“A must-read…It reveals important truths.”
—Vint Cerf, Internet pioneer

“One of the finest books on information security published so far in this century—easily accessible, tightly argued, superbly well-sourced, intimidatingly perceptive.”
—Thomas Rid, author of Active Measures

Cyber attacks are less destructive than we thought they would be—but they are more pervasive, and much harder to prevent. With little fanfare and only occasional scrutiny, they target our banks, our tech and health systems, our democracy, and impact every aspect of our lives. Packed with insider information based on interviews with key players in defense and cyber security, declassified files, and forensic analysis of company reports, The Hacker and the State explores the real geopolitical competition of the digital age and reveals little-known details of how China, Russia, North Korea, Britain, and the United States hack one another in a relentless struggle for dominance. It moves deftly from underseas cable taps to underground nuclear sabotage, from blackouts and data breaches to election interference and billion-dollar heists.

Ben Buchanan brings to life this continuous cycle of espionage and deception, attack and counterattack, destabilization and retaliation. Quietly, insidiously, cyber attacks have reshaped our national-security priorities and transformed spycraft and statecraft. The United States and its allies can no longer dominate the way they once did. From now on, the nation that hacks best will triumph.

“A helpful reminder…of the sheer diligence and seriousness of purpose exhibited by the Russians in their mission.”
—Jonathan Freedland, New York Review of Books

“The best examination I have read of how increasingly dramatic developments in cyberspace are defining the ‘new normal’ of geopolitics in the digital age.”
—General David Petraeus, former Director of the CIA

“Fundamentally changes the way we think about cyber operations from ‘war’ to something of significant import that is not war—what Buchanan refers to as ‘real geopolitical competition.’”
—Richard Harknett, former Scholar-in-Residence at United States Cyber Command

"A helpful reminder…of the sheer diligence and seriousness of purpose exhibited by the Russians in their mission…Information warfare is designed to bamboozle, but its digital variant can be especially baffling to the nonspecialist." - New York Review of Books

"A substantial and measured history of cyberattacks in recent decades…Despite the growing ubiquity of cyberattacks, Buchanan also highlights their limits as a means of coercion or as a way of sending a message." - Foreign Affairs

"Demonstrates how this field has evolved from espionage operations and a field dominated by the United States to cyber-attacks that have broader implications for economies and societies…An excellent primer for understanding how cyber operations have become an indelible part of global relations and ably demonstrates how hacking has ‘earned its place in the playbook of statecraft.’" - Geographical

"With an academic’s eye, Buchanan compares and contrasts the emerging tactics [of digital competition] with the traditional ways of military conflict, nuclear competition, and espionage to make some sense of the new age. The book dissects how governments use cyberattacks to fundamentally ‘change the state of play.’" - MIT Technology Review

"Probes deep into cyber security, the truths and myths about cyber security, and how society, corporations, and individuals pay particularly close attention to it in today’s everchanging world…Allows the reader to understand the real geopolitical competition of the digital age as it applies to business and government agencies." - Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books

"If you believe that cyber attacks are now critical to understand today’s International Relations, stop doing everything you are doing and start reading Ben Buchanan’s new book…Makes clear how we need to pay attention to the distinctiveness of cyber attacks and the strategic logics behind them…An incredibly informed examination of the cyber attacks that have taken place in recent decades." - E-International Relations

"Buchanan is well-placed to detail the history and evolution of this new and oft-misunderstood form of warfare…This book argues that states must learn to read the signaling implied by a cyber-attack, in the same way that they would a military exercise along their border." - Encyclopedia Geopolitica

"Provides a reliable summary and deep analysis of a novel force bound to shape world affairs." - New York Journal of Books