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Carry On: Sound Advice from Schneier on Security
Up-to-the-minute observations from a world-famous security expertBruce Schneier is known worldwide as the foremost authority and commentator on every security issue from cyber-terrorism to airport surveillance. This groundbreaking book features more than 160 commentaries on recent events including the Boston Marathon bombing, the NSA's ubiquitous surveillance programs, Chinese cyber-attacks, the privacy of cloud computing, and how to hack the Papal election. Timely as an Internet news report and always insightful, Schneier explains, debunks, and draws lessons from current events that are valuable for security experts and ordinary citizens alike.Bruce Schneier's worldwide reputation as a security guru has earned him more than 250,000 loyal blog and newsletter readers This anthology offers Schneier's observations on some of the most timely security issues of our day, including the Boston Marathon bombing, the NSA's Internet surveillance, ongoing aviation security issues, and Chinese cyber-attacksIt features the author's unique take on issues involving crime, terrorism, spying, privacy, voting, security policy and law, travel security, the psychology and economics of security, and much more Previous Schneier books have sold over 500,000 copies"Carry On: Sound Advice from Schneier on Security" is packed with information and ideas that are of interest to anyone living in today's insecure world.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published November 11, 2013
21 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Schneier
50 books645 followersBruce Schneier is a renowned security technologist, called a “security guru” by the Economist. He has written more than one dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Data and Goliath (2014) and Click Here to Kill Everybody (2018). He teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 25, 2014
A clear, non-technical illumination of how modern fear is subverted to tolerate technologies that maintain the appearance of freedom within an increasingly intrusive surveillance state. Data warehousing email, collecting phone meta-data and archiving every burp and fart laughingly recorded on social media is painless- until it is organized into a story to serve an agenda.
Full disclosure; I'm a republican who's shifted his opinion from 'hang 'em' to 'just maybe a hero' regarding the Snowden revelations. Ever had a credit card declined because of a security 'issue' or wasted time dealing with computer viruses? Get used to it. Even worse, privacy is becoming more illusion than fact. Is that okay?
'Carry On' is critical food for thought, a collection of bite sized essays anyone concerned with balancing risk and freedom should read.
Full disclosure; I'm a republican who's shifted his opinion from 'hang 'em' to 'just maybe a hero' regarding the Snowden revelations. Ever had a credit card declined because of a security 'issue' or wasted time dealing with computer viruses? Get used to it. Even worse, privacy is becoming more illusion than fact. Is that okay?
'Carry On' is critical food for thought, a collection of bite sized essays anyone concerned with balancing risk and freedom should read.
August 18, 2019
a collection of articles
not quite what i expected. given that this is a collection of newspaper articles, op-eds, magazine pieces, blog posts, etc.
this doesn’t build to a thesis. interesting nuggets to be sure, but all over the map in terms of content.
not quite what i expected. given that this is a collection of newspaper articles, op-eds, magazine pieces, blog posts, etc.
this doesn’t build to a thesis. interesting nuggets to be sure, but all over the map in terms of content.
June 11, 2014
"Long ago, we realized that simply trusting people and government agencies to always do the right thing doesn't work, so we need to check up on them. In a democracy, transparency and accountability are how we do that. It's how we ensure that we get both effective and cost-effective government. It's how we prevent those we trust from abusing that trust, and protect ourselves when they do. And it's especially important when security is concerned." -- Transparency and Accountability, Schneier on Security, 2013
I know some basics about network security from a technical standpoint, but Schneier, no stranger to technical work himself, provides a much more valuable perspective by addressing how we manage defection from social norms, of which security is only a small part. What I especially love is the no-nonsense approach he takes to evaluating risks, and the harsh words he has for those in power who routinely emphasize rare or incoherent risks (what he calls "movie-plot threats") and spend millions on ineffective security measures as an overreaction to an exceptional event.
"Despite fearful rhetoric to the contrary, terrorism is not a transcendent threat. A terrorist attack cannot possibly destroy a country's way of life; it's only our reaction to that attack that can do that kind of damage. The more we undermine our own laws, the more we convert our buildings into fortresses, the more we reduce the freedoms and liberties at the foundation of our societies, the more we're doing the terrorists' job for them."
Though you can find all of these essays on his site, the ebook is a nice collection to have around. Though if you're interested in a more fleshed out description of his ideas, I'd recommend the excellent (if a tad repetitive) Liars and Outliers
I know some basics about network security from a technical standpoint, but Schneier, no stranger to technical work himself, provides a much more valuable perspective by addressing how we manage defection from social norms, of which security is only a small part. What I especially love is the no-nonsense approach he takes to evaluating risks, and the harsh words he has for those in power who routinely emphasize rare or incoherent risks (what he calls "movie-plot threats") and spend millions on ineffective security measures as an overreaction to an exceptional event.
"Despite fearful rhetoric to the contrary, terrorism is not a transcendent threat. A terrorist attack cannot possibly destroy a country's way of life; it's only our reaction to that attack that can do that kind of damage. The more we undermine our own laws, the more we convert our buildings into fortresses, the more we reduce the freedoms and liberties at the foundation of our societies, the more we're doing the terrorists' job for them."
Though you can find all of these essays on his site, the ebook is a nice collection to have around. Though if you're interested in a more fleshed out description of his ideas, I'd recommend the excellent (if a tad repetitive) Liars and Outliers
July 21, 2015
Security is a huge issue in today's world. Our planet is less dangerous than it was twenty years ago, but somehow security has become bigger and more costly - both in material costs and societal, personal costs. So I think everyone should educate themselves a little bit about security to understand when trade-offs are and aren't worth it.
Schneier's book does that. He's a world-famous expert in security of all kinds - physical, digital, mathematical, societal - and it shows. This is a collection of ~100 very short (2-3pg) essays. So each essay makes one point, and makes it well. You'll learn a lot about bad security (he really rips the TSA apart) and why it's bad. You'll learn about better security policy, and why it works - also, why it often doesn't get implemented or even proposed!
Schneier's writing is very refreshing - it's clear and concise, avoiding wanky language without being boring. No, Schneier communicates all his points concisely so you can learn as much as possible. But the essays often overlap - many will make the same points, use the same examples, etc. So I found it much easier to absorb and retain what I learned, because it was constantly being reinforced. Often with a book, I decide to go back and read it again because I've forgotten a lot of the cool things I learned. Not so with this! I still remember a lot of the lessons even a month later.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in world affairs and politics, because security is one of the main motiviators for the actions of today's governments, and you will now understand how it works.
Schneier's book does that. He's a world-famous expert in security of all kinds - physical, digital, mathematical, societal - and it shows. This is a collection of ~100 very short (2-3pg) essays. So each essay makes one point, and makes it well. You'll learn a lot about bad security (he really rips the TSA apart) and why it's bad. You'll learn about better security policy, and why it works - also, why it often doesn't get implemented or even proposed!
Schneier's writing is very refreshing - it's clear and concise, avoiding wanky language without being boring. No, Schneier communicates all his points concisely so you can learn as much as possible. But the essays often overlap - many will make the same points, use the same examples, etc. So I found it much easier to absorb and retain what I learned, because it was constantly being reinforced. Often with a book, I decide to go back and read it again because I've forgotten a lot of the cool things I learned. Not so with this! I still remember a lot of the lessons even a month later.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in world affairs and politics, because security is one of the main motiviators for the actions of today's governments, and you will now understand how it works.
February 9, 2015
Security is something we encounter every day but that most people don't understand. The conversation is clouded by fear-mongering and emotions rather than facts. This is Schneier's second collection of short essays published in a variety of places. None of them get down into the technical weeds of their topic but provide a sound framework for how to think about security - what's important and what's not. Where are the real vulnerabilities in a system, whether it's technical, cryptographic, or as mundane as airport security checkpoints and policing. Why do we spend such an inordinate amount of time, money and energy on things that represent very low risk while ignoring the significant risks we face every day?
These writings are an attempt to answer those questions.
These writings are an attempt to answer those questions.
April 22, 2014
Really enjoyed this work by one of the country's premier technologists. It is essentially a compilation of some of Schneier's best blog posts and news articles--but that's fine if you're new to these issues. The short length of each piece made for good subway reading. Schneier has an incredibly flexible and curious mind, meaning he has compelling arguments to make in fields as varied as surveillance cameras to professional development. And as a leading voice on privacy and cryptography today, I'd say that this is a gentle introduction to some difficult technology debates.
May 18, 2014
Spent a day and half for the last 100+ pages.. Carried the book with me everyday on the bus.. Just carry on to finish it.. Good stories, few take aways: after all few readers are politicians or decision makers.
A little outdated? The DNS system is still not improved, however. How time flies!
A little outdated? The DNS system is still not improved, however. How time flies!
September 8, 2014
If you don't know Schneier, then his books are a great introduction. But once you "get" Schneier, I recommend keeping up with him online. Otherwise you're stuck with old news in book form.
July 2, 2015
Gets VERY repetitive. I didn't enjoy this one..the basic ideas are cool, but they don't vary much over the course of the articles.
January 20, 2016
Bruce presents technical topics in relatively accessible language. At times this particular collection of essays felt repetitive and a bit obvious to a more technically-minded reader, though.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews