This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends audiobook cover - The Cyberweapons Arms Race

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends

The Cyberweapons Arms Race

Nicole Perlroth

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This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends
The Threat Landscape+
Zero-Days & The Market+
The Cyber Arms Race+
Corporate Response+
Blowback & Weapon Leaks+
Solutions & Defense+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What is a 'zero-day' in the context of cybersecurity?
  • A. A newly released software patch that fixes multiple vulnerabilities at once.
  • B. A flaw in hardware or software that is unknown to the manufacturer, giving them zero days to patch it.
  • C. A cyberattack that destroys a target's network infrastructure within 24 hours.
  • D. A government regulation requiring companies to report data breaches immediately.
Question 2 of 10
How did the entry of government intelligence agencies like the NSA change the zero-day market compared to early security companies like iDefense?
  • A. Governments primarily bought zero-days to inform tech companies and protect civilian infrastructure.
  • B. Governments forced hackers to release their exploits publicly to democratize cybersecurity.
  • C. Governments used larger budgets to buy zero-days and keep them secret to use as digital spy tools.
  • D. Governments banned the sale of zero-days, forcing the market entirely onto the dark web.
Question 3 of 10
Why did former NSA employee Charlie Miller publish an academic paper exposing the secretive zero-day market in 2007?
  • A. To highlight the disadvantages and inefficiencies sellers faced in the secretive market.
  • B. To provide foreign adversaries with a manual on how to hack US infrastructure.
  • C. To advertise his own newly formed zero-day brokerage firm to potential government clients.
  • D. To protest the NSA's use of taxpayer money for offensive cyber operations.
Question 4 of 10
What was the primary objective of 'Operation Olympic Games'?
  • A. To steal intellectual property from Chinese aerospace and military contractors.
  • B. To shut down the power grid in western Ukraine during the winter.
  • C. To covertly sabotage Iran's nuclear centrifuges and prevent a conventional war.
  • D. To infiltrate the servers of the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 US election.
Question 5 of 10
What was a major unintended consequence of the Stuxnet attack?
  • A. It caused the United Nations to ban the development of all offensive cyberweapons.
  • B. The worm escaped the target facility, spread globally, and provided a blueprint for other nations to create cyberweapons.
  • C. It permanently disabled the global zero-day market by making exploits too dangerous to sell.
  • D. It forced the US government to immediately disclose all its stockpiled zero-days to tech companies.
Question 6 of 10
What did the leaked internal emails of the Italian brokerage 'Hacking Team' reveal about the international zero-day market?
  • A. Brokers were secretly patching vulnerabilities before selling them to governments.
  • B. Brokers had a callous disregard for vetting clients, selling surveillance tools to oppressive regimes.
  • C. Brokers were exclusively selling their exploits to the US and its NATO allies.
  • D. Brokers had formed a union to demand higher payouts from major tech companies like Apple and Google.
Question 7 of 10
What event prompted Google to fundamentally change its approach to security and start paying hackers 'bug bounties'?
  • A. Edward Snowden's leak revealing that the NSA had backdoor access to Gmail.
  • B. A devastating ransomware attack that locked Google's servers for 48 hours.
  • C. The Shadow Brokers' release of the EternalBlue exploit on Twitter.
  • D. A 2009 breach by elite Chinese hackers who stole Google's source code to monitor dissidents.
Question 8 of 10
Why did Russian hackers embed the 'Sandworm' malware into US critical infrastructure systems?
  • A. To hold US hospitals and city governments hostage for billion-dollar ransom payouts.
  • B. To act as a warning and establish a deterrent of mutually assured destruction regarding US actions in Ukraine.
  • C. To steal the source code for US water treatment and electric grid management software.
  • D. To directly retaliate against the US for the Stuxnet attack on Russian nuclear facilities.
Question 9 of 10
What happened when the group known as the Shadow Brokers leaked the NSA's 'EternalBlue' exploit?
  • A. It was quickly patched worldwide, proving the effectiveness of Microsoft's automated update system.
  • B. It was repurposed by nations like North Korea and Russia to launch massive, highly lucrative global ransomware attacks.
  • C. It caused a diplomatic crisis that led to the immediate cancellation of the US-China cyber truce.
  • D. It forced the NSA to shut down its Tailored Access Operations (TAO) division permanently.
Question 10 of 10
According to the book's final summary, what is a major flaw in the United States' approach to cybersecurity?
  • A. The US focuses too heavily on defensive measures while neglecting to develop offensive cyber capabilities.
  • B. The US relies entirely on private tech companies to regulate and defend the nation's critical infrastructure.
  • C. The US prioritizes offensive capabilities and weaponizing exploits over testing and defending its own vulnerable infrastructure.
  • D. The US immediately shares all discovered vulnerabilities with the public, allowing adversaries to exploit them before patches are ready.

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends — Full Chapter Overview

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends Summary & Overview

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends (2021) takes a deep dive into the ongoing global cyberweapons arms race. It explains how the unregulated market for destructive weapons began, how nations are buying and using these weapons, and why they represent a threat to our immediate future.

Who Should Listen to This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends?

  • Anyone who uses a computer or smartphone
  • Security- and privacy-minded people
  • Taxpayers curious about how their money is spent

About the Author: Nicole Perlroth

Nicole Perlroth is a ten-year veteran of the cybersecurity beat, covering the subject as a reporter for the New York Times. She covered the landmark cases involving North Korean attacks on Hollywood, Russian attacks on nuclear power plants, and Iranian attacks on gas companies. This is her first book.

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