The Basics Of Cyber Warfare

Cyber warfare may sound like rather a specialist subject. Increasingly in recent years, however, the general public has become aware of the threats posed by attacks upon computer networks, and this book aims to fill in some of the detail.

‘The Basics Of Cyber Warfare’ provides a fairly simple overview of the topic. It explains the ways in which attacks and defences may be executed and it gives examples of various types of attack mounted by groups ranging from intelligence agencies to hacktivists, criminals and terrorists.

It gives a very basic guide to the sorts of tools that may be used to gather information and gain access to, or compromise, supposedly secure sites. It also discusses physical attacks, for example using electromagnetic pulse weapons.

While this is a slim book (just over 140 pages), it is not exactly light reading. In essence, this is a concise explanation of the theory and practice of cyber warfare for the non-specialist reader who has some particular interest in the topic. So if you are in a business (or in a military role) where malicious attacks to your computer system are a known risk, and you need to gain a fairly general overview of the subject, this book may be a good place to start. But if you are looking for a really in-depth technical explanation or if, at the other extreme, you want to read an exciting guide to international espionage and virtual warfare, this is not the book for you.