The Great Hack

It would appear that the furore over Facebook / Cambridge Analytica and manipulation of elections hasn’t died down that much. I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called The Great Hack, and I’d recommend that you do too, if you can. The programme provided a lot of the backstory to who was involved, how and … Continue reading The Great Hack

Cyber viewing

Just as my recent post focussed on a selection of books related social engineering and the psychology behind cyber crime, this post will look at a range of films, documentaries and TV shows which offer insight into the industry. They’re not intended to be a definitive list, and there are many great examples which aren’t … Continue reading Cyber viewing

Social Engineering and Human Nature

I’m often asked, particularly by new entrants into cyber, what books they should read, and what podcasts they should listen to. The list of both is endless, but I thought I’d share some titles with you. Before we start though, a word about my relationship with books… I’m a passionate reader, and a compulsive purchaser … Continue reading Social Engineering and Human Nature

Tubes

This book by Andrew Blum is a fascinating insight into what the internet physically looks like. It starts with the author wondering where the wire goes from his house, how it joins other wires and how does data go round the world. He visits a site where an undersea cable is being brought ashore, and … Continue reading Tubes

Spam – a lighthearted look

If you have an email account, you’ve almost certainly also received spam emails. They’re the electronic equivalent of junk mail. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you answered one or more messages, check out this post from my other blog site. It’s a bit more lighthearted that some of the items I’ll post … Continue reading Spam – a lighthearted look

Ghost in the Wires

Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and William L Simon is perhaps the seminal work on social engineering by one of the industry’s most famous exponents. Mitnick attained a certain amount of notoriety by going on the run for two years before finally being apprehended by the FBI, but I think that his biggest claim … Continue reading Ghost in the Wires

The Code Book

Having seen Simon Singh explaining how the Enigma machine worked while at a conference, I picked up this book. It charts the history of codes and ciphers from well before Roman times to the current day, and shows how they have developed over time. It was also very useful to read the difference between code … Continue reading The Code Book