This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race

Throughout the book, Perlroth provides a comprehensive analysis of globally significant events that illustrate the ways in which various governments and organizations have used digital espionage to interfere with issues of privacy and civil liberties. Zero-day exploits are commonly used in digital espionage campaigns, and Perlroth cites numerous examples of occasions when American and foreign government agencies used digital tools to spy on their own citizens and  on foreign civilians, corporations, and diplomatic targets. For billions of people, everyday life is inextricably entwined with digital activities and devices, and cyberespionage therefore has the potential to provide hostile actors with unprecedented access to sensitive personal data and real-time surveillance information.

Perlroth also conducts an incisive examination of the activities of the NSA, which often works in conjunction with the CIA and stands as the premier intelligence agency of the United States. The NSA’s TAO (Tailored Access Operations) team develops and deploys countless zero-day exploits in both domestic and international espionage activities. Within this context, the 2013 Snowden Leaks showed the agency’s willingness to spy indiscriminately on private citizens and allies, a major violation of the fundamental human right to privacy. The outraged determination with which Silicon Valley tech companies changed their practices to combat government infiltration echoes the public outcry sparked by these revelations.