It’s not just computers–hacking is everywhere.

A hack is any means of subverting a system’s rules in unintended ways. The tax code isn’t computer code, but a series of complex formulas. It has vulnerabilities; we call them “loopholes.” We call exploits “tax avoidance strategies.” And there is an entire industry of “black hat” hackers
intent on finding exploitable loopholes in the tax code. We call them accountants and tax attorneys.

In A Hacker’s Mind, Bruce Schneier takes hacking out of the world of computing and uses it to analyze the systems that underpin our society: from tax laws to financial markets to politics. He reveals an array of powerful actors whose hacks bend our economic, political, and legal
systems to their advantage, at the expense of everyone else.

Once you learn how to notice hacks, you’ll start seeing them everywhere–and you’ll never look at the world the same way again. Almost all systems have loopholes, and this is by design. Because if you can take advantage of them, the rules no longer apply to you.

Unchecked, these hacks threaten to upend our financial markets, weaken our democracy, and even affect the way we think. And when artificial intelligence starts thinking like a hacker–at inhuman speed and scale–the results could be catastrophic.

But for those who would don the “white hat,” we can understand the hackingmindset and rebuild our economic, political, and legal systems to counter those who would exploit our society. And we can harness artificial intelligence to improve existing systems, predict and defend
against hacks, and realize a more equitable world.

A fellow at the Harvard Center for Internet and Society, Bruce Schneier has been called “one of the world’s foremost security experts” (Wired). In Data and Goliath, Schneier offers a sobering look at government/corporate surveillance and the ever-rising threat to personal privacy and freedom.

We don’t demand a background check on the plumber who shows up to fix the leaky sink. We don’t do a chemical analysis on food we eat.

Trust and cooperation are the first problems we had to solve before we could become a social species. In the 21st century, they have become the most important problems we need to solve–again. Our global society has become so large
and complex that our traditional trust mechanisms no longer work.

Bruce Schneier, world-renowned for his level-headed thinking on security and technology, tackles this complex subject head-on. Society can’t function without trust, and yet must function even when people are untrustworthy.

Liars and Outliers reaches across academic disciplines to develop an understanding of trust, cooperation, and social stability. From the subtle social cues we use to recognize trustworthy people to the laws that punish the noncompliant,
from the way our brains reward our honesty to the bank vaults that keep out the dishonest, keeping people cooperative is a delicate balance of rewards and punishments. It’s a series of evolutionary tricks, social pressures, legal mechanisms, and physical barriers.

In the absence of personal relationships, we have no choice but to substitute security for trust, compliance for trustworthiness. This progression has enabled society to scale to unprecedented complexity, but has also permitted massive global failures.

At the same time, too much cooperation is bad. Without some level of rule-breaking, innovation and social progress become impossible. Society stagnates.

Today’s problems require new thinking, and Liars and Outliers provides that. It is essential that we learn to think clearly about trust. Our future depends on it.

You take off your shoes in the airport. You scan the supermarket’s “preferred customer” card to get the sale price. You claw your way through tamper-resistant packaging for a couple of aspirin. You accept all these inconveniences in the name of security.

But are you any safer?

Bruce Schneier, arguably the world’s foremost authority on computer security, has explored security issues ranging from protecting your password to illegal wiretapping. This collection of Schneier’s best op-ed pieces, columns, and blog posts goes
beyond technology, offering his insight into everything from the risk of identity theft (vastly overrated) to the long-range security threat of unchecked presidential power and the surprisingly simple way to tamper-proof elections.
You’ll discover:
* Why data mining will never protect us from terrorists
* How your stone-age brain affects what you fear and what security measures you accept
* Why computer security is fundamentally an economic problem
* Whether you can really trust a Trusted Traveler
* If sacrificing your privacy has made you more secure
* Why refusing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants actually reduces security
* The industry power struggle over controlling your computer
* Why we overestimate some risks and underestimate others
* Why national ID cards won’t make us safer, only poorer
… and much more

This book will challenge your illusions of security at every level. Think it’s okay to give up your privacy if you’re doing nothing wrong? What happens when “wrong” gets redefined? How much power over your personal life are you willing to concede to the person you least want to see as president? What’s the acceptable trade-off between security and convenience?

In this ruthless, comprehensive, and thought-provoking analysis, Schneier shows us what we should be worrying about and how to get our national fingers off the panic button.

In his latest collection of essays, security expert Bruce Schneier tackles a range of cybersecurity, privacy, and real-world security issues ripped from the headlines. Essays cover the ever-expanding role of technology in national security, war, transportation, the Internet of Things, elections, and more. Throughout, he challenges the status quo with a call for leaders, voters, and consumers to make better security and privacy decisions and investments. Bruce’s writing has previously appeared in some of the world’s best-known and most-respected publications, including The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Wired, and many others. And now you can enjoy his essays in one place–at your own speed and convenience. – Timely security and privacy topics – The impact of security and privacy on our world – Perfect for fans of Bruce’s blog and newsletter – Lower price than his previous essay collections The essays are written for anyone who cares about the future and implications of security and privacy for society.