5 Great Books on Cybersecurity

The field of cybersecurity is growing in response to increased threats from hackers and terrorists. Supplementing your education in this field with both technical nonfiction and realistic fiction books broadens your understanding of what cybersecurity professionals face every day.

1. Navigating the Digital Age: The Definitive Cybersecurity Guide for Directors and Officers

A collaboration between Palo Alto Networks and the New York Stock Exchange, this book is offered free of charge through the Security Roundtable website with the goal of providing a solid reference to “enlighten the community” on the importance of cybersecurity. Over 30 different contributors came together to produce content that covers everything from the fundamentals of cybersecurity to how corporate executives should handle and report security breaches. It also includes detailed information on U.S. government standards for creating cybersecurity frameworks.

2. Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It

Knowing the history of cyberattacks, cyber warfare and the defenses that countries have developed can help you understand how the current cybersecurity landscape developed and how to deal with modern threats. This book not only covers history, but also suggests where modern policies in the U.S. fall short when it comes to defending against cyberwarfare. By providing insights into various malicious practices and how the government deals with threats and consequences, the book illuminates potential pitfalls and offers insights into what might be done to correct them.

3. Security Metrics: Replacing Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

Cybersecurity professionals need a reliable way to assess and predict potential threats and losses relating to security breaches. This book suggests that current methods such as risk assessments based on probability fall short when it comes to accuracy. The proposed solution is for businesses and organizations to capture and analyze security metrics, and the book includes detailed information about just what should be monitored. Methods for reviewing and interpreting these metrics are also included, making this a useful manual for anyone working in cybersecurity.

4. The Practice of Network Security Monitoring

Whether you’re just starting out or have been working in cybersecurity for years, this book offers guidance to improve the way you address network security monitoring. Step-by-step instructions lead you through practical exercises that go beyond prevention to offer ways to identify and deal with malicious attacks before they get out of control. Rather than focusing only on reacting when things go wrong, the book emphasizes consistency in monitoring and protection. In a world where just about everyone has been hacked at some point, these insights can give businesses the upper hand against what is becoming an inevitable threat.

5. Zero Day

If you’re looking for something less complex that still provides an accurate picture of what’s going on in cybersecurity, this novel can give you that mental break. Although the story is fictional, the scenario it depicts of a cybersecurity attack on an airplane’s on-board computer isn’t at all unrealistic. Several references to real cyberattacks are included, and descriptive language brings the mechanics of these threats to life in a way that a wide audience can understand and appreciate. You won’t get any technical knowledge from this book, but its subject matter is timely enough to make you think more critically about current cybersecurity issues.

Related Resource: Top 10 Best Online Homeland Security Degree Programs

Many of these titles are part of the Cybersecurity Canon, a list of books considered to be “timeless,” genuine and high quality. These and other books on the subject can help you become better at your job by learning to recognize and respond to real-life threats in a way that minimizes damage and preserves the integrity of any network.