Cybersecurity is an industry that thrives on knowledge: we have a vibrant conference scene, various audio content comes at us in the form of webinars, online summits and podcasts, and we can also spend our offline time indulging in cybersecurity books.
However, with regards to the latter, often it is hard to know where to start when it comes to reading about cybersecurity – do you go for the best known author or the highest rated book on Amazon? Or do you go down the rabbit hole of asking for a recommendation, and then have to decide from many more options than you had originally intended?
With this in mind, and with assistance from publisher No Starch Press, online learning library Perlego and the infosec community on Twitter, Infosecurity has determined the top 10 must-read books for cybersecurity professionals.
1 - The Cuckoo’s Egg – Clifford Stoll
Often cited as one of the best cybersecurity reads, this 1989 tale depicts Clifford’s extensive investigation into a notable cyber-alert.
2 - The Cybersecurity Playbook – Allison Cerra
The most-read cybersecurity book from 2019 according to Perlego, this is a step-by-step guide to protecting your organization from unknown threats and adopting good security habits for everyday business situations.
3 - Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition – Eric Matthes
The top seller, according to No Starch Press, is this “hands-on, project-based introduction” to the core of Python programming.
4 - Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do about It – Richard A. Clarke and Robert K. Knake
This is the most heavily-reviewed cybersecurity book on Amazon with more than 240 ratings. In this book, Clarke and Knake trace the rise of the cyber-age and profile the characters involved.
5 - Ghost In The Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker – Kevin Mitnick and William Simon
Acting as a biography of Mitnick’s rise to infamy, this book depicts how he began his career of social engineering and code-cracking.
6 - Cyber Wars – Charles Arthur
Former technology editor at The Guardian, Arthur’s story of “game changing hacks that make organizations around the world tremble” was the second most-read on Perlego’s cybersecurity list.
7 - Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, 2nd Edition – Al Sweigart
The second most-read title on No Starch Press’ cybersecurity list is another Python guide which promises to show the reader how to use Python to write programs in minutes with no prior programming experience required.
8 - Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World – Bruce Schneier
Schneier is a prolific writer and many recommendations were made for this 2000 title looking at the state of cybersecurity as we entered the new millennium.
9 - Social Engineering – Christopher Hadnagy
Another with high Amazon ratings and recommended on Twitter, this 2010 book is widely recognized as the first to reveal the concept of social engineering.
10 - Countdown to Zero Day – Kim Zetter
The last choice is Infosecurity’s, and is a book which tells the tale of Stuxnet and the story of cyber-espionage involving the US, Israel and an Iranian nuclear facility.