Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers

by Eric O'Neill

The Invisible Threat has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

Genres: Technology, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Eric is an accomplished public speaker, security expert and author that presents keynotes internationally about espionage and national security, cybersecurity, fraud, corporate diligence and defense, hacking, pursuing ones dreams and surviving Hollywood.

Eric has worked as an FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative, a national security attorney and as a corporate security consultant. He founded The Georgetown Group, a premier investigative and security services firm. Eric is also the founder and National Security Strategist for Nexasure AI, a cybersecurity advisory company.

In February 2001, Eric helped capture the most notorious spy in United States history, Robert Phillip Hanssen. In the three months preceding Hanssen’s arrest, Eric was selected to work with the spy within the newly minted information assurance division, created to protect all classified FBI intelligence. Eric was charged with gaining Hanssen’s trust and then using that relationship to slowly draw the traitor out of deep cover. Eric’s investigative skill led to the arrest and ultimate conviction of the master spy.

Eric is an honors graduate of Auburn University. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from The George Washington University Law School, also with honors.

Reviews

[Becky of Becky's Bookshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers by Eric O'Neill is a book that everyone should read and especially if you are a parent. The author's writing style is easy to understand, so informative, and very engaging. He shares how to think like a spy to protect your information, your family, and your data.

The book is told with several stories and also includes many helpful lists and resources. Honestly, everyone should read Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers by Eric O'Neill. I very highly recommend.

I was gifted a copy and not required to write a positive review.

[David Strom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric O’Neill has had an interesting career hunting down some of the worst spies and cybercriminals (he was one of the principals behind the takedown of Robert Hanssen). His book is a part travelogue, part instruction and best-practices manual, and part a detailed narrative of how cyber attackers ply their trade. If you haven’t heard of a few of the exploits (Colonial Pipeline, Solar Winds, WannaCry, and many others), this book is useful in describing the back story of these and others that have receded from the headlines. He draws on his own experiences at fighting these attackers from real life IT workers that are trying to keep their networks secure and protected, and “another grim reminder that once your data is out there, it’s out there for good—¬ and the dark web has no return policy,” as he writes. The dark web – where criminals operate – has a gross cybercrime haul greater than Germany and Japan’s GDP combined.

We have already reached the place where we can’t trust everyday sites such as texts, FaceTime, Teams and other social sharing platforms. “Trust has become an uncommon commodity.”

O’Neill has spent years as a national security lawyer, corporate investigator and part of the threat response teams for cybersecurity vendors, so he knows the landscape very well. He wrote this book for a laudable purpose: “If enough of us become covert agents and learn to safeguard our personal data, we can also make the world safe from cyberattacks. This is how we start. One data point at a time.” His philosophy is that we must do better and start thinking like our adversaries if we are to repel their digital advances. “There are no hackers, there are only spies.” His years in law enforcement “left me with a simple axiom: Criminals are lazy. If they weren’t, they’d get day jobs.” So true. And being patient in understanding how your business has been compromised will pay off in finding where the breach took place and how to shore up your defenses.

The end of the book is worthy of clipping as a ready reference, what he calls the Spy Hunter Tool Kit. It is a list of dozens of valuable suggestions, such as never respond to a phishing text (such as the one I got while I was writing this review, asking me to change my PayPal password. (I no longer have a PayPal account, having gotten tired of all the scams and come-ons such as this one.)

His book was written while AI blossomed (I guess that is one way to describe it) and audio and video deepfakes became more common. One way to suss out if they are fake is to move your hands wildly at the beginning of a video conference call, although eventually AI will figure out a solution to this too.

If you are an experienced cybersecurity professional and want a book to give your friends, family, and co-workers, this is a good place to start with their education. If you are new to the cybercriminal world, this book will show you its depths and darkest corners, and hopefully motivate you to use better and unique passwords and other protective techniques.

This is a great introduction to cybercriminals and how to protect yourself from being their next victim.

[LM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime: Cybersecurity Tactics to Outsmart Hackers and Disarm Scammers by Eric O’Neill is an eye-opening and fascinating look into the one thing that connects us all—the internet. It’s staggering to realize that the average person only accesses about 10% of the web, while the rest belongs to the dark web, where much of the world’s criminal activity takes place.

O’Neill, a former FBI counterintelligence operative, shares firsthand experiences and walks readers through real-life situations that shaped his understanding of cyber threats. He explains how tactics used by hackers and scammers have evolved over time, especially with the rise of email and social media, which have made targeting individuals easier than ever. The introduction of AI adds another layer of complexity to an already challenging landscape. What I found most valuable is how he teaches readers to “think like a spy”—to stay alert, question everything, and recognize red flags before it’s too late.

As someone currently pursuing a master’s in cybersecurity, I especially resonated with O’Neill’s reflections on the dark web. His discussion of the disturbing and permanent images found there reaffirmed why I could never go into forensics—it’s something that would stay with me forever.

This book is an essential read for anyone who wants to better understand cybersecurity and the mindset needed to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. O’Neill’s storytelling makes technical concepts both accessible and deeply human.

Thank you to Eric O’Neill, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminds me of that CSI episode, where they created GUI interface using Visual Basic to track the killer's IP address. Just skip it and read Sandworm or Tracers in the Dark instead.