The Perfect Weapon

War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age

By: David E. Sanger

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

An HBO® documentary from award-winning director John Maggio

“An important - and deeply sobering - new book about cyberwarfare.” (Nicholas Kristof, New York Times)

The Perfect Weapon is the startling inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes, cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists. Two presidents - Bush and Obama - drew first blood with Operation Olympic Games, which used malicious code to blow up Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, and yet America proved remarkably unprepared when its own weapons were stolen from its arsenal and, during President Trump’s first year, turned back on the United States and its allies. And if Obama would begin his presidency by helping to launch the new era of cyberwar, he would end it struggling unsuccessfully to defend against Russia’s broad attack on the 2016 US election.

Moving from the White House Situation Room to the dens of Chinese government hackers to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger reveals a world coming face-to-face with the perils of technological revolution, where everyone is a target.

“Timely and bracing.... With the deep knowledge and bright clarity that have long characterized his work, Sanger recounts the cunning and dangerous development of cyberspace into the global battlefield of the 21st century.” (Washington Post)

©2018, 2019 David E. Sanger (P)2018, 2019 Penguin Random House LLC

Critic reviews

"[Sanger's] description of the cyber portion of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election is thorough and convincing. It ought to be required reading for anyone who doubts the extent and seriousness of the Russian effort.... The great value of The Perfect Weapon is less in its specific policy prescriptions than in its being the most comprehensive, readable source of information and insight about the policy quandaries that modern information technology and its destructive potential have spawned." (The New York Times)

"In his new book, The Perfect Weapon, Sanger offers a panoramic view of the rapidly evolving world of cyber-conflict. He covers incidents from the covert US cyber-campaign to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program (a story we know about largely because of Sanger’s diligent reporting) to Edward Snowden’s epic heist of National Security Agency data. And yes, there’s also plenty of background on Russia’s active measures during the 2016 campaign. But there’s also a wealth of gripping material on stories that have probably been missed by the broader public.... It all adds up to a persuasive argument for the truth of the book’s title." (Christian Caryl, The Washington Post)

"[The Perfect Weapon] reads like a thriller spy novel, except the stories are true, which makes the book more terrifying.... Sanger shows the political, military, and economic impacts of actual hacks, moves made by governments and industry to counter moves and protect against future attacks, and the counter to the counter to the counter, all told at a breathtaking pace. But this is more than just a real-life drama; it also is a cautionary tale of the policy of information power.... This book at turns was both fascinating in its detail and access and terrifying in its implications." (Proceedings)

Riveting!

Riveting, frightening, scary, and all too real. Excellent narrator who leads the listener through the evidence for the ongoing hacking occurring right now.

Informative and gripping

I am fan of David Sanger’s work. His is thorough and has a very engaging writing style. This book is an excellent example of that. The topic is serious and at times very worrisome and the book reads like a gripping thriller, except that it’s all real. It is going to take very enlightened leadership worldwide to come up with a framework similar to nuclear arms control to limit the use of cyber technologies for only enriching our lives. We aren’t there yet but let’s hope that we do.

Highly recommended.

The perfect book!

Brilliant book. Highly compressible clear exposition perfectly delivered!!! Recommended for lay readers such as I.

Lucid, eloquent, sourced

What more can I say? This is critical and balanced reportage. It's so well written (prosified, if you will) and read with such gravity and care. Love Robertson Dean's voice. He the James Earl Jones of audible. And Sanger is James Earl Jones of the NYT.

great content and lessons to be learned

Great stories, and if you geek out on hacking, the stories just keep coming. The narrator did a fine job but there was something in the sound mixing where I really had to crank up the volume to hear properly.

Amazing

This book is as scary as any horror novel I've read. I learned so many things - some of which I'm not sure I wanted to know. Everyone who is plugged into the internet of everything should read this book. Tremendous writing in an easy to read format for folks who don't know a ton about technology. Highly recommended!

Bad News we all need to think about

The author gives us the background stories for the cyber stories hitting the newsstand. He gives us a lot to think about. Is it time for the USA to be brave and honest and lead the way to the negotiation table? Or do we continue to have our head stuck in the sand. The narrator does what he can with the material. sometimes a bit monotone. The presentation is interesting enough that I did finish my listen with no problem.

Down right frightful!

This reports recount of cyber warfare from nation states to the 18year old in his parents basement sends my mind racing for worst case scenarios of worldwide deviation.

Analysis on the Golden Age of Cyberspace

strategic analysis and design in the complexity of cyberspace, cyber security and the art of cyber warfare in a digital age of uncertainty. The book is detailed, however simplified to understand the content and context of how the evolution of cyberspace in the digital age constitutes the number one threat to US National Security.

Not good for my high blood pressure

Here is a thorough and fascinating explanation of just how very fragile our civilization is. It has considerably amped up my stress level, but I reckon it's a good thing to be informed.