Hacking A Terror Network

Hacking a Terror Network uses a fictional scenario to demonstrate how terrorists could use the Internet to coordinate and launch a series of deadly attacks. While the scenario may be fictitious, the techniques and technologies that Russ Rogers uses are current and technically accurate. Novices and security professionals will benefit from reading this book and even those not involved in security may enjoy the "thriller" story.

About The Book

In Hacking a Terror Network, Russ Rogers uses the fictitious story of a man following a decade-old grudge against the West. He has adopted his father's pure hatred of America and has vowed to avenge the death of his brother.

An American agent begins to suspect an impending terrorist attack, but he has to gather enough evidence to get someone to believe him in time to do something about it.

It is against this terrorist thriller storyline that Rogers discusses various aspects of hacking, computer security, encryption and steganography.

Syngress has been publishing more of these educational information security books disguised as novels (or cyber-thriller novels disguised as educational information security books). I think they work very well for getting the information delivered in a more entertaining format.

The book also includes a CD which contains the various tools and utilities discussed in the book. You can sort of "play along" with the story or just test the tools out on your own time.

My Review

I enjoyed this book and I think that many who would like to learn more about information security, or covert communications specifically, will benefit from this book. Steganography, encryption, and other areas of information security can be exceptionally dry subjects that many people may find hard to drudge through. Putting it into a cyber-thriller novel format helps convey it while providing some entertainment value at the same time.

That said, Russ Rogers is no Dan Brown or Stephen King. If you are expecting the storyline to be as gripping as The Da Vinci Code or Digital Fortress, you will most likely be disappointed.

Rogers also sacrifices some on the educational side in order to wrap the information into the storyline and keep it entertaining. So, if you are expecting Hacking Exposed or Hiding In Plain Sight, you will also be a tad disappointed.

But, the book serves it purpose and works well for the audience it was intended for. Movie critics will often slam movies for nit-picky technical reasons that nobody really cares about. In the end, if the movie entertains you for 90 or 120 minutes, it was probably worth the price of the ticket. This book will teach you and entertain you and is worth the price to read it.