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Mick O'Malley #2
Returning to Zero
The ultimate weapon of the Internet arms race is the botnet, short for a robot network of compromised computers organized to receive commands over the Internet and operate in concert. Control of a botnet gives the power to threaten individuals, organizations, and even nation states by launching punishing denial of service attack targeting commerce, public safety, and security.
In Returning to Zero, the sequel to the explosive technothriller Counting from Zero that introduced Mick O’Malley and his unlikely hacker friends, the fight for control of the massive Zed.Kicker botnet continues.
Mick O’Malley is a former security consultant, now hiding out in Australia under an alternative identity. Mick learns startling news about the events that turned his life upside down in Kiev six months previously. As Mick loses control of the botnet, he is drawn into a new global adventure in an attempt to contain the zombie computers that threaten the Internet.
Across four continents, Mick tracks the shadowy exploit writer who now controls the botnet, evading governments and cybercriminals alike. Whom should Mick trust: a compromised intelligence asset, a whistle-blowing government insider, a flighty open source privateer, a returned-from-retirement military operative, or a smuggler on the high seas? Do the cyber defenses of encryption and walls, virtual and physical, provide protection or are they an illusion? Will his risky plan neutralize the botnet for good?
Along the way, Mick finds something more dangerous than the technology, and discovers that not all is what it seems, even within his close circle of friends.
Returning to Zero gives a dramatically realistic view of the ongoing struggle to secure today’s Internet from botnets, cyber criminal networks, and malicious nation-state actors.
Praise for Counting from Zero, the first book in the Mick O’Malley Series:
“Credible and believable, this story is told by a subject matter expert. I could not wait to find out what happened next.”
– Vint Cerf, Internet pioneer
“The threat to the internet from worms, viruses, botnets, and zombie computers is real, and growing. Counting from Zero is a great way to come up to speed on the alarming state of affairs, and Johnston draws you in with his story and believable cast of characters.”
– Phil Zimmermann, creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) the most widely used email encryption program
In Returning to Zero, the sequel to the explosive technothriller Counting from Zero that introduced Mick O’Malley and his unlikely hacker friends, the fight for control of the massive Zed.Kicker botnet continues.
Mick O’Malley is a former security consultant, now hiding out in Australia under an alternative identity. Mick learns startling news about the events that turned his life upside down in Kiev six months previously. As Mick loses control of the botnet, he is drawn into a new global adventure in an attempt to contain the zombie computers that threaten the Internet.
Across four continents, Mick tracks the shadowy exploit writer who now controls the botnet, evading governments and cybercriminals alike. Whom should Mick trust: a compromised intelligence asset, a whistle-blowing government insider, a flighty open source privateer, a returned-from-retirement military operative, or a smuggler on the high seas? Do the cyber defenses of encryption and walls, virtual and physical, provide protection or are they an illusion? Will his risky plan neutralize the botnet for good?
Along the way, Mick finds something more dangerous than the technology, and discovers that not all is what it seems, even within his close circle of friends.
Returning to Zero gives a dramatically realistic view of the ongoing struggle to secure today’s Internet from botnets, cyber criminal networks, and malicious nation-state actors.
Praise for Counting from Zero, the first book in the Mick O’Malley Series:
“Credible and believable, this story is told by a subject matter expert. I could not wait to find out what happened next.”
– Vint Cerf, Internet pioneer
“The threat to the internet from worms, viruses, botnets, and zombie computers is real, and growing. Counting from Zero is a great way to come up to speed on the alarming state of affairs, and Johnston draws you in with his story and believable cast of characters.”
– Phil Zimmermann, creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) the most widely used email encryption program
- GenresFictionTechnology
281 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2017
10 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
About the author
Alan B. Johnston
22 books27 followersOriginally from Australia, Alan B. Johnston grew up in the United States surrounded by technology. Always going to become an engineer, he experimented with amateur radio, coding and creative writing from an early age, and traveled the world with his family. He has a doctorate in electrical engineering, and has worked in industry and taught at a number of universities. He has written five best-selling technical books and authored over thirty patents and international standards in real-time communications over Internet Protocol and in security, including co-authoring the ZRTP voice security protocol standard. He enjoys mentoring robotics teams and hacking around with Arduinos and Raspberry Pis. He lives near Seattle and continues to travel the world, ride motorcycles, and sail. Returning to Zero is his second novel, the continuation of the story of Mick O’Malley and the botnet started in his first novel Counting from Zero.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 10, 2017
This next book in the Mick O'Malley series is even better than the very-good first in the series.
It may sound trite to say so, but the author simply is better with this book because of the experience of writing the first one. Pretty much everything across the board is satisfying: the language, the story, the pace, the texture - this is simply a very pleasant book to read.
As in the first book, the author uses his super-high-quality knowledge of computer & network technology to help educate the reader in the way things work, and the risks inherent in the tech we use daily. But far from being dry, the explanations are done with some lighthearted humor, and masterfully set up elements of the story that are easy to understand because of the explanation.
This book also had some wonderful descriptions of place. As the main characters speed, plod, and float their way around the globe, the author weaves excellent tapestries of the settings, the cultures, and people from each locale. Reading details about visiting street vendors to have a nibble of some meat on a stick brings great, authentic memories back for me about the kind of experiences I've had in my modest world travels.
The pace of the story, the intrigue, and the unexpected twists & turns made this super-fun to read. I actually played hookey from work for a couple of hours yesterday morning because I was so anxious to read through to the end of the book.
While this wasn't so groundbreaking that I wanted to go re-read it again the moment I finished (which is my definition of a 5-star book), I would give this as strong a 4-star review as I can.
It may sound trite to say so, but the author simply is better with this book because of the experience of writing the first one. Pretty much everything across the board is satisfying: the language, the story, the pace, the texture - this is simply a very pleasant book to read.
As in the first book, the author uses his super-high-quality knowledge of computer & network technology to help educate the reader in the way things work, and the risks inherent in the tech we use daily. But far from being dry, the explanations are done with some lighthearted humor, and masterfully set up elements of the story that are easy to understand because of the explanation.
This book also had some wonderful descriptions of place. As the main characters speed, plod, and float their way around the globe, the author weaves excellent tapestries of the settings, the cultures, and people from each locale. Reading details about visiting street vendors to have a nibble of some meat on a stick brings great, authentic memories back for me about the kind of experiences I've had in my modest world travels.
The pace of the story, the intrigue, and the unexpected twists & turns made this super-fun to read. I actually played hookey from work for a couple of hours yesterday morning because I was so anxious to read through to the end of the book.
While this wasn't so groundbreaking that I wanted to go re-read it again the moment I finished (which is my definition of a 5-star book), I would give this as strong a 4-star review as I can.
February 24, 2017
This book picks up the story of Mick O'Malley, now hiding out in Australia after wresting control of the world's largest botnet from the mysterious Cloud 8++. His world is turned upside down by the reappearance of an old acquaintance, and the discovery that in his previous adventure, all was not as it seemed. The ensuing chapters take readers on a gripping journey from Melbourne to the wilds of Montana, and then on to Prague, Berlin, Taiwan and eventually China, as Mick and a quirky assortment of conspirators pursue the truth about the botnet.
The narrative is energetic and pacy, and along the way the intricacies or cyber security are unveiled in a way that is easy for the layman to follow, aided by the context of the drama. Johnston writes with great authority on this topic, which is perhaps not so surprising, due to his background as a cyber security expert. What is unexpected is the vivid and detailed descriptions of the various settings for the action. These could only have been written by someone who has traveled widely, and experienced diverse cultures at street level. It was startling to find some of the locations with which I was personally familiar portrayed so authentically.
Ideally, I'd suggest you read Mick O'Malley #1 first to gain the greatest enjoyment from this novel, but if you can't wait to dive in, it can certainly stand alone as a compelling technothriller. Cant' wait for Mick O'Malley #3!
The narrative is energetic and pacy, and along the way the intricacies or cyber security are unveiled in a way that is easy for the layman to follow, aided by the context of the drama. Johnston writes with great authority on this topic, which is perhaps not so surprising, due to his background as a cyber security expert. What is unexpected is the vivid and detailed descriptions of the various settings for the action. These could only have been written by someone who has traveled widely, and experienced diverse cultures at street level. It was startling to find some of the locations with which I was personally familiar portrayed so authentically.
Ideally, I'd suggest you read Mick O'Malley #1 first to gain the greatest enjoyment from this novel, but if you can't wait to dive in, it can certainly stand alone as a compelling technothriller. Cant' wait for Mick O'Malley #3!
July 16, 2017
Mick O'Malley's globe trotting exploits are back again! I am thoroughly impressed with Returning to Zero, Johnston once again writes an intriguing thriller. Johnston constructs a narrative that is easy to follow, keeping the reader involved with every move! All the while making it easy to learn some awesome information security tips!
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good techno thriller or even looking to learn something neat!
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good techno thriller or even looking to learn something neat!
February 6, 2017
Fun techno thriller. You don't have to be a tech genious to love this book. Things are explained in an easy to understand way. The story is fast-paced and takes the reader on an adventure across the world, where we get to experience some unique local culture. Very enjoyable read.
September 21, 2022
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
"Returning to Zero" is a gripping cyber-thriller, which follows up on the events of "Counting to Zero". I haven't read the first book yet, but had no problems immersing myself in the story. And while I missed getting to know characters from the first book, who appear in flashbacks or only for a short amount of time, getting to know the characters that were prominent in this book and already introduced in the first one was pretty easy.
The book was fast-paced and suspense-packed due to the fact that the protagonists were travelling half the globe in just a few days. This was further supported by the fact that we usually had two different perspectives at the same time. Since the book was about a botnet and the race to get control of it, I liked the way the technical computer terms weren't quite dumbed down, but explained in a way that a non-computer-geek can still follow. The blog chapters in between were great and often in relation to something that was relevant in the book. In addition the book had great descriptions of places (in Germany, Russia, Thailand and China) and foods. At times I felt like reading a travel blog with a twist.
"Returning to Zero" is a gripping cyber-thriller, which follows up on the events of "Counting to Zero". I haven't read the first book yet, but had no problems immersing myself in the story. And while I missed getting to know characters from the first book, who appear in flashbacks or only for a short amount of time, getting to know the characters that were prominent in this book and already introduced in the first one was pretty easy.
The book was fast-paced and suspense-packed due to the fact that the protagonists were travelling half the globe in just a few days. This was further supported by the fact that we usually had two different perspectives at the same time. Since the book was about a botnet and the race to get control of it, I liked the way the technical computer terms weren't quite dumbed down, but explained in a way that a non-computer-geek can still follow. The blog chapters in between were great and often in relation to something that was relevant in the book. In addition the book had great descriptions of places (in Germany, Russia, Thailand and China) and foods. At times I felt like reading a travel blog with a twist.
Read
September 22, 2020I really enjoyed the first Mick O'Malley novel - and was expecting great things from this, the sequel, which continues the story from where the first one left off.
Overall, it was enjoyable, but spoiled a little by some small technical elements which made the plot a little unbelievable. One of these involved the hero constructing a home made Leyden Jar which he used to store electrical charge from a thunderstorm and then used it as a power source to recharge a mobile phone. This was SO wrong on a number of levels!
I look forward to the third in the series - possibly where Mick gets to interact further with the infamous 'Glen Crossing' - a man with an 'increasing waistline and decreasing hairline' who has a communications solution for just about ny scenario.....
Overall, it was enjoyable, but spoiled a little by some small technical elements which made the plot a little unbelievable. One of these involved the hero constructing a home made Leyden Jar which he used to store electrical charge from a thunderstorm and then used it as a power source to recharge a mobile phone. This was SO wrong on a number of levels!
I look forward to the third in the series - possibly where Mick gets to interact further with the infamous 'Glen Crossing' - a man with an 'increasing waistline and decreasing hairline' who has a communications solution for just about ny scenario.....
November 20, 2021
So good!
February 25, 2017
Before starting reading take a look at your smart phone and put it away. You will understand why....
A thriller doubled by a insightful analysis of the Internet threats. For the travelers across continents an added bonus on locations across the globe!
A thriller doubled by a insightful analysis of the Internet threats. For the travelers across continents an added bonus on locations across the globe!
February 4, 2017
As soon as I saw that the chapters started at zero instead of one, I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Actually, as soon as I found there was a sequel to Counting From Zero I knew I was going to like this book.
The story picks up a few months after the first book left off although the author does really well in filling in the needed back story so even if you haven't read Counting From Zero you wont be lost. As with the first book the topics center around security and privacy online but you don't need to be immersed in information security to enjoy this book.
In summary:
A great, fun read that will cause you to get PGP set up on your email account.
The story picks up a few months after the first book left off although the author does really well in filling in the needed back story so even if you haven't read Counting From Zero you wont be lost. As with the first book the topics center around security and privacy online but you don't need to be immersed in information security to enjoy this book.
In summary:
A great, fun read that will cause you to get PGP set up on your email account.
April 14, 2017
Like, an interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews