The Digital Big Bang: The Hard Stuff, the Soft Stuff, and the Future of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity experts from across industries and sectors share insights on how to think like scientists to master cybersecurity challenges

Humankind’s efforts to explain the origin of the cosmos birthed disciplines such as physics and chemistry. Scientists conceived of the cosmic ‘Big Bang’ as an explosion of particles—everything in the universe centered around core elements and governed by laws of matter and gravity. In the modern era of digital technology, we are experiencing a similar explosion of ones and zeros, an exponentially expanding universe of bits of data centered around the core elements of speed and connectivity. One of the disciplines to emerge from our efforts to make sense of this new universe is the science of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is as central to the Digital Age as physics and chemistry were to the Scientific Age. The Digital Big Bang explores current and emerging knowledge in the field of cybersecurity, helping readers think like scientists to master cybersecurity principles and overcome cybersecurity challenges.

This innovative text adopts a scientific approach to cybersecurity, identifying the science’s fundamental elements and examining how these elements intersect and interact with each other. Author Phil Quade distills his over three decades of cyber intelligence, defense, and attack experience into an accessible, yet detailed, single-volume resource. Designed for non-specialist business leaders and cybersecurity practitioners alike, this authoritative book is packed with real-world examples, techniques, and strategies no organization should be without. Contributions from many of the world’s leading cybersecurity experts and policymakers enable readers to firmly grasp vital cybersecurity concepts, methods, and practices. This important book:

• Guides readers on both fundamental tactics and advanced strategies
• Features observations, hypotheses, and conclusions on a wide range of cybersecurity issues
• Helps readers work with the central elements of cybersecurity, rather than fight or ignore them
• Includes content by cybersecurity leaders from organizations such as Microsoft, Target, ADP, Capital One, Verisign, AT&T, Samsung, and many others
• Offers insights from national-level security experts including former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell

The Digital Big Bang is an invaluable source of information for anyone faced with the challenges of 21st century cybersecurity in all industries and sectors, including business leaders, policy makers, analysts and researchers as well as IT professionals, educators, and students.

About the Author

Phil Quade is the CISO of Fortinet. Phil brings more than three decades of cyber intelligence, defense, and attack experience, working across foreign, government, and commercial industry sectors.