America the Vulnerable

December 5, 2011
Brenner, a former inspector general for the National Security Agency, raises the alarm about inadequately addressed threats and vulnerabilities to computer and communications systems. He offers a comprehensive seven-point program to deal with what he calls "a new kind of espionage," which would require cooperation from all sectors of government and a change in attitude from the private sector. In his assessment, the problem is the convergence of threats targeting the government as much as the private sector, and civilians as much as military security institutions. Using case studies, he shows that this results in attacks on privacy and personal information instead of just secrets of governmental organizations. Brenner mentions the work of criminal gangs, as well as intelligence services, to discuss where responsibility lies and how to prove a crime occurred. This problem has been addressed by administrations unsuccessfully since the 1980s and Brenner believes more needs to be done soon. This alarming account by an expert is worthy of serious attention from policy makers and average readers alike.

September 15, 2011

A former National Counterintelligence Executive for the NSA writes that the United States is right now being infiltrated by online spies, thieves and virtual warriors.

While that may sound dire—and it is—Brenner's tone throughout is less alarming than resolute. His main point is that leaders in both the private and public sectors, who have known about these threats for years, need to finally get serious about defending the nation's secrets, wealth and electronic infrastructure. The author's background as a former anti-trust prosecutor is on impressive display as he mounts his case with meticulous attention to detail. He begins with the fact that private information is now open for inspection, but waning of personal privacy is only a hint of the insecurity the digital age has brought about. Malware from infected e-mail attachments, websites, thumb drives or even silicon chips can commandeer our computers for nefarious purposes an ocean away while we sleep. They can also open portals into corporate or government systems, allowing foreign agents to swipe their secrets or potentially take control of anything they operate over the Internet, including regional electricity grids and other essential infrastructure. Brenner notes that China has, since the early 1980s, been preparing for a new kind of warfare, aimed specifically at the U.S., that can be waged entirely via electronic signals. In one provocative chapter titled "June 2017," the author plausibly outlines the events of a hypothetical "war" between the U.S. and China for control of the Asian Pacific, culminating in a private demonstration to the president and his national-security team of China's ability to shut down the nation's electrical grid at will. "With the exception of successful attacks on our electricity grid," writes the author, "virtually every aspect of this fictional scenario has already happened." The final chapter offers multiple steps we can take to radically improve national cyber-security.

A sobering, sober-minded manifesto.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 1, 2011

The Chinese steal a radar system from the U.S. Navy. Corporations yearly lose an average of $5 million worth of intellectual property each to cybertheft. Brenner, a former senior counsel at the National Security Agency, argues that we have done nowhere near enough to protect our government, our industries, and ourselves from the security risks posed by the Internet. Scary; hope folks pay attention.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
As a former counterintelligence specialist for the NSA, Brenner has played a key role in the U.S. war on terror in cyberspace. Unfortunately, according to Brenner in this revealing look at government and corporate computer systems, cybersecurity experts haven't done nearly enough to protect those networks from digital espionage, intellectual-property theft, and outright bank robbery. Brenner cites some chilling examples of digital crimes that have already occurred in the last decade alone, including an illicit download of 20 terabytes of Defense Department data by the Chinese and the theft of avionics specifications for the president's helicopter by Iranian spies. Comparing our corporate and Washington-based networks to glass houses, Brenner offers a comprehensive recipe for shoring up network security in both government and private sectors, such as urging Congress to give businesses tax incentives to invest in cybersecurity and insisting that networked companies be more vigilant in patching leaks. Much of this advice has already been said better elsewhere, but Brenner's expertise as a former government intelligence insider makes his analysis vitally urgent.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)