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We Are All Targets: How Renegade Hackers Invented Cyber War and Unleashed an Age of Global Chaos
The incredible untold origin story of cyberwar and the hackers who unleashed it on the world, tracing their journey from the ashes of the Cold War to the criminal underworld, governments, and even Silicon Valley. Two years before 9/11, the United States was attacked by an unknown enemy. No advance warning was given, and it didn't target civilians. Instead, tomahawk missiles started missing their targets, US agents were swept up by hostile governments, and America’s enemies seemed to know its every move in advance. A new phase of warfare—cyber war—had arrived. And within two decades it escaped Pandora's Box, plunging us into a state of total war where every day, countless cyber attacks perpetrated by states and mercenaries are reshaping the world.
After receiving an anonymous email with leaked NATO battle plans during the bombardment of Kosovo, journalist Matt Potter embarked on a twenty-year investigation into the origins of cyber war and how it came to dominate the world. He uncovered its beginnings – worthy of a Bond movie – in the last days of the Cold War, as the US and its allies empowered a generation of Eastern European hackers, only to wake up in the late 90s to a new world order. It's a story that winds through Balkan hacking culture, Russia, Silicon Valley, and the Pentagon, introducing us to characters like a celebrity hacker with missing fingers who keeps escaping prison, FBI agents chasing the first generation of cyber mercenaries in the 90s, tech CEOs, and Russian generals obsessed with a Cold War rematch. Never before told, this is the riveting secret history of cyberwar not as governments want it to be – controlled, military-directed, discreet, and sophisticated – but as it really anarchic, chaotic, dangerous, and often thrilling.
After receiving an anonymous email with leaked NATO battle plans during the bombardment of Kosovo, journalist Matt Potter embarked on a twenty-year investigation into the origins of cyber war and how it came to dominate the world. He uncovered its beginnings – worthy of a Bond movie – in the last days of the Cold War, as the US and its allies empowered a generation of Eastern European hackers, only to wake up in the late 90s to a new world order. It's a story that winds through Balkan hacking culture, Russia, Silicon Valley, and the Pentagon, introducing us to characters like a celebrity hacker with missing fingers who keeps escaping prison, FBI agents chasing the first generation of cyber mercenaries in the 90s, tech CEOs, and Russian generals obsessed with a Cold War rematch. Never before told, this is the riveting secret history of cyberwar not as governments want it to be – controlled, military-directed, discreet, and sophisticated – but as it really anarchic, chaotic, dangerous, and often thrilling.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2023
16 people are currently reading
1664 people want to read
About the author
Matt Potter
50 books21 followersMatt Potter is a journalist, editor and broadcaster. He has reported for BBC Radio from Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, and co-presented Radio 1's award-winning global travel shows. As a journalist, his nose for the unusual has seen his writing appear in places as diverse as the Daily Telegraph, Golf Monthly, Esquire, Sunday Telegraph, Jack, Maxim, the Irish Examiner and Q, and his stories on cocaine trafficking in Latin America have been published in Russian, Spanish and English. As a journalist in Belgrade, he broke the story of the NATO 'spy' giving away secrets to Serb forces on the web. He speaks a handful of languages but attempts to speak at least twenty more. Matt is 39 and lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 25, 2023
3.5. Insanely interesting topic, probably not talked about enough and will soon enough become very relevant in our day to day lives.
However the writing itself was confusing at times. The author seems to constantly try to be awe-invoking, spectacular, epic, grandious. It's a bit all over the place, but still worth the read.
However the writing itself was confusing at times. The author seems to constantly try to be awe-invoking, spectacular, epic, grandious. It's a bit all over the place, but still worth the read.
August 6, 2023
Regrettably, 'We Are All Targets' left me deeply disappointed. Instead of delivering a compelling exploration of cyber warfare and espionage, the book felt like an attempt to emulate an alternate reality version of a Philip K. Dick novel. The narrative, which aims to construct a fantastical story reminiscent of David and Goliath, falls flat due to its lack of authenticity.
While the book acknowledges the Serbian hacking of public-facing websites, it asks readers to accept a far-fetched premise: that classified information was transferred via this means rather than more secure channels. This strained narrative choice undermined the story's credibility.
Moreover, the author's critique of NATO and the US for supposedly prioritizing the hunt for a spy over bolstering their network security appears shortsighted. The book's portrayal of a Serbian- RussoChicom coalition of hackers as super hackers inflates their role when they were as mere information gatherers and nuisances. It overlooks the complexities of NATOs operations and disregards instances such as the capture of spies like Herman Simm, who did leak NATO secrets.
The most glaring issue is the book's overwhelming bias, which significantly erodes the author's credibility. When the author delves into political matters, the narrative takes a nosedive, rendering it difficult to take any of the presented arguments seriously.
In essence, 'We Are All Targets' falls short of its promise to provide insight into the world of cyber threats. The speculative storytelling, lack of thorough research, and pronounced bias ultimately hinder its ability to present a compelling and authentic narrative.
While the book acknowledges the Serbian hacking of public-facing websites, it asks readers to accept a far-fetched premise: that classified information was transferred via this means rather than more secure channels. This strained narrative choice undermined the story's credibility.
Moreover, the author's critique of NATO and the US for supposedly prioritizing the hunt for a spy over bolstering their network security appears shortsighted. The book's portrayal of a Serbian- RussoChicom coalition of hackers as super hackers inflates their role when they were as mere information gatherers and nuisances. It overlooks the complexities of NATOs operations and disregards instances such as the capture of spies like Herman Simm, who did leak NATO secrets.
The most glaring issue is the book's overwhelming bias, which significantly erodes the author's credibility. When the author delves into political matters, the narrative takes a nosedive, rendering it difficult to take any of the presented arguments seriously.
In essence, 'We Are All Targets' falls short of its promise to provide insight into the world of cyber threats. The speculative storytelling, lack of thorough research, and pronounced bias ultimately hinder its ability to present a compelling and authentic narrative.
March 29, 2023
WE ARE ALL TARGETS
Matt Potter
Very interesting, well researched, and informative. It is the history of tech, from then to now.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
Matt Potter
Very interesting, well researched, and informative. It is the history of tech, from then to now.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
September 30, 2023
3.5/5
This was an interesting book documenting the history of hacking/'cyber war' from the internet boom up until now. My review summarizes some of the most interesting points I've learned from this book.
The book primarily focuses on the history of the hacking culture that originated in Yugoslavia, as well as how that translates to the cyber war that is currently in place and how it's used in the war efforts between Ukraine and Russia.
Much of the first half of the book discusses the Yugoslavian politically organized crime activities, the influence of science fiction that turned this Communist country into a high-tech industrial hub as early as 1962 (in fact, "the very word 'robot' is Slavic in origin - it is the root of the word for 'work' across most of Eastern Europ - and originated in the 1920 science-fiction play by Czech writer Karel Čapek, RUR-Rossum's Universal Robots"). It was also during that time period that the Yugoslavian government proclaimed the need to teach children to code and create cyber citizens and cyber warriors. And so, by the late 90s (in the age of dial-up and costly internet for the rest of the world), the Yugoslavian government started providing completely free, unlimited internet for everyone in the country. This meant that many of the earliest hackers hailed from Yugoslavia and consisted of tech-savvy kids and teenagers. Before long, hacker culture exploded in Eastern Europe and hackers became celebrities that were often featured in magazines, radio, and television. Hacking American or Western government websites became a sport during a time when the legal ramifications of this type of activity were still uncertain as the technology and world of the internet were still relatively new. Universities would even host and broadcast hackathons targeting American cyberspace.
The government also saw potential in recruiting young hackers to sow memetic warfare and share easily consumable click-bait disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories as a cyber-war tactic. It started recruiting and training hackers from all over, including from other communist countries. Before long, China also developed a similar system and
I was 12 in 2006 and had no idea what "hacking" was. The extent of my internet knowledge was playing games on Neopets and how to conduct research on YahooKids for my assignments. The fact kids of the same age in other countries were learning coding while I was learning how to type and use search engines is mind-blowing.
Finally, I learned about how Ukrainian hackers and other hackers from around the world in support of Ukraine have been hacking into Russia's command chain and communications systems and sending confusing orders. They would also send them incorrect directions and mapping coordinates, and cat-fish Russian soldiers on Tinder in attempts to seduce for information. Hackers would also hack into the Russian media outlets to share on-the-ground footage of the destruction and war in Ukraine to better inform Russian citizens.
This book offers many fascinating examples of the impacts of cyber-warfare.
Though the information was interesting, I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of the writing - it was a bit over-the-top and seemed to be written in a cinematic way that would make for a great binge-worthy docu-series because the book was written in a thrilling and over-dramatic way with each chapter ending in a cliffhanger of sorts.
In fact, despite the bibliography citing various news sources and books, I wasn't sure I was reading a non-fiction novel at first because the introductory chapter felt like something straight out of a suspense-thriller novel making me second guess whether or not the content in this book is believable.
Here are some examples of (non-spoiler-y) cliffhanger paragraphs or sentences from some of the chapters in this book that make the writing and content seem over-exaggerated:
This was an interesting book documenting the history of hacking/'cyber war' from the internet boom up until now. My review summarizes some of the most interesting points I've learned from this book.
The book primarily focuses on the history of the hacking culture that originated in Yugoslavia, as well as how that translates to the cyber war that is currently in place and how it's used in the war efforts between Ukraine and Russia.
Where militaries move slowly, hackers move fast.
Much of the first half of the book discusses the Yugoslavian politically organized crime activities, the influence of science fiction that turned this Communist country into a high-tech industrial hub as early as 1962 (in fact, "the very word 'robot' is Slavic in origin - it is the root of the word for 'work' across most of Eastern Europ - and originated in the 1920 science-fiction play by Czech writer Karel Čapek, RUR-Rossum's Universal Robots"). It was also during that time period that the Yugoslavian government proclaimed the need to teach children to code and create cyber citizens and cyber warriors. And so, by the late 90s (in the age of dial-up and costly internet for the rest of the world), the Yugoslavian government started providing completely free, unlimited internet for everyone in the country. This meant that many of the earliest hackers hailed from Yugoslavia and consisted of tech-savvy kids and teenagers. Before long, hacker culture exploded in Eastern Europe and hackers became celebrities that were often featured in magazines, radio, and television. Hacking American or Western government websites became a sport during a time when the legal ramifications of this type of activity were still uncertain as the technology and world of the internet were still relatively new. Universities would even host and broadcast hackathons targeting American cyberspace.
The government also saw potential in recruiting young hackers to sow memetic warfare and share easily consumable click-bait disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories as a cyber-war tactic. It started recruiting and training hackers from all over, including from other communist countries. Before long, China also developed a similar system and
In 2006, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences surveyed five thousand Chinese primary schoolchildren about their ambitions and dreams. An astonishing 43 percent of those interviewed said they "adored" China's hackers, while 33 percent old the researchers that they "dreamed of becoming a hacker someday." One student said, "Hackers are very cool. Hackers leave people an impression of high intelligence, and are able to do whatever they like and get whatever secrets they want. That is what I lack but dream of."
I was 12 in 2006 and had no idea what "hacking" was. The extent of my internet knowledge was playing games on Neopets and how to conduct research on YahooKids for my assignments. The fact kids of the same age in other countries were learning coding while I was learning how to type and use search engines is mind-blowing.
Finally, I learned about how Ukrainian hackers and other hackers from around the world in support of Ukraine have been hacking into Russia's command chain and communications systems and sending confusing orders. They would also send them incorrect directions and mapping coordinates, and cat-fish Russian soldiers on Tinder in attempts to seduce for information. Hackers would also hack into the Russian media outlets to share on-the-ground footage of the destruction and war in Ukraine to better inform Russian citizens.
This book offers many fascinating examples of the impacts of cyber-warfare.
Though the information was interesting, I honestly wasn't the biggest fan of the writing - it was a bit over-the-top and seemed to be written in a cinematic way that would make for a great binge-worthy docu-series because the book was written in a thrilling and over-dramatic way with each chapter ending in a cliffhanger of sorts.
In fact, despite the bibliography citing various news sources and books, I wasn't sure I was reading a non-fiction novel at first because the introductory chapter felt like something straight out of a suspense-thriller novel making me second guess whether or not the content in this book is believable.
Here are some examples of (non-spoiler-y) cliffhanger paragraphs or sentences from some of the chapters in this book that make the writing and content seem over-exaggerated:
Introduction -
This is a story about that conflict, and where and how it started, and why it spread to become the dominant mode of war in today's world. It's also a story about that decision by NATO to cover up the damage, to kick the can down the road at the critical time. And what the decision cost us.
Chapter 1 -
And then, suddenly, everything went wrong.
Chapter 6 -
...it would come back to haunt the United States.
Chapter 8 -
But things would not calm down.
Chapter 10 -
And this one was just getting started.
Chapter 14 -
And they were about to get their taste of hot war.
Chapter 17 -
When China began hothousing cyber warriors, it would do so in a way nowhere else on earth could even begin to imagine.
Chapter 21 (final chapter) -
We are all targets.
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January 10, 2023
We Are All Targets by Matt Potter does a great job at laying out just how vulnerable we all are. Taking us back to a time where internet was paid for by the minute and “You Got Mail” was a common catchphrase, Potter explains the birth of modern day hacking. It’s almost laughable how far behind the times the United States Government was and underlines how much catching up needed to happen before they even entered the game. I should say I’m surprised but I am not.
Overall this book is an education and an explanation, it won’t leave you feeling secure with our digital infrastructure and to be fair, no one should. We are all vulnerable. And we are all targets.
Thank you HB Social Club & Hachette Books for an ARC to review.
Overall this book is an education and an explanation, it won’t leave you feeling secure with our digital infrastructure and to be fair, no one should. We are all vulnerable. And we are all targets.
Thank you HB Social Club & Hachette Books for an ARC to review.
June 1, 2023
The topic is fascinating, but the writing is rough. It doesn't flow at all and it was tough to get through. Could have been condensed into an article.
June 8, 2023
Lots of interesting information but it just seemed a bit scattered.
February 6, 2023
(Audiobook) An information war where the internet is used to turn public opinion against a nation-state/alliance; crowd-sourcing computer users across the globe to rally against a powerful adversary bombing a supposedly weaker and "innocent" target nation; a nation uncertain as to what level their information systems have been compromised; fear of compromised information forcing a nation to a make a significant military action that could have escalated a conflict. Talking about Ukraine in 2022 or a more modern/near-term future conflict? Try Operation ALLIED FORCE back in 1999, when NATO struck against Serbia and its invasion of Kosovo. While 2022 Russia/Ukraine is not an exact equal to 1999 Serbia vs. NATO, the use of the internet and internet "warriors" had just as significant an impact in 1999 as it does in 2022. In fact, based on Potter's work, the groundwork for most of the cyber actions of the 21st century got their start in 1999.
Potter follows the evolution of cyber in the former Yugoslavia, where young men with not too many other avenues to make a living found a niche in the burgeoning cyber/computer realm. What resulted was a ready-make cadre of "hackers" and cyber warriors ready to make a buck or serve national interest. The degree which those hackers caused significant disruptions to NATO operations was never full acknowledged by NATO, and while there is some area for skepticism of Potter's sources, given how cyber is used today, it is not hard to see how it did impact the conflict. It also showed the US and the West as being slower to grasp the impact of cyber and information warfare vis-a-vis Russia, China and other nations.
While the bulk of the work focuses on ALLIED FORCE, Potter then moves on to post-2000, from the rise of the Chinese hacking capabilities to how the West unleashed Stuxnet against Iran in the early 2010s. It is readable and you don't have to be a comp sci major to follow the impact. Worth the time to read regardless of the format.
Potter follows the evolution of cyber in the former Yugoslavia, where young men with not too many other avenues to make a living found a niche in the burgeoning cyber/computer realm. What resulted was a ready-make cadre of "hackers" and cyber warriors ready to make a buck or serve national interest. The degree which those hackers caused significant disruptions to NATO operations was never full acknowledged by NATO, and while there is some area for skepticism of Potter's sources, given how cyber is used today, it is not hard to see how it did impact the conflict. It also showed the US and the West as being slower to grasp the impact of cyber and information warfare vis-a-vis Russia, China and other nations.
While the bulk of the work focuses on ALLIED FORCE, Potter then moves on to post-2000, from the rise of the Chinese hacking capabilities to how the West unleashed Stuxnet against Iran in the early 2010s. It is readable and you don't have to be a comp sci major to follow the impact. Worth the time to read regardless of the format.
October 17, 2023
I couldn't bring myself to read this. Within understandings of Cyber Warfare, most contemporary efforts remain ideological and outside the domain of U.S. law as to encourage unauthorized media interference by civilians before exampling within a court of law after data harvesting by third parties to corporate and military sectors without vetting or interference from the U.S. government written from understandings of a 21st-century cyberarts heavily involved within Metamodern art theory such as the creation and distribution of this critique from a social media platform defined as a social media platform by allowing peer-exchange of information through standards defined by early 21st century ideals of academic exchange concluding the Postmodern era. This "Critique" can be screenshotted and shared internationally with domain tagging to a Banksy-esc theorist Matt Potter is "most likely" not aware of due to popularity of 2020 Metadata creations to third parties under strict classification -redacted- Neither one of us got rich or have spoken.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2022
This book is spectacular. What a gem! It read like a political thriller. It’s full of knowledge, it’s entertaining and packed with information that will surprise the reader. This is such an interesting read. The author knowledge is incredible and his wit and sense of humor makes this hard and serious topic a breeze.
I enjoyed this book so much. I think I need to pick another book by this author.
I enjoyed this book so much. I think I need to pick another book by this author.
March 22, 2023
I hate this book! There's no story, just an endless rant. I can't understand why Goodread's score is so high. The beginning is OK, but after a few chapters he has a very thin story augmented with rants and countless lame analogies. It is painful to read and I had to skim in order to get through. I could safely read one or two sentences per paragraph and not miss anything, because the rest was pointless filler. Sheeshh.
July 3, 2023
"We are all targets" paints an overwhelming picture of the current and future trajectory of being a participant in the Internet. At times the book seems to repeat its own moments of preaching, but it serves a purpose to drive home the core message. Understanding the steps taken over the decades that brought us to this point of total cyber war, where everyone is a potential combatant, was interesting and enlightening, to say the least.
August 16, 2023
This book frames the most inconsequential actors and inconsequential events as being the harbingers of modern cyber-warfare. The people who believed this premise might have a reason therefore to think this is a good book, but that position is almost impossible to hold for anybody who knows that the petty Serbian cyber-mischief undertaken decades ago against NATO really influenced nobody and nothing.
March 4, 2023
A well-researched, very informative book that uses internet and hacking history to show how we got where we are. Enjoyed isn’t quite the right word (don’t read this immediately before bedtime 😊), but I’m glad to have read this book.
I’d like to thank the publisher for making this book available in a Goodreads giveaway.
I’d like to thank the publisher for making this book available in a Goodreads giveaway.
April 5, 2023
Amazing amazing read. Insightful, entertaining, exciting and informative. Would make a great movie with the right director. I can honestly say 5 stars, and i have recommended to friends and family alike. His passion about the subjects and the pairing of knowledge with thrill is very difficult but easily achieved in this book; skillfuly written and will be rereading again.
September 9, 2023
Fascinating focus on how Eastern European hackers have influenced the cyber age. “It was born in resistance, and it grew in subversion.” Diving into the Balkan wars and the state sanctioned hacker scene to explore how American cyber défense, Russian intranet development and Chinese hacker subcultures each learnt different lessons from the war.
February 22, 2023
what an absolutely bonkers story. just insane!
May 19, 2023
my new absolute favorite nonfiction book. fascinating, hugely relevant subject + exquisitely written + completely brilliant
January 4, 2024
Really cool cybersecurity read and would recommend, just found it hard to follow along bc a lot of differing stories
June 24, 2024
Terrifying. Will read again this year.
January 4, 2023
I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first started reading this book but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and informative this book is. If your on social media you should read this.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews