Bitskrieg: The New Challenge of Cyberwarfare

New technologies are changing how we protect our citizens and wage our wars. Among militaries, everything taken for granted about the ability to maneuver and fight is now undermined by vulnerability to “weapons of mass disruption”: cutting-edge computer worms, viruses, and invasive robot networks. At home, billions of household appliances and other “smart” items that form the Internet of Things risk being taken over, then added to the ranks of massive, malicious “zombie” armies. The age of Bitskrieg is here, bringing vexing threats that range from the business sector to the battlefield. In this new book, world-renowned cybersecurity expert John Arquilla looks unflinchingly at the challenges posed by cyberwarfare – which he argues have been neither met nor mastered. He offers fresh solutions for protecting against enemies that are often anonymous, unpredictable, and capable of projecting force and influence vastly disproportionate to their size, strength, or wealth. The changes called for require radical rethinking of military and security affairs, diplomacy, and even the routines of our daily lives.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Foreword by Leon E. Panetta Preface 1. “Cool War” Rising 2. Pathways to Peril 3. The Next Face of Battle 4. (Arms) Ctrl+Alt+Esc 5. Through a Screen Darkly Notes Further Reading Index

About the Author :
John Arquilla is Distinguished Professor of Defense Analysis at the United States Naval Postgraduate School. For more than 30 years, his ideas have influenced the discourse on military and security affairs in the Cyber Age.

Review :
“A masterful treatise on a dauntingly complex subject, Bitskrieg is also a lively, engaging read that makes this frightening new concept something each of us can understand. Brilliant and intensely relevant.” Stan McChrystal, General, US Army (retired), Founder & CEO of McChrystal Group “Written by a true visionary in national security and technology, John Arquilla’s Bitskrieg is a call to arms to face the changes reshaping our world and war itself. Blending insights from history with the latest on cyber attacks, it hits that sweet spot of being both an easy and an interesting read. Enjoy and learn!” P. W. Singer, best-selling author of Ghost Fleet "There is no one better qualified than John Arquilla to describe – and guide the rest of us – through the digital wilderness of cyberwarfare, with its endlessly shifting and exponentially growing terrain. This book deserves wide attention, for the wisdom in it could well prevent a future disaster, and might just possibly prevent a future war." Paul Saffo, Silicon Valley Futurist “Bitskrieg is that rare combination of an authoritative and stylish read. It gives us a ringside seat to help us understand the disruptive innovations that have fundamentally redefined the nature of war and security. At its heart, it is a warning that we ignore at our peril.” John Kao, Chairman, Institute for Large Scale Innovation “[Bitskrieg] is striking for a number of reasons — the amount of expertise on display, the precise and unflinching language used to describe various situations and scenarios, and the perspectives of military power, national security, and social well-being at its heart.” The Geyser “Dr. Arquilla does an excellent job applying Bitskrieg’s relevancy to today’s military and civilian realities. This sets up Bitskrieg to make one of its most important contributions – what to do about it. Dr. Arquilla reinforces the need to constantly rethink cybersecurity, a necessary exercise that often gets overlooked.” OODA Loop “In Bitskrieg, John Arquilla distills much from his three decades of advocacy about networked warfare into a compact volume accessible to a wide audience. He displays a continuing ability to produce provocative arguments & engaging books.” The Strategy Bridge “Arquilla was one of the first analysts to appreciate how digital technologies were transforming the nature of conflict, and he remains one of the most perceptive.” Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs “Enlightening and thought-provoking” Diplomatic Courier “Impressively informed and informative, Bitskrieg is a groundbreaking volume.” The Midwest Review “Bitskrieg is a quick and enlightening read that will satisfy both technically and policy-focused readers.” The Cyber Defense Review