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Countdown to Zero Day
- Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon
- Narrated by: Joe Ochman
- Length: 13 hrs
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Countdown to Zero Day
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Summary
A top cybersecurity journalist tells the story behind the virus that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear efforts and shows how its existence has ushered in a new age of warfare—one in which a digital attack can have the same destructive capability as a megaton bomb.
“Immensely enjoyable . . . Zetter turns a complicated and technical cyber story into an engrossing whodunit.”—The Washington Post
The virus now known as Stuxnet was unlike any other piece of malware built before: Rather than simply hijacking targeted computers or stealing information from them, it proved that a piece of code could escape the digital realm and wreak actual, physical destruction—in this case, on an Iranian nuclear facility.
In these chapters, journalist Kim Zetter tells the whole story behind the world’s first cyberweapon, covering its genesis in the corridors of the White House and its effects in Iran—and telling the spectacular, unlikely tale of the security geeks who managed to unravel a top secret sabotage campaign years in the making.
But Countdown to Zero Day also ranges beyond Stuxnet itself, exploring the history of cyberwarfare and its future, showing us what might happen should our infrastructure be targeted by a Stuxnet-style attack, and ultimately, providing a portrait of a world at the edge of a new kind of war.
Critic reviews
“An authoritative account of Stuxnet’s spread and discovery . . . [delivers] a sobering message about the vulnerability of the systems—train lines, water-treatment plants, electricity grids—that make modern life possible.”—Economist
“Exhaustively researched . . . Zetter gives a full account of this ‘hack of the century,’ as the operation has been called, [but] the book goes well beyond its ostensible subject to offer a hair-raising introduction to the age of cyber warfare.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Part detective story, part scary-brilliant treatise on the future of warfare . . . an ambitious, comprehensive, and engrossing book that should be required reading for anyone who cares about the threats that America—and the world—are sure to be facing over the coming years.”—Kevin Mitnick, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost in the Wires and The Art of Intrusion
What listeners say about Countdown to Zero Day
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matt Jackson
- 06-05-15
Intriguing from the first minute
Where does Countdown to Zero Day rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Hanging off every word for the whole duration, perfectly delivered.
What did you like best about this story?
The way it tells you the accounts from various perspectives helps you get a worldwide view of the story as it goes along.
Have you listened to any of Joe Ochman’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Never.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
No.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 26-05-21
Great read!
Have you ever came across a news article and thought, "how on earth did that not start a war?! How was this not headline news all over the whole globe?". This is exactly that. The implications of this type of warfare are truly terrifying.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Glyn Cash
- 18-01-16
Good covers all book on cyber warfare
If you only ever listen to one book on cyber warfare then make it this one. Good history of cyber threats in buildings and infrastructure
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Sean T.
- 04-09-17
Well worth the listen
As someone who works within the area of industrial control systems, this was a great insight as to how far stuxnet and other digital weapons went to achieve their goals.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- S. Bramble
- 17-04-20
very very well researched
a very good book and extremely detailed. a complete account of viruses and their potential to change modern warfare
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- Roberto Miguel
- 21-06-23
Great book
Excellent book. Great job done by the author even listening it years after been published. Crazy days to be alived
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nick
- 18-04-15
Intriguing story - well told!
An interesting contemporary subject well researched and told. Great level of detail that doesn't distract the listener from the main context of the story. I enjoyed it very much
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Paul
- 07-07-16
The 1st cyber weapon and a bit more...
What made the experience of listening to Countdown to Zero Day the most enjoyable?
This is a good history of the Stuxnet worm, the individuals who helped uncover what it was and a wider study of the cyberwarfare landscape and implications. You do not need to have an IT or computing background - it is sufficiently well written (Zetter has worked for Wired and PC World) for those interested in foreign policy, the middle east, post-revolutionary Iran and popular science and technology titles.
It explains the background to the worm's development, the investigations of Stuxnet (and the similar/related tools discovered), the political environment and some reasonable assumptions about which governments were involved and how was it actually deployed. The author had good access to those involved, academics, think tanks and governmental contacts to ensure this isn't all supposition. And is honest about where information is thin or inconclusive.
It also covers a reasonable history of the Iranian nuclear program and viruses/worms/cyber crime and offensive cyber activities - so those with less knowledge in these areas won't be left behind. The last couple of chapters includes a comprehensive set of questions and arguments about cyber warfare and what implications it has for future government policy, international law and the conduct of warfare.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The main teams who investigated Stuxnet from Symatec, Kaspersky and the independent researchers.
Have you listened to any of Joe Ochman’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No this is the first of his work. He narrated the title well, there was the usual US pronunciation of Iran with a hard I, but it wasn't distracting.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The implications of cyber-warfare/crime and the gross under-preparedness and vulnerability that our connected, always on, Internet of Things lifestyle exposes us to. That there hasn't been a serious attack yet is frankly amazing.
Any additional comments?
Even if you aren't very technical it is an eye-opening account and worth the 13 hours listening time. It didn't drag and I thought it was fascinating.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mr
- 25-02-16
Well composed
A comprehensive background to the Iran nuclear program and how one digital attack changed the way viruses work. Good book
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Olly Buxton
- 20-01-21
meticulously researched and scary
this is a real eye opener about how sophisticated hacking can be and basically how completely vulnerable to it the world is. the actual story of the stuxnet is a fantastic space age James Bond caper, but the wider implications of all of this: how sophisticated these hacking strategies are, and the fact that small innocent peripherals that were designed before the internet was even a thing can be used to drop physically destructive payloads is really quite sobering
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