Virtual Terror: 21st Century Cyber Warfare

By: Daniel Wagner

Narrated by: John N Gully

Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Anyone who logs on to the internet can become a victim of virtual terrorism, whether via email, social media, a Google search, or simply by logging on to a computer. Anyone seeking to do harm to others online can be a virtual terrorist, and it is incredibly easy to become one. That is the era we live in now - someone sitting behind a laptop half a world away can interfere with, invade, or take over your life, business, or government. You may not even realize it, but you may already have become a victim; if you have not, you will become one eventually.

In this extremely timely, important, and compelling audiobook, Daniel Wagner redefines what terrorism has become in the 21st century. Unlike more conventional types of terrorism, in which the perpetrator seeks recognition and reveals his or her identity, with virtual terrorism, the identity of the person, group, or government responsible for acts of terror is deliberately hidden in an anonymous, borderless, and lawless world. Their motives and objectives may be unclear, and the length of an attack, or whether it will be repeated, are generally unknown.

What virtual terrorists have in common with more traditional terrorists is the use of coercion or intimidation to achieve their objectives - if they choose to reveal what those objectives are - but that is where the commonality ends. They can strike at any time, invisibly and silently. You may never know they are even there, and they may plant malware on your computer that steals your information for years without being discovered. Wagner takes us on a comprehensive tour of the Virtual Terrorism landscape - from cybercrime and bioterrorism to drones and artificial intelligence - to reveal the chilling reality that confronts us all.

After listening to this audiobook, you may not ever want to log on to your smartphone or the internet again. The audiobook is a clarion call for individuals, businesses, and governments to rise up against virtual terrorists, for if we fail to do so now, the battle may soon be lost.

©2017 Daniel Wagner (P)2017 Daniel Wagner

Critic reviews

"Daniel Wagner's Virtual Terror is a thought-provoking and comprehensive look into the world of cyber threats. With national security, economic prosperity, and societal institutions reliant on information technologies in a globally-connected world, we must have our eyes wide open to the risks that accompany the benefits to being 'always connected'. Cybersecurity is a risk management issue, not just a technology problem. Daniel superbly sets the table for readers to effectively identify and assess the risk associated with today's evolving cyberthreat landscape. Virtual Terror presents you with the information you need to better manage your cyber risk." (Gregory J. Touhill, CISSP, CISM brigadier general, USAF (ret) and US chief information security officer (2016-2017))

"An inspired and fluid exposé of the emerging risks of virtual terrorism in the context of the evolving and faltering global order. Wagner underwrites his analysis with empirical data, with the potential to trigger a call to arms for policy and regulatory wings of government the world over. That Wagner makes such a dry, pithy and often geek-centered subject so palatable is a triumph of storytelling and exposition. A page turner." (Peter J. Middlebrook, CEO of Geopolicity (Dubai))

Frightening

This is a very detailed and frightening book. The creativity of criminals and cyberterrorists is mind boggling.

Though the book is quite detailed in everything that can go wrong - from our internet accounts and banking to disabling satellites and electrical devices for whole coastlines at a time, though, it also offers practical and simple advice for us and for our legislatures in how to move forward from here.

It's scary, but the point made is that it's best to face the issue head on and honestly. This book does that.

The reader was simply excellent, taking a well-written book and making it just right for audible listening.

This book was received by me at no cost on the condition that I write a non-biased review.

Great Information, But A Lot To Absorb

I thought this was a very informative book with a lot of very interesting information. Though I appreciated it, it was a little on the long side for those who don't like such lengthy listens. Also, while I can't really think of a way to avoid it considering the type of information being presented, I thought the book took on almost an alarmist tone about the possibilities of cybercrime and warfare (though not unfairly so).

I would like to see some kind of abridged version for those who want to get the information without the enormous time commitment.

The narrator did a good job with the book, especially considering its a non-fiction title.

In general terms, this was a great audiobook if you are willing to commit the time to listen all the way through.

I requested and received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

Virtual Terror scary but true!

this is a long book. but it is so full of excellent info! the writer really knows his stuff. and goes into great detail explaining things so anyone can understand.
I know a bit about hackers, and everything he said was spot on. i think anyone who reads this, will learn just how scary the net can be.

It was a pleasure to hear this great performance by John Gully. I would listen to him again.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Appreciated, very informative.

This is what people should aware of, however some topics might have exceeded background knowledge of mean person, or people not in the infosec field. The wordings are little bit emotional overwhelming, but it’s okay since this book use story telling approach, as long as the information didn’t distorted. Worthy to spend your time with this book. A lots of truth in cyberspace threats, and some of basic self protection were given. Recommend.

Ton of Information

This was a great book with a ton of information that covers a vast amount of areas. It talks about different type of hacks, viruses and techniques that have been used in the last few years. It also talks about the companies that have been hacked and some of the outcomes for them. It goes in depth about how cyber terrorism has been used, what countries are doing it and the future of how it and the internet will affect our world. This was not an opinion piece, it was facts and data. I appreciated the information, rather then someone's opinion on the topic. Narration was great, never got boring and speed was good. This is a good read for someone wanting to learn about the subject for the first time or someone who is looking for more information on the subject.

Thought-provoking!

Virtual terrorism is in a constant state of evolution. As soon as a new technology is developed to counteract hacking and malware, new adaptations are developed by the bad guys to defile them! Our company suffered from a ransomware attack. We didn't pay and lost a lot of programs!!!
Google, amazon and Facebook have a God's eye view of our activities!

John N. Gully did an excellent job of narrating! His cadence and inflection was very easy to listen to.

I was given a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

AMAZING tour of the whole illicit cyber world

This is one of the best audiobooks I've heard. The word "terrorism" doesn't begin to cover the scope of this book -- it covers all sorts of crime as well as things as commonplace as use of social media by and against parties in divorce cases. The book is encyclopedic on all sorts of actors and activities worldwide. It shows sophistication (yet gives listenable explanations) in technical, legal, governmental, and cultural matters, as well as clear expositions of methods used by all players -- criminals, vigilantes, government agencies, etc. It is very current. It also shows a thoughtfulness on all sorts of themes above and beyond what I expected. If a chain is as strong as its weakest link, imagine living in a world littered everywhere with weak links, or as the wince-inducing phrase has it, "attack surfaces." Many statistics are eye-rolling: 600,000 facebook accounts per day compromised? Yikes. One thing is apparent: there is lots of work to be done, I suppose that also means, money to be made (legitimately of course).

Fear mongering or fair warning

It's hard to write about the dangers of technology without coming across as a wowser, an anti-technology fear monger. It's hard to find that balance between acknowledging all the good technology does and can do, while giving a realistic view of the dangers. This is made even harder when the dangers are something that is so underappreciated like cyber security. Maybe this book is too much on the fear-mongering side, or maybe it is just right: to put a little fear in us to take things a little more seriously.

As I write this, less than a day ago $79 million in Bitcoin was stolen. And there was recently (yet another) fappening release. Plus the "did Russia steal an election" discussions. And Prism. And the Sony hacks. And this, and that.... there is no end of horror stories with hacking and cyber warfare problems. It is something that needs to be taken seriously

Daniel Wagner has put together a detailed, well researched book that looks at many of the current dangers, the uses by Governments and non-government entities for espionage, and the many ways that people, companies and Governments can reduce their risks. The book is full of real examples, and statistics relating to the topic. While much of the book is focused on what others are doing against the US, it does not shy away from talking about how the US Government also engages in these practices. It’s just that the exact details and examples are a little more sparse. And as this book point out, that probably doesn’t mean the US does it less, they are just a little better at hiding it.

It's an eye opening book but it also gives great, practical advice for reducing risk. The problem may be that those who most need to read this may be those least likely to.

Narration by John Gully was great. Well-paced and clear. He engaged with the topic and was able to keep even the dryer parts interesting. Another enjoyable listen from him.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Couldn't Finish It

This is a first for me: I couldn't finish this audiobook. I had high hopes but they were soon lost in an academic haze of fact upon fact with no sizzle to enliven the experience. This audiobook verges on the tediousness of a textbook. If you want dry facts, source citings and tons of acronym definitions this is the audiobook for you. But take along a gallon of water because it is very dry.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.