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richardiporter's review against another edition
5.0
Masha signed up to catch terrorists after they attacked her hometown and built better technology to do it than anyone else she came into contact with. Then those same tools were targeted at her childhood friend for supporting a Black Lives Matter organization.
What is patriotism? How does it differ from authoritarianism? What are the trade-offs between security and surveillance? How does someone begin by hunting terrorists for attacking their hometown and killing thousands, and end up supporting despots in former soviet failed states for cash from their massive military contracting employer? What do we do if the technology we build to catch truly bad people are inevitably turned on our friends
How much can one person influence events of a massive powerful system in which we find ourselves all swept along? When it seems the elite and powerful will always retain power is it rational to fight it? Or is it more rational to carve a space on the couch in the antechamber of power to survive between the elites and the masses?
This book asks these challenging questions. Yet it is replete with tactical guidance on patching, use of encrypted communications, checking binary transparency reports, defending against the evil maid attack on physical access with nail polish on laptop screws and photos of the patterns. The detail is dizzying. The scope is ambitious. The challenging questions are provocative.
It is easy to become overwhelmed thinking that a surveilling adversary only needs one lucky break and a defender needs to be perfect all the time. It is easy to be overwhelmed thinking the wealth and incentives of the system will always go as they've always gone.
But Doctrow through his characters educates us that the cyber-security defense is a means to an end. A tactical method to allow us the time and space to work for a world where we use our governmental systems to protect the vulnerable against the powerful. The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice... but not on its own, we have to BEND it. Crank on it relentlessly until it bends finally to justice. Tech is the amoral force that can serve either side. We must make it bend.
5 Star reviews mean I loved it, will read it again, recommend it for anyone, AND it changed my mind about something important.
What is patriotism? How does it differ from authoritarianism? What are the trade-offs between security and surveillance? How does someone begin by hunting terrorists for attacking their hometown and killing thousands, and end up supporting despots in former soviet failed states for cash from their massive military contracting employer? What do we do if the technology we build to catch truly bad people are inevitably turned on our friends
How much can one person influence events of a massive powerful system in which we find ourselves all swept along? When it seems the elite and powerful will always retain power is it rational to fight it? Or is it more rational to carve a space on the couch in the antechamber of power to survive between the elites and the masses?
This book asks these challenging questions. Yet it is replete with tactical guidance on patching, use of encrypted communications, checking binary transparency reports, defending against the evil maid attack on physical access with nail polish on laptop screws and photos of the patterns. The detail is dizzying. The scope is ambitious. The challenging questions are provocative.
It is easy to become overwhelmed thinking that a surveilling adversary only needs one lucky break and a defender needs to be perfect all the time. It is easy to be overwhelmed thinking the wealth and incentives of the system will always go as they've always gone.
But Doctrow through his characters educates us that the cyber-security defense is a means to an end. A tactical method to allow us the time and space to work for a world where we use our governmental systems to protect the vulnerable against the powerful. The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice... but not on its own, we have to BEND it. Crank on it relentlessly until it bends finally to justice. Tech is the amoral force that can serve either side. We must make it bend.
5 Star reviews mean I loved it, will read it again, recommend it for anyone, AND it changed my mind about something important.
drillvoice's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book a lot. I read it in about four days - it's very engaging and readable. In a weird way this tempts me to judge it for being too readable, but that's unfair. It's a strength of this book and of Doctorow's writing that he can take these topics and write interesting stories that are compelling in themselves but also a window into broader issues. It's also very up-to-date, which is sort of remarkable.
Unfortunately, it has to fall short of 5 stars. There are just a couple too many moments where it's a bit too laboured or too confusing. Masha's attraction/disdain for Marcus is fine, but it's laid on too thick and gets repetitive - like, c'mon, we know already. You've already made us notice this many times in this book. In addition, the structures alternates between Masha in the present day and Masha's historical journey to get to the present day. This generally works, but there are points where it's pretty confusing and I was a bit lost in the timeline. I think perhaps Doctorow assumes more familiarity with Little Brother/Homeland than was the case, at least for me.
Overall though, I really liked it. A big issue today is not just the use of technology for surveillance, but the ethical duties of the individuals working in these contexts. We have many examples of people who've taken a moral stand and blown the whistle; we could have many more. As Doctorow writes, "This is a book about how people rationalize their way into doing things that they are ashamed of, and how they can be brought back from the brink." Doctorow's depiction of the divided Masha reckoning with her own moral compass is really a story for our times, and Doctorow manages to take a subtle perspective on the range of issues, in a way that acknowledges the nuance and complexity.
Unfortunately, it has to fall short of 5 stars. There are just a couple too many moments where it's a bit too laboured or too confusing. Masha's attraction/disdain for Marcus is fine, but it's laid on too thick and gets repetitive - like, c'mon, we know already. You've already made us notice this many times in this book. In addition, the structures alternates between Masha in the present day and Masha's historical journey to get to the present day. This generally works, but there are points where it's pretty confusing and I was a bit lost in the timeline. I think perhaps Doctorow assumes more familiarity with Little Brother/Homeland than was the case, at least for me.
Overall though, I really liked it. A big issue today is not just the use of technology for surveillance, but the ethical duties of the individuals working in these contexts. We have many examples of people who've taken a moral stand and blown the whistle; we could have many more. As Doctorow writes, "This is a book about how people rationalize their way into doing things that they are ashamed of, and how they can be brought back from the brink." Doctorow's depiction of the divided Masha reckoning with her own moral compass is really a story for our times, and Doctorow manages to take a subtle perspective on the range of issues, in a way that acknowledges the nuance and complexity.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
Masha Maximow operates in the part of the tech world that is lucrative and ambiguous, if not always legally then definitely morally. The big companies she works for provide tech and support to governments that monitor their citizens. She got into this line of work via a stint with the US government after a terrorist attck in San Fransisco (see previous novels) and but some unexpected accountability takes out her boss and mentor and there is frankly a lot more money in the private sector anyway. We start the novel with her doing a job in an undefined small Eastern European state where she's working with the company to provide services to the government spying on their protestors, as well as moonlighting with the same protestors to help with providing operational security tips/advice and hang out with them. Things go wrong and she ends up back in San Fransisco meeting up with old activist friends and trying to work out what she has done with her life (currently heavily compartmentalised in her mind) and what the role of tech is or should be in society.
The other books in this timeline are YA novels, whereas this isn't, and actually it is really interesting having an oblique look at what happens to previous YA protagonists who are now grown ups. And actually having some long-term activists who are in it for the long haul, even if the narrative stopped at a specific moment previously, is interesting as of course the work of activism carries on. Seeing as that is the reality it's kind of refreshing seeing it in a novel too. It's still mostly an undercurrent to the main story of Masha having a reckoning with herself. The automatic cars of this alternative timeline are the most obvious signs of the sci-fi label Doctorow usually gets, most of the rest of it sounds depressingly true/plausible. This allegory explores the role we give to tech in lives as well as how much of of it is woven into our everyday life and living with that in different ways.
The other books in this timeline are YA novels, whereas this isn't, and actually it is really interesting having an oblique look at what happens to previous YA protagonists who are now grown ups. And actually having some long-term activists who are in it for the long haul, even if the narrative stopped at a specific moment previously, is interesting as of course the work of activism carries on. Seeing as that is the reality it's kind of refreshing seeing it in a novel too. It's still mostly an undercurrent to the main story of Masha having a reckoning with herself. The automatic cars of this alternative timeline are the most obvious signs of the sci-fi label Doctorow usually gets, most of the rest of it sounds depressingly true/plausible. This allegory explores the role we give to tech in lives as well as how much of of it is woven into our everyday life and living with that in different ways.
sebprovencher's review against another edition
5.0
Just finished Cory doctorow's latest novel "Attack Surface" and really loved it. He explores themes that have been top of mind for me over the last 3 years: how do you go from "tech utopia" to "tech is evil" to "tech can be a positive force, but it depends". In fact, it could almost be interpreted philosophically, an exploration of tech's impacts on the world using Hegel's dialectic (thesis, antithesis, synthesis). Highly recommended. This book is going to stay with me a long time.
eawtcu2015's review against another edition
2.0
This book reads like a Vice News article: slightly informative but elitist failing to stick the landing.
First, good things: good use of cyber terminology and the first chapter moves super well. Basic OPSEC lessons for all
As for everything else, well.... The author markets this as a standalone novel within his established series but sure doesn’t make it easy for newbies. The characters hardly have any additional characterization beyond the barebones of what is established previously or what is being directly spoken. They just exist, have a relationship already, and then don’t change that relationship at all throughout the story. There’s also no middle ground for people, you’re either good or bad, any attempts at grey is thin at best.
Speaking of the story there isn’t a lot of one happening. The first chapter was great and then he pivoted away from that tried to move things forward in a different direction while giving the main character a past. This results in a poorly formatted jump plot where things barely move forward and then you’re whisked back to the past. The pivot robs the story of any forward momentum to the point where you feel like the story should be moving but just nothing ever seems to happen. There’s no end goal, there’s no “living in the world” there’s just characters doing barely anything for the last 250 pages.
First, good things: good use of cyber terminology and the first chapter moves super well. Basic OPSEC lessons for all
As for everything else, well.... The author markets this as a standalone novel within his established series but sure doesn’t make it easy for newbies. The characters hardly have any additional characterization beyond the barebones of what is established previously or what is being directly spoken. They just exist, have a relationship already, and then don’t change that relationship at all throughout the story. There’s also no middle ground for people, you’re either good or bad, any attempts at grey is thin at best.
Speaking of the story there isn’t a lot of one happening. The first chapter was great and then he pivoted away from that tried to move things forward in a different direction while giving the main character a past. This results in a poorly formatted jump plot where things barely move forward and then you’re whisked back to the past. The pivot robs the story of any forward momentum to the point where you feel like the story should be moving but just nothing ever seems to happen. There’s no end goal, there’s no “living in the world” there’s just characters doing barely anything for the last 250 pages.
jmkemp's review against another edition
4.0
Attack Surface is the third in a loose trilogy that started with Little Brother. I've only read the first, Homeland passed me by, yet Attack Surface was readable and it stood well on its own as a story.
The protagonist is Masha, a tech savvy woman from the bay area that has sold out and joined the DHS and then the private contractors providing surveillance know how for governments. When we first meet her she's working both ends in Slovastakia, a semi-fictional former Soviet satellite state with a repressive regime. Her employer is giving the government technology to spy on its protesting citizens. Masha has adopted some of the protestors to assuage her conscience a bit.
Attack Surface is part morality tale, and part horrible warning. Most of what we see in the story is very real, although perhaps not quite happening in the way that it's presented. At least I think we'd like to hope not. Masha ends up back in the US, and caught up with fighting her former employers as they spy on Black Lives Matter organisers and anyone that comes into contact with them.
Overall the book gripped me strongly. There was a great story that I just wanted to keep reading, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing a bit. The only reason it didn't quite rate five stars was there were a number of fairly noticeable information dumps in the earlier parts of the story. While I get that a technology driven story needs readers to understand some of the detail, it got in the way for me. It was noticeable in the afterword that Cory Doctorow shed 40k words in the edit, which suggests perhaps these were the more necessary explanations, but I'd rather there were footnotes I could dip into if it didn't make sense than a page if infodump.
The protagonist is Masha, a tech savvy woman from the bay area that has sold out and joined the DHS and then the private contractors providing surveillance know how for governments. When we first meet her she's working both ends in Slovastakia, a semi-fictional former Soviet satellite state with a repressive regime. Her employer is giving the government technology to spy on its protesting citizens. Masha has adopted some of the protestors to assuage her conscience a bit.
Attack Surface is part morality tale, and part horrible warning. Most of what we see in the story is very real, although perhaps not quite happening in the way that it's presented. At least I think we'd like to hope not. Masha ends up back in the US, and caught up with fighting her former employers as they spy on Black Lives Matter organisers and anyone that comes into contact with them.
Overall the book gripped me strongly. There was a great story that I just wanted to keep reading, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing a bit. The only reason it didn't quite rate five stars was there were a number of fairly noticeable information dumps in the earlier parts of the story. While I get that a technology driven story needs readers to understand some of the detail, it got in the way for me. It was noticeable in the afterword that Cory Doctorow shed 40k words in the edit, which suggests perhaps these were the more necessary explanations, but I'd rather there were footnotes I could dip into if it didn't make sense than a page if infodump.
adamskiboy528491's review against another edition
3.0
There are cameras on every street. Private phones can be tapped. Every electronic device is open to monitoring. A hundred or more companies, governments and secret organisations can and are accumulating all this information on individuals into a huge database of discrete files that a simple algorithm can use to divine anyone's actions. The wake of 9/11 has brought the likes of the PATRIOT Act in many countries, curtailing privacy and enhancing the legal tools for governments to spy on their citizens. We are being watched.
[b:Attack Surface|49247283|Attack Surface|Cory Doctorow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584804658l/49247283._SY75_.jpg|74693588] by [a:Cory Doctorow|12581|Cory Doctorow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1595482071p2/12581.jpg] is another crucial game-changer of the Orwellian world we inhabit. Doctorow knows how to wrap authentic political, ethical & social themes in a (mostly) believable way into a fictional story. This book will not only confuse the heck out of you, but it will defiantly scare you. Technology makes our life easier, but not necessarily happier. It can disconnect us from our immediate reality quite a lot. Our neighbourhood, our friends daily life, the natural world with all its fresh air of sunshine etc. That can be pretty sad. People were complaining about digital technologies just a year ago. Today, amidst this global coronavirus pandemic AND the coming massive recession, these same digital technologies are keeping us entertained, connected, and productive. Lesson: everything has two sides.
In summary, this was a brilliant conclusion to the Little Brother series! I can't wait to read more of Doctorow's work & I can't imagine any other book of his in the future could top this! Speaking of, we ought to understand ways of advancing the future by learning bits and pieces from the past. As Orwell said, "a mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outline and covering up all the details."
sausome's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a bit 1984 meets technology. Is Cory Doctorow the George Orwell of the cyber-age? Perhaps!
It's horrifying what can be breached via technological know-how, and reading this certainly gives me a bit of tech-dread. Are we all lulled into a false sense of security by companies telling us their programs and systems are unhackable? Is anything truly private if it's not literally only in written form locked away in an iron safe? The message of this book is clearly that privacy isn't private, not in the world of technology and political cyber-wars.
Message and frightening tech/cyber stuff aside, much of this book felt extremely inaccessible from a lay-person's perspective. If you know a lot about tech and cyber-security, and have a sense of the ongoing politically fraught cyber-wars and tech-intelligence, then this book will probably be fine. Even if you have a sort of sense but can read with the ability to bypass some of that "not understanding" I'm sure it'll be fine! I loved "Little Brother," and generally what I don't understand can be circumvented by plot interest. This one just felt a lot more out of reach for me, whether it's the unlikable main character, the very tech-heavy lingo, or the international criminal rings, it just felt more dense than I could take.
Cory Doctorow is clearly well-versed and masterfully able to weave a tech-tale that pulls all the stops.
It's horrifying what can be breached via technological know-how, and reading this certainly gives me a bit of tech-dread. Are we all lulled into a false sense of security by companies telling us their programs and systems are unhackable? Is anything truly private if it's not literally only in written form locked away in an iron safe? The message of this book is clearly that privacy isn't private, not in the world of technology and political cyber-wars.
Message and frightening tech/cyber stuff aside, much of this book felt extremely inaccessible from a lay-person's perspective. If you know a lot about tech and cyber-security, and have a sense of the ongoing politically fraught cyber-wars and tech-intelligence, then this book will probably be fine. Even if you have a sort of sense but can read with the ability to bypass some of that "not understanding" I'm sure it'll be fine! I loved "Little Brother," and generally what I don't understand can be circumvented by plot interest. This one just felt a lot more out of reach for me, whether it's the unlikable main character, the very tech-heavy lingo, or the international criminal rings, it just felt more dense than I could take.
Cory Doctorow is clearly well-versed and masterfully able to weave a tech-tale that pulls all the stops.
thehappybooker's review against another edition
I adore books by Cory Doctorow, but this one didn't grab me. I can usually tolerate or even enjoy a lot of geek speak, but I got weary of the super in-depth tech which seemed repetitive to me. I probably quit just before it took off, but I have a pile of intriguing books tempting me, so I'm off.