Code War: How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield

An incisive exploration of how cyberattacks are transforming geopolitics

Cyberattacks are the ultimate geopolitical weapon of the 21st century. They are used to damage presidential campaigns, shut down electric grids, sway public sentiment, and cost businesses and governments alike billions of dollars.

Popular culture portrays cyberattacks as unstoppable and mysterious actions taken by shadowy, unpredictable forces.

They aren't. Code War: How Nations Hack, Spy, and Shape the Digital Battlefield shatters this depiction, revealing nation-state cyberattacks for what they are: calculated, measured actions to achieve state objectives.

World-renowned cybersecurity expert Allie Mellen draws on her extensive experience with nation-state cyberattacks and AI threats to break down how and why nations deploy cyberattacks in their own unique ways, driven by their military doctrine, national history, and, most importantly, geopolitical strategy.

Mellen deconstructs the most infamous cyberattacks of our time to reveal how and why attacks like Stuxnet, WannaCry, and NotPetya happened and how their success altered the international landscape. She juxtaposes these attacks against the brutal reality of how nations surveil, manipulate, and control their own citizens' data.

An essential resource for individuals, business professionals, and government officials, Code War demonstrates how you can use this knowledge to understand and respond to the practical realities of nation-state cyberattacks.

Readers will also find:

• An overview of how cyberattacks and defenses operate, where governments most frequently use them, their limitations, and where they provide the most value
• An in-depth breakdown of some of the most important cyberattacks of the modern age, including those targeting the 2016 US Presidential elections, the Olympics, and those against Taiwan, Ukraine, and Tibet
• Deep dives into the histories and attacks perpetrated by governments with the most prolific cyberattacks: China, Russia, and the United States

An eye-opening guide to the world of nation-state cyberattacks, Code War is a must-read for business and government leaders responsible for protecting against these attacks. It’s also a fascinating look into the world of cyberattacks for anyone interested in international relations who wants to keep up with the evolving weapons of war.

ALLIE MELLEN is a leading industry analyst who advises the Global 2000 on cybersecurity policy and practice, with a focus on detecting and responding to nation-state attacks. She has held various engineering and research roles at MIT and multiple early-stage technology startups. Previously, she worked with government agencies on election and information security, conducted hardware security research, and partnered with product and infrastructure security teams as a hands-on security practitioner.