Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-Connected World

A world of "smart" devices means the Internet can kill people. We need to act. Now.

Everything is a computer. Ovens are computers that make things hot; refrigerators are computers that keep things cold. These computers―from home thermostats to chemical plants―are all online. The Internet, once a virtual abstraction, can now sense and touch the physical world.

As we open our lives to this future, often called the Internet of Things, we are beginning to see its enormous potential in ideas like driverless cars, smart cities, and personal agents equipped with their own behavioral algorithms. But every knife cuts two ways.

All computers can be hacked. And Internet-connected computers are the most vulnerable. Forget data theft: cutting-edge digital attackers can now crash your car, your pacemaker, and the nation’s power grid. In Click Here to Kill Everybody, renowned expert and best-selling author Bruce Schneier examines the hidden risks of this new reality.

After exploring the full implications of a world populated by hyperconnected devices, Schneier reveals the hidden web of technical, political, and market forces that underpin the pervasive insecurities of today. He then offers common-sense choices for companies, governments, and individuals that can allow us to enjoy the benefits of this omnipotent age without falling prey to its vulnerabilities.

From principles for a more resilient Internet of Things, to a recipe for sane government regulation and oversight, to a better way to understand a truly new environment, Schneier’s vision is required reading for anyone invested in human flourishing.

Bruce Schneier is a renowned security technologist who has written over one dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Data and Goliath and Click Here to Kill Everybody. He teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.