Dawn of the Code War: America's Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat

by John P. Carlin

Overview

The inside story of how America's enemies launched a cyber war against us-and how we've learned to fight back


With each passing year, the internet-linked attacks on America's interests have grown in both frequency and severity. Overmatched by our military, countries like North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia have found us vulnerable in cyberspace. The "Code War" is upon us.


In this dramatic book, former Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin takes readers to the front lines of a global but little-understood fight as the Justice Department and the FBI chases down hackers, online terrorist recruiters, and spies. Today, as our entire economy goes digital, from banking to manufacturing to transportation, the potential targets for our enemies multiply. This firsthand account is both a remarkable untold story and a warning of dangers yet to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541773837
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	10/16/2018
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

John P. Carlin is the former Assistant Attorney General for National Security under Barack Obama, where he worked to protect the country against international and domestic terrorism, espionage, cyber, and other national security threats. A career federal prosecutor and graduate of Harvard Law School, John has spent much of the last decade working at the center of the nation's response to the rise of terrorism and cyber threats, including serving as National Coordinator of the Justice Department's Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) program, as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and as chief of staff to then-FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Today, Carlin is the global chair of the risk and crisis management practice for the law firm Morrison & Foerster. He is also chair of the Aspen Institute's Cybersecurity & Technology Program and a sought-after industry speaker on cyber issues as well as a CNBC contributor on cybersecurity and national security issues.

Garrett M. Graff is an award-winning journalist who has spent nearly a decade covering national security. He also serves as executive director of the Aspen Institute's Cybersecurity & Technology Program. A regular writer for WIRED, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and a former editor of both Washingtonian and POLITICO Magazine, he has an extensive background in journalism and in technology.

His oral history of Air Force One during 9/11 is under development as a movie by MGM and his April 2017 WIRED cover story about the FBI's hunt for an infamous Russian hacker has also been optioned for television. His most recent book is Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die.

Table of Contents

Foreword TeaMpOisoN 1

Introduction The Code War 31

Chapter 1 The Rise of the Hackers 65

Chapter 2 Comment Crew 129

Chapter 3 Operation Aurora 171

Chapter 4 Qassam Cyber Fighters 211

Chapter 5 APTI 241

Chapter 6 Slavik 279

Chapter 7 The Guardians of Peace 307

Chapter 8 Black Vine 343

Chapter 9 Fake News 371

Epilogue Winning the Code War 391

Acknowledgments 405

Notes 407

Index 445

Editorial Reviews

2018-09-02

"We cannot allow Vladimir Putin to ruin the internet for the rest of us." So warns the former assistant attorney general for national security in this urgent book.

How much does cybercrime cost? "It's not like the early days of the FBI when you could just total up the cost of the nation's stolen cars or add up the amount of money that walked out the front door with bank robbers like John Dillinger," writes Carlin, in a book co-authored by Wired writer Graff (Raven Rock, 2017, etc.). Carlin adds to a recent flurry of books about hacking, cybersecurity, and related issues with this smart if sometimes seemingly overwrought examination of the battles raging behind computer screens around the world. He answers his own question: The cost is in the hundreds of billions of dollars in actual costs and lost productivity. That's just the beginning of it. After the first wave of hackers—Carlin puts Napster and file-sharing archvillains Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker in that early group—have come thousands of Chinese operatives, some masquerading as students or researchers, whose job it has been to steal advanced technology for reverse-engineering back home. Writes Carlin, indignantly, if the Chinese army had arrived at a Boeing plant and loaded trucks with carton after carton of schematics, the U.S. response would have been swift, but as it is, policy and sanctions are both poorly conceived and coordinated. The author notes that two decades into the internet era, the Obama administration "was still trying to make sense of the patchwork of roles and responsibilities that agencies had assumed as the world shifted from analog to digital." Given the threats Carlin enumerates, including election hacking and the theft of intelligence files, responses "created and refined in real-time" are increasingly necessary—but not forthcoming.

Given the lack of developed policy, if you're alarmed by the thought of Russian election tampering in 2016, you're likely to be even more so come the midterms—and by this dire book.

Kirkus Reviews

"John Carlin has written a crucial book- for practitioners and laymen alike-about the evolution, impacts, and implications of the abuses we've all witnessed, and many have personally experienced, in the cyber domain. Cyber is yet another example of the dual-edged nature of technology: huge benefit to mankind on one hand, and the potential for great harm on the other. And, unique to this book, is the historical description of how we have tried to respond to the harmful activities that occur all too frequently in the cyber domain. An interesting read, with vivid detail. John represents a superb amalgam of legal insight and great writing skill. A must read in my view."—James Clapper, New York Times bestselling author and formerDirector of National Intelligence


"This book is thrilling, important, and deeply fascinating.
Cybersecurity is key to modern life: an imperative for us as a nation and each of us personally. It's about protecting our personal data, our businesses, and our democracy. John Carlin has been on the front lines, defending us against attacks from China, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and criminal gangs. The riveting stories of these secret battles for our digital safety teach us much about what America can-and must-do to protect itself."—Walter Isaacson, New York Times bestselling author of LeonardoDa Vinci

"By turns electrifying, illuminating, inspirational, and difficult to put down, [Dawn of the Code War] describes how 'criminals, terrorists, and spies' have used the Internet for their gain, and how the U.S. government along with international allies, has assessed and addressed these threats... Similar in energy to Carl Bernstein's All the Presidents Men, it informs of current cyberthreats while offering stirring success stories and cautions about the future of the code war... A deeply intriguing look into cybersecurity threats facing the United States that will fascinate anyone interested in technology and/or political intrigue." —Library Journal


"Given the threats
Carlin enumerates, including election hacking and the theft of intelligence files, responses "created and refined in real-time" are increasingly necessary-but not forthcoming. Given the lack of developed policy, if you're alarmed by the thought of Russian election tampering in 2016, you're likely to be even more so come the midterms-and by this dire book."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

10/01/2018
Former assistant attorney general for national security Carlin (Morrison & Foerster LLP), with award-winning journalist Graff (Raven Rock), tells the story of America's "Code War," focusing on conflicts during the last 15 years involving China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia. By turns electrifying, illuminating, inspirational, and difficult to put down, the work describes how "criminals, terrorists, and spies" have used the Internet for their gain, and how the U.S. government, along with international allies, has assessed and addressed these threats. This brilliant narrative is not so technical as to dissuade the layperson but still holds the attention of more tech-savvy readers. Similar in energy to Carl Bernstein's All the President's Men, it informs of current cyberthreats while offering stirring success stories and cautions about the future of the code war—because it is certainly not finished. VERDICT A deeply intriguing look into cybersecurity threats facing the United States that will fascinate anyone interested in technology and/or political intrigue.—Esther Jackson, New York Botanical Garden

Library Journal

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