The 2008 Conficker computer worm upped the ante in the battle of cyber-security experts against the creators of malicious viruses and worms. While The Cuckoo’s Egg remains a classic book about the onset of tracking hackers, this article from The Atlantic shows that the war is far from over.  As the author Mark Bowden points out the stakes in the battle against newer, more sophisticated and insidious computer viruses have never been higher.  

The security experts profiled in the article employ old fashion Sam Spade-type detective work along with their state of the art technologies and unprecedented collaboration with experts across national borders.  I am hesitant to say that I enjoyed this article because of the serious issues involved, but if you are going to read an article about global cyber attacks what is the harm if it also reads as well as an espionage thriller?

The Enemy Within by Mark Bowden from The Atlantic