Digital Downfall: Technology, Cyberattacks and the End of the American Republic

by Hugh Taylor

"With the assertion that 'America is in danger of falling apart,' Hugh Taylor warns us in Digital Downfall that the vulnerabilities of our digital lives could allow foreign cyber mischief to exacerbate current political tensions - with disastrous results. Each chapter reads as a separate essay, explaining the basics of cyber insecurity, why Russia and China are such a threat and how our society should adapt to the digital revolution. This comprehensive and incisive book should be read by anyone who wants to ensure America survives the existential threats posed by cyber vulnerabilities." - Glenn Gerstell, General Counsel of the United States National Security Agency from 2015 to 20204 out of 5 stars - "This book is terrific! Hugh Taylor is a master at storytelling, weaving compelling personal stories with vital information to help us stay safe online. I am not a techno genius, so I thought it might be too advanced, however it was clear and easy to understand. A great book for a layperson to read and absorb." - Emma Cavanagh, NetGalleyIs America on the brink of civil war? Could foreign cyber plots turn Americans against one another and cause a disastrous domestic conflict? What would happen if the lights went out and the technology we rely upon to run American life is no longer available? The present dangers are real. The US is more vulnerable to destructive foreign interference today than it has been in over a century. As Russia and China realize they can't win shooting wars against the US, they have devised new and cunning ways to destabilize American politics and cripple the US economy. Cyber meddling in elections, disinformation campaigns, abuse of social media to widen racial and political divides, and the theft of military data are just some of the malicious acts threatening the Republic. Digital Downfall examines the potential effects of such attacks, with a look vulnerability of the US to cyber attack*American technological weaknesses that could be exploited by our enemies*How the US military could be affected by cyberwar*The possibility that the American Republic we know could be destroyed*America's relationship with racism*What the future may hold*And more...The dangers posed by external sources can only be real when the internal politics of the United States is in a fragile state. The past four years bear testimony to this political decline as does every passing day of the Trump presidency. The perfect storm of external interference, a rampant and deadly pandemic, and a culture of racism that will no longer be tolerated is upon us. Who knows where it will lead to, or what will be left at the end...About the  Hugh Taylor is Executive Editor of The Journal of Cyber Policy, a cybersecurity industry blog. He has been working in the enterprise technology and cybersecurity fields for over 20 years, earning the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) credential in the process. His previous books include The Joy of SOX (Wiley) about IT and the Sarbanes Oxley Act, and Event Driven Architecture (Prentice-Hall). After serving in executive roles at venture-backed startups and global tech giants like IBM and Microsoft, he now works as a freelance tech writer. His professional writing spans technology and cybersecurity for a clientele that includes HPE, IBM, Google, Microsoft and SAP. Prior to working in technology, Taylor served in script development roles in primetime television-an experience that gives him insights into the relationship between technology, society and the media.

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2020

About the author

Hugh Taylor is Executive Editor of The Journal of Cyber Policy, a cybersecurity industry blog. He has been working in the enterprise technology and cybersecurity fields for over 20 years, earning the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) credential in the process. His previous books include The Joy of SOX (Wiley) about IT and the Sarbanes Oxley Act, and Event Driven Architecture (Prentice-Hall). After serving in executive roles at venture-backed startups and global tech giants like IBM and Microsoft, he now works as a freelance tech writer. His professional writing spans technology and cybersecurity for a clientele that includes HPE, IBM, Google, Microsoft and SAP. Prior to working in technology, Taylor served in script development roles in primetime television-an experience that gives him insights into the relationship between technology, society and the media.

Reviews

[Mister MN · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you read the Introduction and you will see the overall tone this book has. Far too many political slants that skew the discussion over the cybersecurity aspects to the topics within. There are aspects that would be good to an upcoming security professional on the aspects of attacks but China/Russia topics are too far off from the rest. No mention of other nation-states, terrorists or other cyber threats that are just as concerning but that doesn't fit the political starting point than the China and Russia talking points.

[Simon Petlak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work in IT, so I come to this book with perhaps a better sense of how tech works than most people. What Taylor has done here is to lay out, in painful detail, just how much the United States relies on computers to run basically everything - the army, the government, corporations, healthcare - and then describe just how epic a meltdown we could have if someone wanted to mess us up by making all this tech fail at the same time. His villains are not abstract. It's Russia and China, and he talks about just what they're up to, which amounts to digital warfare, happening today, for real. I like this book, but I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars because the author falls back on expert quotes a little too much and sometimes leads off with a shaky argument. I still recommend it, though.

[Martin Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be incredibly thought-provoking and troubling. The US is at war, and we don't seem to realize it. Russia and China want to destroy our country, and they're starting to succeed. Taking advantage of our reliance on insecure technology, Russia is taking over our political system while China is ruining our economy - for their own gain. And, why wouldn't they? That's what nations do. What's painful to contemplate, as you read this book, is how unprepared and unaware we are in dealing with these most serious threats. As the author says, he doesn't have all the answers, and simple solutions are hard to find and generally don't work.

[Esther Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of positive things to say about this book. The author has taken on a very ambitious project - to discover and analyze the hidden role of digital technology and cyberattacks on a variety of American political situations. By his own admission, he doesn't have the background to tackle all of this - and no one does, as he further suggests. Still, the book is a bit overly broad. I definitely learned a few things, but a lot of the arguments seemed pretty speculative.

[Menashe Bernstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book to me. I think he was trying to get my goat. All I can say is, he got me! This is some serious ultra-liberal claptrap. Taylor wants to blame all of America's troubles on the Russia hoax. Give me a break! He can't see the hand of the Deep State in screwing up this country. The author at least explains how China is out to destroy the US. I'll give him that, but it's still a one-star piece of propaganda in my book.

[Eliska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book packed with information, and I find it to be a great introduction to cybersecurity when looked at as a form of warfare. It includes the information on what is going on, the context, and it also offers solutions to the issued. The book is not hard to read as it does not include many technological terms, and everything is well explained. I can definitely recommend, although once or twice while reading some sentences, I felt like I read the same sentence just a couple of pages ago.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the premises it contained. We live in a digital world and there are always pitfalls in this world. I recommend this book to anyone interested the digital world