Sandworm

Given all the stuff going on in Ukraine right now, this is a highly relevant book. The author tracks down a group of Russian Hackers called Sandworm (a reference to Dune). They are part of the GRU. They were responsible for a variety of attacks, mostly centered around Ukraine and their power grid and the Not Petya ransomware attack, which started in Ukraine and spread throughout the world.

It’s a very scary book. It talks about how state-sponsored hackers are stepping up their game and causing real problems, not just for the opposition’s military but for civilians, sometimes even their own. The author makes the point that once these cyberattacks get out, they can be rather indiscriminate. The prime example of that is Not Petya. The author also talks about a whole variety of other hacks. Many by SandWorm and other Russian groups, but also by various other countries including the US. Stuxnet makes an appearance. It’s an interesting history of cyberwar.

I remember working at Westinghouse when Stuxnet was discovered. It definitely changed the tone there around cyber security. I think it’s important for us as LabVIEW programmers to have security awareness. We often control heavy machinery and other dangerous things. Reading this book is a good eye-opener for what is possible. It’s also highly entertaining.