10 Cybersecurity Books Every Business Owner Should Read

Last year, according to MarketWatch.com, data breaches increased by 17%, which makes understanding cybersecurity an absolute must for all of us.

Cybersecurity is a complex, ever-evolving industry. New threats, data breach stories and new legislation regularly grab our attention, and it’s up to us in the digital age to understand the risks we’re facing.

In this blog, I’ve detailed 10 recently published cybersecurity books, that are definitely worth reading to enhance your knowledge and give you the confidence to understand what lurks in the shadows.

Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from The Best Hackers in World (2019)

By Jennifer Jin & Marcus J Carey

Tribe of Hackers is a fantastic guide for those looking to join the ranks of the cybersecurity industry, which can already boast hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals.

Whether you’re a newbie to the industry, working your way up in the corporate world, or you’re a business owner, this book offers practical insight, industry know-how, and all the technical skills you need to succeed in such a rapidly expanding industry.

The Secret to Cybersecurity: A Simple Plan to Protect Your Family and Business from Cybercrime (2019)

By Scott Augenbaum

The Secret to Cybersecurity is a straightforward and jargon-free strategy that keeps you, your family and your business safe from what lurks out there online.

The author Scott Augenbaum has been working for the FBI for the past three-decades specialising in uncovering cybercrimes. The book presents real-world cases, which are designed to educate readers and how, why, and who, so you can use them to formulate your own plan.

If you’re looking to learn about the latest scams, hacking methods, and the ways cybercriminals are operating, this book is undoubtedly for you.

Cybersecurity Blue Team Toolkit (2019)

By Nadean H.Tanner

We’ve all seen news stories of major data breaches, so much so that it’s impossible for any business owner, large or small, to dismiss the
relevance of appropriate cybersecurity measures.

Blue Team Tool Kit, by Nadean Tanner – former Department of Defence professional – contains substantial detail yet is still accessible enough for anyone with basic knowledge to understand.

The book explores simple strategies, best practices and the tools that are available to you, no matter your level of expertise.

Cybersecurity: Attack and Defence Strategies (2018)

By Yuri Diogenes & Erdal Ozkaya

Attack and Defence Strategies puts you into the position of a ‘Threat Actor’, a technique designed to help you understand the motivation and rewards that encourage cyber-attacks.

You will learn how to implement cybersecurity measures, using the latest technologies, that can pinpoint an attacker’s identity, show you where you’ve been compromised, and how the weakness has been exploited.

Data & Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World (2018)

By Bruce Schneier

Bruce Schneier is a big name in the cybersecurity industry and uses his blog, with over 200,000 readers, to impart followers with the latest knowledge and industry insight.

Data and Goliath offers a comprehensive look at the levels of data surveillance tools and legislation that jeopardise and invade our privacy.

It’s hard to fathom how dangerous a data breach is until you’ve peaked behind the curtain to see how much data is actually being circulated all over the world, and this book allows you to do just that.

The Hacker Playbook 3: The Practical Guide to Penetration Test (2018)

By Peter Kim

The Hacker Playbook 3 takes your offensive security knowledge to the next level. Combining new strategies and many handy hints and tips, this book will give you all the tools you need to combat attacks.

The core theme of the book strives to answer why cybersecurity still hasn’t progressed as quickly as it needed to. For example, why, considering all the security protocols and defences we have access to, are security breaches still on the rise?

The Practice of Network Security Monitoring: Understanding Incident Detection and Response (2013)

By Richard Bejtlich

This is one is not quite as recent as some of the others, but it’s still worth including as a go-to book for many in the industry. It’s certainly worth checking out some of the author's other work as well.

The Practice of Network Security Monitoring sets out the groundwork that you can use to protect your networks, which includes ways of collecting and analysing data that will dictate your cybersecurity strategies.

Although preventing every intrusion is entirely impossible, Bejtlich explains how best to suppress them.

Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War (2017)

By Fred Kaplan

Dark Territory is a history of the US governments attempts to manage national security in the digital age. Covering inside intel from the National Security Agency, Pentagon cyber units, the ‘information warfare’ squads present in military services, and the debates that happen within the confines of the top office in Washington.

We learn about the officers, scientist, policymakers and spies who have all contributed to the cybersecurity war that happens all around us.

Ghost In The Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker (2017)

By Kevin Mitnick with William L. Simon

Unlike most of the books on this list, which are practical guides, Ghost in the Wires is actually a memoir, but it’s certainly a relevant and entertaining read.

Author Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in criminal in history. He was able to access the networks of some of the world’s biggest corporations – and no matter how quickly the authorities responded, Mitnick had already been and gone.

Once Mitnick recognised the net was beginning to tighten, he went on the run, using countless false identities across the globe to dodge to law time and again.

Hacked Again (2016)

By Scott N. Schober

Hacked Again is the account of a cybersecurity expert and the CEO of a wireless tech security firm, as he attempts to understand the motives behind being hacked.

Schober shares his tips and best practices in securing your cyber identity and shares his story of repeated hacks to encourage others to protect themselves online.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of books on the subject of cybersecurity, but I believe the ten we’ve talked about in this blog contain a great range of books within the cyber niche, that are both practical and entertaining.  

Richard LeCount is a cybersecurity expert and the managing director of usbmakers.com