’s hope that we do.

Highly recommended.

Excellent Account of Modern Cyber War

This is an excellent account of modern cyber war. Sanger has condensed a very ethereal topic into a succinct narrative. As an IT security professional, most of the facts were not new to me, but the background information that Sanger was able to assemble around these facts helps to understand them in their proper context. I was able to think through my own security precautions based on this book, which is invaluable in-and-of-itself.

Thought-provoking and Stimulating

This book has definitely been an eye-opener, and in some ways is very scary. There is no question, that cyber warfare levels the playing field. One does not have to be a super power to be adept at using it. Being able to harness this capability, and setting up rules and safeguards, are definitely going to be a significant challenge to our world.

Must read material

If you’re not in the IC cyber community and you haven’t gone through this book it’s impossible to understand the challenges America faces.

A must ...

.. for all interested in the evolution and impact of the virtual world from the perspective of nation states. The challenges and responsibilities a citizen never thinks about and events which did not receive holistic news coverage are articulated in this masterpiece. This books should be a must read for current and new generations!!!

Fast pace, highly relevant topic.

Incredibly well researched. It's hard to believe that so much previously classified information is included in this book. The author's access to key individuals indicates his subject matter expertise.

A Chilling Look Into Our Digital Future

As cyber replaces conventional and nuclear weapons it's important for each of us to understand the threats we face. This book is Cyber Awareness 101.

The perfect book!

Brilliant book. Highly compressible clear exposition perfectly delivered!!! Recommended for lay readers such as I.

Lucid, eloquent, sourced

What more can I say? This is critical and balanced reportage. It's so well written (prosified, if you will) and read with such gravity and care. Love Robertson Dean's voice. He the James Earl Jones of audible. And Sanger is James Earl Jones of the NYT.