Every aspect of modern life, from communication to commerce and conflict, relies on the internet, and the resultant cybersecurity issues affect literally everyone. We face new questions concerning the rights and responsibilities we have as citizens of both the real and digital worlds, relating to the protection of ourselves as well as our families from emerging threats.

However, such an important topic is rarely understood adequately. With the book "Cybersecurity and Cyberwar," successful author P. W. Singer and recognized internet expert Allan Friedman provide a readable yet informative reference work that has been missing from the literature on this critical issue of the 21st century. Written in a lively style and enriched with a plethora of stories and examples, this book is structured around the key questions of cybersecurity: how it works, why it matters, and what we can do.

Along the way, the authors guide readers through the central issues and figures of cybersecurity, from the hacker group "Anonymous" and the Stuxnet virus to the new cyber units of the Chinese and U.S. military. The book "Cybersecurity and Cyberwar" is the definitive reference work in the field and comes at exactly the right moment.

P. W. Singer is the director of the "Center for the 21st Century Security and Intelligence" at the Brookings Institution. Allan Friedman is a research director at the "Center for Technology Innovation" at the Brookings Institution.

Contents: Foreword, xi; Introduction, 1; Why write a book about cybersecurity and cyberwar?, 1; Why is there a knowledge gap regarding cybersecurity and why does it matter? 5; How did you write the book and what do you hope to achieve? 10; Part I: How it all works, 14; The global who? Defining cyberspace, 14; Where did these cyber themes come from, anyway? A brief history of the internet, 19; How does the internet really work?, 24; Who governs it? Understanding internet governance, 29; On the internet, how do they know if you’re a dog? Identity and identity verification, 35; What do we mean by the term "security," anyway?, 39; What are the threats? 41; Phishing: What are the vulnerabilities in cyberspace? 45; How do we show trust in cyberspace? 52; Focus point: What happened in the case of WikiLeaks? 58; What is an advanced persistent threat (APT)? 63; How do we keep the bad guys out? The basic principles of computer defense, 69; Who is the weakest link? Human factors, 74; Part II: Why it matters, 76; What is the significance of cyberattacks? The importance of terms and frameworks, 76; Who did it? The problem of attribution, 82; What is hacktivism? 87; Focus point: Who are the Anonymous? 92; Tomorrow's crimes, today: What is cybercrime? 96; Suspicious remote control tools and cyber spies: What is cyber espionage?, 104; How much should we fear cyberterrorism? 110; So, how do terrorists really use the internet? 113; What about cyber counterterrorism? 118; Security risk or human right? Foreign policy and the internet, 121; Focus point: What is Tor and why does multi-layered encryption matter? 124; Who are patriotic hackers? 126; Focus point: What was Stuxnet? 131; What is the hidden lesson of Stuxnet? The ethics of cyber weapons, 135; "Cyberwar, Aaaah, why zeroes and ones are good?": The definition of cyberwarfare, 137; A war by any other name? The legal side of cyber conflict, 139; What would a "cyberwar" really look like? Computer network operations, 144; Focus point: What is the U.S. military's approach to cyberwarfare? 152; Focus point: What is China's approach to cyberwarfare? 158; What about deterrence in an age of cyberwar? 165; Why is it so difficult to assess the threat in cyberspace? 169; Does the world of cybersecurity favor the weak or the strong? 172; Who has the advantage, offense or defense? 175; A new kind of arms race: What are the risks of proliferation in cyberspace? 179; Are there lessons from past arms races? 182; Behind the scenes: Is there a cyber-industrial complex? 186; Part III: What can we do? 190; Don't be fooled: Why can’t we just create a new, safer internet? 190; Rethink security: What is resilience and why is it important? 193; Reframe the problem (and the solution): What can we learn from public health? 198; Learn lessons from history: What can (real) pirates teach us about cybersecurity? 202; Protect global governance for the World Wide Web: What is the role of international institutions? 206; "Inoculate" the rule of law: Do we need a treaty for cyberspace? 211; Understand the limits of the state in cyberspace: Why can’t the government handle it? 221; Rethink the role of government: How can we better organize for cybersecurity? 226; Approach the situation as a public-private problem: How do we better coordinate defense? 234; Exercise is good for you: How can we better prepare for cyber incidents? 241; Create incentives for cybersecurity: Why should I do what you want? 247; Learn to share: How can we better collaborate on information? 254; Demand disclosures: What is the role of transparency? 261; Get active on the accountability issue: How can we create accountability for security? 265; Find the technologists: How do we solve the problem of the cyber workforce? 269; Play your part: How can I protect myself (and the internet)? 275; Conclusions, 283; Where is cybersecurity headed next? 283; What do I really need to know in the end? 292; Acknowledgments, 295; Notes, 297; Glossary, 343; Index, 355.