Worm: The First Digital World War

Worm is the gripping story of the 'Conficker' virus- which, since its introduction in November 2008, has infected millions of computers around the world - and the cyber security elites who have joined forces in a high-tech game of cops and robbers to find its creators and defeat them. This dramatic cybercrime story travels from the Ukraine to the United States (and all parts in between) to explore the next frontier in terrorism. It is the story of a dazzling battle of wits over the future of the Internet. In Worm, Mark Bowden delivers an unputdownable account of the ongoing and largely unreported war taking place literally beneath our fingertips.

About the Author :
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.

Review :
"Worm" is worth attention. Government officials up to and including President Obama have taken notice of Conficker and begun to address some of the issues it raised."--"Bloomberg" "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" "The author takes readers behind the scenes, showing the security specialists' increasing frenzy, not to mention occasional infighting, as they worked to defeat the worm. Along the way, the author lucidly explains how malware can take over computers as well as how the very openness of the Internet makes it vulnerable to attack."--"Publishers Weekly" "From the author of Black Hawk Down," a differ What the Experts are Saying about the Conficker Worm: "If you're looking for a digital Pearl Harbor, we now have the Japanese ships steering toward us on the horizon."--Rick Wesson, Support Intelligence, CEO "This thing has proven . . . that it is rock-solid, and that the good guys, and the anti-virus guys and the Microsoft guys can't do sh*t. It is the Holy Grail of a botnet."--Rodney Joffe, Neustar, Security Chief "These [security] problems have been here so long that the only way I've been able to function at all is by learning to ignore them. Or else I would be in a constant state of panic, unable to think or act constructively. We have been one command away from catastrophe for a long time now."--Paul Vixie, Board of Trustees of the American Registry for Internet Numbers "It's . . . clear that we're not as prepared as we should be, as a government or as a country. . . . Just as we failed in the past to invest in our physical infrastructure--our roads, s