By Mikko Hyppönen.    - Â
Mikko Hypponen the author of ‘If its Smart it’s Vulnerable’ has worked as a computer programmer and cyber security professional since the 1980s. Hypponen’s opening gambit describes his hapless early days working in IT as a software developer, where in a state of panic in delivering a program to a customer, he managed to forget the program. The incensed customer lent Hypponen his brand-new SAAB Turbo to collect the disk. In his rush to return home and collect the disk, Hypponen promptly crashed the customer’s pride and joy. Despite the easy and self-depreciating conversational style and humorous anecdotes it is soon evident that Hypponen is an expert in his subject. The book begins with a history of IT, cybercrime and the human issues faced in cybersecurity. This contextualises the thesis of the book - Hypponen’s Law: ‘If it’s smart, its vulnerable’.
Hypponen argues that the electrical revolution in the 1870s, a huge but not indispensable benefit to our great grandparents has become indispensable in today’s world. Once the Internet of Things (IoT) reaches maturity networks will become as indispensable as electricity. The nascent IoT provides countless advantages. Devices from factories to fridges and cars all use computers connected to networks and provide us with countless benefits. There are many downsides to this connectivity. Companies such as Google constantly gather data and build a picture of who we are and what we do. Our online data is valuable currency. The more devices we connect to the internet with, the less privacy we have. Eventually enough even ‘dumb’ devices such as blenders and coffee makers will also have an internet connection. Pricing will dictate that securing these devices is a low priority. This will make us as dependant on networks, as we are on electricity. Cybercriminals, Nation States and Corporate Entities will have numerous means to target us, both as individuals and a society. Systems which should be in closed networks such as devices within nuclear power plants, have been proven to be inadvertently connected to TCP/IP networks often through human error. The consequences of such devices being targeted either directly or accidentally could be cataclysmic. Other areas of vulnerable technology from our biometrics (Facial and fingerprint recognition) to currency (Cryptocurrency) is also considered. There is an interesting section on social media and how it is manipulated, using the 2016 US Elections as a case study.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which initially appeared to be a layman’s overview of the emergence of the internet and supporting technologies and threats faced told in bite-sized chunks. It was nevertheless interesting from an engineer’s perspective as it contextualised the subject matter often studied on cyber courses. Once ‘Hypponen’s Law’ was covered the book really came into its own and all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to come together – on occasion I was hoping for a deeper technical dive as the content was very interesting. This book is also accessible to the layperson, who would benefit not only from gaining an understanding of the internet, cyber crime and underlying technologies as well as Hyponnen’s law itself. Whilst those wanting a cyber-crime technical manual or deep dive best look elsewhere, this book brings an often dry subject to life with numerous anecdotes, providing a stark warning to the problems we now face because of the internet.
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SSgt (FofS) Oliver Mason
Published bt Wiley, 288 pages,ISBN 978-1119895183