If It's Smart, It's Vulnerable (eBook)

MIKKO HYPPONEN is a global cyber security expert with over thirty years' experience working as a researcher and investigator. He is a sought-after lecturer, and he was profiled in Vanity Fair. His TED Talk has been viewed more than 2 million times.

Foreword: Jeff Moss xiii

Preface xvii

Saab 9000 Turbo xxi

The Good and the Bad of the Internet 1

Prehistoric Internet 2

The First Websites 5

Linux Is the World's Most Important System 7

iPhone vs. Supercomputer 10

Online Communities 11

Money Is Data 13

Codes All Around Us 14

Geopolitics 17

Security Tetris 21

Who Are We Fighting? 24

Schoolboys 24

Spammer 26

Professional Cybercrime Groups 28

Extremists 29

The Rolex 30

Malware--Then, Now, and in the Near Future 33

The History of Malware 34

Viruses on Floppies 34

Brain.A 35

File Viruses 43

Macro Viruses 43

Email Worms 45

Internet Worms 46

The Virus Wars 49

Web Attacks 51

Mobile Phone Viruses 51

Worms on Social Media 54

Smartphones and Malware 55

Law Enforcement Malware 57

Case R2D2 58

Cracking Passwords 59

When a Hacker Spilled Her Coffee 60

Ransomware Trojans 61

The History of Ransomware Trojans 61

Cryptolocker 64

Honest Criminals 65

Notpetya 65

Case Maersk 67

Wannacry 71

My Week with Wannacry 72

Targeted Ransomware Trojans 76

Ransomware Trojans v2 77

The Human Element 79

The Two Problems 80

The Heist 82

CEO Fraud 89

Touring the Headquarters 92

Protecting Company Networks 95

Zero Trust 100

Bug Bounties 101

Wi- Fi Terms of Use 110

Mikko's Tips 112

Mikko's Tips for the Startup Entrepreneur 114

Boat for Sale 118

What If the Network Goes Down? 121

Electrical Networks 122

Security in Factories 124

A Search Engine for Computers 126

Slammer 128

Hypponen's Law 130

Dumb Devices 132

Regulation 134

Car Software Updates 136

Online Privacy 137

Life Without Google 138

Murder Charges Never Expire 139

Is Google Listening to You? 142

Gorillas 143

Startup Business Logic 145

Biometrics 147

Antisocial Media 149

Online Influencing and Elections 151

Privacy Is Dead 153

Before and After Gmail 156

Encryption Techniques 160

Perfect Encryption 160

Unbreakable Encryption 161

Criminal Use of Encryption Systems 162

Data Is The New Uranium 166

CASE Vastaamo 168

Patient Registry 169

Technologies 170

Vastaamo.tar 171

Extortion Messages 173

The Hunt for the TAR File 175

Innocent Victims 177

Cryptocurrencies 179

The Value of Money 180

Blockchains 181

Blockchain Applications 182

Blockchains and Money 183

The Environmental Impacts of Bitcoin 185

Playing the Market 187

Ethereum, Monero, and Zcash 189

Nft 191

Bitcoin and Crime 193

Border Guards vs. Bitcoin 195

Technology, Espionage, and Warfare Online 199

Cyberweapons 200

Lunch Break at Google 201

Technology and Warfare 202

Under a False Flag 204

Concealability of Cyberweapons 205

The Fog of Cyberwar 207

Case Prykarpattyaoblenergo 211

Case Pyeongchang 213

Governments as Malware Authors 214

Russia and China 216

Case Stuxnet 217

Damage Coverage 226

Explosion at the White House 227

My Boycott of RSA, Inc 229

The Future 233

Artificial Intelligence 234

Wolverines 237

AI Will Take Our Jobs 238

Smart Malware 239

Metaverse 240

The Technology of Warfare 241

"You Are Under Arrest for a Future Murder" 242

Those Who Can Adapt Will Prosper 243

Tesla 245

Trends in Technology 247

Coda 249

Index 251

"What makes him stand out is that, although he is a master coder and cyber security engineer, he is a superb communicator."
--Misha Glenny, Financial Times

"Mikko Hypponen's If It's Smart, It's Vulnerable is a fascinating and engaging tour of the past, present, and likely future of cybersecurity by an expert who's spent three decades at the front lines of the global war against malware. Technical and non-technical readers alike will find Hypponen's personal anecdotes informative and highly entertaining as he explores the evolution of the systems that power modern society--along with the risks and rewards they present to us all. Highly recommended."
--Daniel Suarez, New York Times bestselling author of Daemon

"If It's Smart, It's Vulnerable is not just a book for techies and hackers. The stories and examples make it accessible to anyone!"
--Keren Elazari, friendly hacker and a TED speaker

"As the namesake of Hypponen's law, Mikko is the right person to explain how everything is getting connected, and what we should do to secure all devices on the internet -- both the smart ones and the stupid ones."
--Robert M. Lee, founder and CEO of Dragos Inc.

"As we rush forward with an insatiable desire to connect everything, Mikko shines a light on the risks we accept yet often fail to understand...until it's too late."
--Troy Hunt, founder of Have I Been Pwned

"Mikko has a remarkably lucid understanding of cyber security and the history of the Internet. You'll come away with an appreciation of the major problems and the high stakes that come with any attempt to keep our networks and systems secure."
--Jack Rhysider, Creator of the Darknet Diaries podcast

"A breezy survey of cybersecurity from one of the pillars of our industry. There's not a lot that Mikko hasn't seen." --Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity, Electronic Frontier Foundation

"A guided tour of the intersection between security and technology by the best kind of storyteller. Mikko lived it, shaped it, and now explains it."
--John Lambert, Microsoft

"It's hard to understand a revolution when we are living in the middle of it. Mikko clearly explains the technology megatrends shaping our future and illustrates his points with fascinating real-world stories from his long career in infosec."
--Dave DeWalt, Founder of NightDragon and former CEO of McAfee and FireEye/Mandiant

"Surprisingly up to date account of the vulnerable world we live in! Mikko is a natural storyteller who draws you into his world."
--Charlie Miller, Computer Security Researcher

"Mikko uses his remarkable experience to give the reader an understanding of the challenges we as digital citizens face. If It's Smart, It's Vulnerable; no truer words have been said in this digital age."
--Raj Samani, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist at Rapid7

"There is nobody out there that is more knowledgeable when it comes to cyber threats in the modern world. Mikko has taken his knowledge and captured it in this book in a fascinating way, making this a must read."
--Aki Anastasiou, talk radio host

"Before the internet, people were not used to reality having multiple dimensions. Now that the globe is being connected at an exponential pace, we are lucky to have talented guys like Mikko Hypponen explain how we can move to the next step."
--Marcelo Tas, Brazilian actor, author and TV host