Cybersecurity Summer Reading List

Uploaded on 2025-06-02 in FREE TO VIEW

Brought to you by CYRIN

Summer Reading

Summer is nearly upon us, and if you’re looking for a refresh on what’s happening in the world of cybersecurity, we have some books, blogs, articles, and podcasts you might want to check out in your downtime.

If you want to take a break from the digital environment and read a good book, we have issue-specific suggestions for readers, ranging from books designed for new learners to those who are more knowledgeable.

Below is a sampling of ransomware focused cybersecurity books written specifically for professionals seeking to increase their knowledge base and gain practical tips and technical strategies. The books analyze real-world incidents and the latest tactics used by hackers, providing detailed strategies related to strengthening security and incident response time.

Ransomware and Cyber Extortion: Response and Prevention
Authors: Karen Sprenger, Sherri Davidoff, and Matt Durrin

This guide offers value to everyone involved in prevention, response, planning, or policy: CIOs, CISOs, incident responders, investigators, negotiators, executives, legislators, regulators, law enforcement professionals, and others.

Cyberinsurance Policy: Rethinking Risk in an Age of Ransomware, Computer Fraud, Data Breaches, and Cyberattacks (Information Policy)
Author: Josephine Wolff

In this book, Josephine Wolff offers a comprehensive history of cyber insurance, from the early “Internet Security Liability” policies in the late 1990s to the expansive coverage offered today. Drawing on legal records, government reports, cyber insurance policies, and interviews with regulators and insurers, the author finds that cyber insurance has not improved cybersecurity or reduced cyber risks.

The Art of Cyberwarfare: An Investigator’s Guide to Espionage, Ransomware, and Organized Cybercrime
Author: Jon DiMaggio

This book is a detailed guide to understanding the major players in these cyber wars, the techniques they use, and the process of analyzing their advanced attacks.

Ransomware Protection Playbook
Author: Roger A. Grimes

In this book, computer security veteran and expert penetration tester Roger A. Grimes delivers an actionable blueprint for organizations seeking a robust defense against one of the most insidious and destructive IT threats currently in the wild.

The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits’ Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime
Authors: Renee Dudley and Daniel Golden

A real-life technological thriller about a band of eccentric misfits taking on the biggest cybersecurity threats of our time.

Cybersecurity Classics: 10 books that shaped the industry

If you’re just starting to learn about cybersecurity, or are a professional in the field,check out these classics that have shaped the industry, as well as the professional working in the field.

Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace, by Michele Slatalla tells the story of the 1990 AT&T network crash, an important moment in hacker history. It explores hacker culture and early attempts by law enforcement to fight cybercrime.

The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll is a page-turning story of an international espionage case in which the author detects a breach in US computer networks, that leads him to a hacker who is a KGB spy. Propulsive and historically significant, it reads like a spy novel.

Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World, by Bruce Schneier unpacks the complex world of digital security, and is both practical and insightful and essential read for anyone working in the cybersecurity industry.

The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security, by Kevin D. Mitnick and William L. Simon discusses how humans are in fact the biggest issue in cybersecurity, as social engineering can foil most security systems.

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers, by Andy Greenberg this is an investigative journalist’s story of elite hackers working for Russia’s military agency. A thrilling and haunting read, it’s a must read for anyone interested in the geopolitical aspects of cybersecurity.

Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime - from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door, by Brian Krebs pulls back the curtain on the global spam epidemic. Known for his informative and timely blog, this is a fascinating study of the rise of digital crime and the cyber black market.

This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race, by Nicole Perlorth, is a terrifying and detailed account of the cyber arms race and its threat to all aspects of life, including safe elections, robust infrastructure and privacy protection.

The Cyber Effect, by Mary Aiken is a fascinating study of how the internet is altering human behavior, development, interactions and society as a whole. This book is a must read for those who are interested in how the digital age is reshaping our human values.

Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon, by Kim Zetter tells the real-life story of the world first cyberweapon, Stuxnet, the world’s first true cyberweapon, a sophisticated piece of malware equipped not just to cause a security breach but to result in real-world destruction.

Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground, by Kevin Poulsen tells the story of Max “Vision” Butler, a cybersecurity expert turned hacker; or “Iceman,” the mastermind behind a criminal cybersecurity empire.

Educational blogs / News sites

The following is a sample - if you want to see more, check out this site from the University of San Diego:

Infosecurity Magazine
Infosecurity Magazine has been delivering cutting-edge cybersecurity content to readers for over a decade with both a print and online edition. Infosecurity Magazine also offers webinars, white papers and virtual conferences.

CSO Online
CSO provides news, analysis and research on a broad range of security and risk management topics. It is geared toward enterprise security decision-makers and CSOs (Chief Security Officers), as well as anyone interested in information security, identity and access management, loss prevention and more.

Tripwire
Tripwire’s blog offers news and opinions on the state of the industry, written by regular contributors as well as guest authors from around the world. Topics include incident detection and investigation, cloud security, compliance and vulnerability and risk management.

The Hacker News
The Hacker News calls itself the “#1 trusted cybersecurity news platform” with more than 4.5 million followers. Featuring the latest news, this website focuses on the latest news on data breaches, cyber attacks, vulnerabilities, malware and more.

The Last Watchdog
The Last Watchdog is written by Byron Acohido, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, teacher and cybersecurity and privacy expert. His blog is video-heavy and includes many interview-style posts as well as guest articles.

Schneier on Security
Bruce Schneier has been writing about security on his blog since 2004. Dubbed a “security guru” by The Economist, he is the Chief of Security at Inrupt, Inc. in addition to being a Harvard University fellow and a lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also a board member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and AccessNow and serves as an advisory board member of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and VerifiedVoting.org.

Krebs on Security
Brian Krebs is the former Washington Post reporter for this in-depth blog covering security news and investigation. He is also the author of “Spam Nation” and has been profiled in The New York Times, Business Week and Poynter.

Dark Reading
If you work in cybersecurity or have any interest in the field, you have likely visited Dark Reading. As one of the most popular websites among cybersecurity professionals, Dark Reading offers insight across a variety of topics from analytics and application security to mobile and cloud security, IoT and more.

Signal Magazine
Signal Magazine is the official publication of the AFCEA, a professional association focused on serving the government and military since 1946. Signal produces print and online magazines, a blog, newsletters, webinars, eBooks and more. Content is primarily focused on cybersecurity, defense, homeland security, intelligence and technology.

Articles of Interest

As ever, cybersecurity remains a hot topic in the fast-moving news cycle. Below is a sampling of articles that may be of interest to those in the field or curious about recent cybersecurity trends.

Cyberwarfare: Countries shore up digital defenses amid global tensions
This AP News article covers the recent attack on municipal water plants in rural Texas by Russian government-based hackers. Although the plants in the small town of Muleshoe began to overflow, requiring a system shutoff, there was no threat to the safety of the water supply, and no ransom was demanded. It is thought to have been a test of America’s infrastructure, and a call for increased security.

Key Cybersecurity Challenges In 2025 - Trends and Observations
Chuck Brooks, writing for Forbes Magazine, forecasts the potential cybersecurity challenges in 2025. Although there have been significant advances in cybersecurity, Brooks details the many challenges, including the instability of elements within the cyberworld. As ever, the industry requires more robust systems of security that will address vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of hacks and breaches. This article covers quantum technology, the vulnerability of the healthcare industry and others, as well as the rapidly changing field of AI and AI agents.

Podcasts

If you’re someone who learns best by listening, podcasts are an excellent way to learn about what’s happening in the ever-changing world of cybersecurity. NordLayer compiled a list of eight podcasts to check out for 2025, lead off by Darknet Diaries:

“Darknet Diaries,” hosted by Jack Rhysider since 2017, discusses the lesser-known elements of the digital world. Popular for its in-depth analysis of cybercrime incidents, Rhysider's expertise in security engineering and SOC experience enriches each episode.

If you’re just enjoying some much-needed downtime, these resources and more will help you relax while gaining vital knowledge about the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity.

CYRIN

In the meantime, don’t forget to visit CYRIN. We stay open all summer, in fact 24/7. Our training platform teaches fundamental solutions that integrate actual cyber tools from CYRIN’s labs and allow you to practice at any time in the cloud, no special software required. Cyber is a team effort; to see what our team can do for you take a look at our course catalog, or better yet, contact us for further information and your personalized demonstration of CYRIN. Take a test drive and see for yourself!

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