Countdown to Zero Day

Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon by Kim Zetter

This book is a deep dive into Stuxnet, a deeply compelling subject in the cybersecurity profession. Kim Zetter goes into painstaking detail of how Stuxnet was discovered, the months that it took to determine its zero days and payload, and what the purpose of the malware was. Spoiler Alert: Stuxnet was “unofficially“ constructed jointly by the United States and Israel in order to slow down Iran’s nuclear program. Many people will know this fact before they crack open chapter one, we certainly did, but it doesn’t delude how impressive the indecent effort that went into dissecting Stuxnet by disjointed cybersecurity researchers.

Where the book becomes a struggle to get through is when Better begins to detail EXACTLY how Stuxnet attacked the nuclear centrifuges. While undoubtedly accurate and probably interesting to many was rather boring for us. Frankly, we read more about how uranium is refined then we cared to know. For us, the real meat of the story is when we meet all the cybersecurity professional who became obsessed with deconstructing the enigma that was Stuxnet and how they handled the slowly dawning realization of Stuxnet’s true perhaps when its creator was uncovered.

All in all there are things to learn from this book, especially regarding national security and the future of digital warfare, but it is a tough read. We don’t recommend it for beginners or those who aren’t at all interested in cyberwar and Stuxnet. But if you are a veteran within the cybersecurity work and are looking for a challenging vacation read Countdown to Zero Day isn’t a bad choice.

Team Recommendation: Tough Read but a Good Choice for those interested in the intricacies of Stuxnet