Zero Day: A Novel [Hardcover]

Mark Russinovich (Author), Howard Schmidt (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2011

An airliner’s controls abruptly fail mid-flight over the Atlantic. An oil tanker runs aground in Japan when its navigational system suddenly stops dead. Hospitals everywhere have to abandon their computer databases when patients die after being administered incorrect dosages of their medicine. In the Midwest, a nuclear power plant nearly becomes the next Chernobyl when its cooling systems malfunction.
      At first, these random computer failures seem like unrelated events. But Jeff Aiken, a former government analyst who quit in disgust after witnessing the gross errors that led up to 9/11, thinks otherwise. Jeff fears a more serious attack targeting the United States computer infrastructure is already under way. And as other menacing computer malfunctions pop up around the world, some with deadly results, he realizes that there isn’t much time if he hopes to prevent an international catastrophe. 
    Written by a global authority on cyber security, Zero Day presents a chilling “what if” scenario that, in a world completely reliant on technology, is more than possible today---it’s a cataclysmic disaster just waiting to happen.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Microsoft computer guru Russinovich's first novel, a cautionary tale about the imminence of the great cyber attack to wipe out the Internet, works pretty well as a thriller, though it takes a while to boot up and for the bodies to begin to fall. Arab terrorists, with the collusion of Osama bin Laden, are behind the attack, which is supposed to destroy Western civilization. A New York City law firm enlists cyber expert Jeff Aiken to track down a virus that has knocked out the company's computer network. While working on this problem, Jeff uncovers the larger threat. With the help of "stunningly attractive" Daryl Haugen, an old friend who becomes his love interest, Jeff attempts to warn the authorities, but to little avail. The author effectively employs the usual genre types—government traitors, amoral hackers, professional assassins—but his main characters spend too much time at the keyboard to build up much heat. Bill Gates provides a blurb. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

The horror of cyberterrorism explodes on the page in Russinovich�s first novel. A plane over the Atlantic suddenly needs to reboot its computer to stay in the air, and the pilots barely avert disaster. A hospital network mixes up patient information, resulting in the death of several people. A law firm, which has lost all of its clients' data and can�t get its system running again, turns to Jeff Aiken, a former government analyst and computer expert. He discovers that all of the crashes are insidiously connected, and an even greater disaster is coming. Computer technospeak is handled with ease by Russinovich, who makes the jargon understandable for nongeeks but does so without losing authenticity. His background at Microsoft ensures that he knows what he�s writing about, but, equally important, he constructs a gripping narrative. A terrifying tale made all the more frightening by our concern that it could offers a glimpse into the future, Russinovich�s thriller just could become one of those books that prompts a real-world response, in this case a wake-up call for greater cybersecurity methods. --Jeff Ayers

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031261246X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312612467
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Russinovich works at Microsoft as a Technical Fellow, Microsoft's senior-most technical position. He joined the company when Microsoft acquired Winternals software, which he co-founded in 1996. He is also author of the popular Sysinternals tools. He is coauthor of the Windows Internals book series, a contributing editor for TechNet Magazine, and a senior contributing editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine. He lives in Washington State with his wife, daughter, two dogs and two cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thriller for the IT department, March 15, 2011

By 

Mary Jo Foley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zero Day: A Novel (Hardcover)

I don't read a lot of cyberthrillers. In fact, this might be my second or third. But the fast pace and compelling characters and scene descriptions in Zero Day kept me reading. I finished the whole book in a day and a half.

In my day job, I write about technology. But I don't think you'd need to be a student of IT or tech jargon to enjoy this book. I will say Zero Day left me more worried than ever about what could potentially happen if a cyber-attack like what's detailed in this novel ever happens. Russinovich's book brought home more than any news article or blog post has for me the very real potential for something like this to happen.

Russinovich had an early review copy of this book sent to me. (Thanks, MarkR!) I am really glad he did. It was an enjoyable way to lose myself for a weekend.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zero Day, March 16, 2011

By 

Misha - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zero Day: A Novel (Hardcover)

*Rating is 3.5*

Mark Russinovich works at Microsoft in one of the senior-most technical positions. Considering the background of the author, the premise of Zero Day becomes even more compelling.

Zero Day has a thrilling start. Several seemingly unrelated incidents take place all over the world, all involving computer failures. The controls of a British Airways flight fails. So do the computers in a highly reputed firm based in NYC. A glitch in the computer databases in various hospitals causes many patients to die, due to wrong administration of medicines. Jeff Aiken, who used to previously work for the Government, starts to see a pattern in these incidents. What emerges is more deadly than anyone could imagine. It's up to Jeff to stop the impending disaster before all hell breaks loose.

Zero Day involves a very realistic portrayal of cyber-terrorism. It's disturbing and terrifying since it's so real; and it's scarier because of the author's knowledge and background. You can't really discount the scenario presented in Zero Day - the things described in the book can certainly happen. Ever since 9/11 attacks , there has been increasing paranoia in the world. Terrorism has expanded and with advancement in technology, the threat has increased further. Taking into account how depended we've become on computers and internet, the book's premise is only too real. If someone was to launch an attack via the internet, the effects can be enormous and more horrifying than what any one of us can imagine.

Zero Day is a fast-paced, heart-stopping thriller. I was unable to put the book down. The book compels you to ask - "What if?" This thought-provoking thriller, packed with action, will keep you reading late into the night. I instantly connected with Jeff. All through the book, I wanted him to succeed. I felt his emotions as he raced against time to stop the looming disaster.

A major problem I had with the book was the technical aspect and details which were beyond my comprehension. All the technical parts got very monotonous for me. Perhaps if I had more knowledge of programming and cyber-crimes, the book might have been a 5 star read for me. However, the author did manage to make up for the boring parts with some very surprising twists.

Zero Day is a book that's very relevant today. We do need to be aware of how hugely dependent we have become on technology. Our lives are almost run by technology. Most of us will have a panic attack, if our internet suddenly stops working or if we are not able to check our emails. Zero Day forces one to ponder on how vulnerable we are to any kind of cyber-crime. Technology has definitely helped mankind, but like every great innovation, it does have its flaws. Thanks to technology, you can shop at home, book flight tickets sitting at home, talk to a person on the other side of the world, pay your bills online and even control your bank accounts. You hardly even need to step out of your homes. Do we realize how much of ourselves we give out on social networking sites? Almost our entire lives are so out there, so open to any kind of attack. Zero Day, apart from being action-packed, is also informative. It's not just fiction but reality and hence more frightening than any ghost story.

Overall:
An intelligently written thriller with realistic themes and heart-stopping action

Recommended?
Yes, to those who enjoy thrillers which have more depth to them.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dead serious, March 22, 2011

By 

Larry - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zero Day: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

I give the book three solid stars. I would recommend it as an excellent educational read on many levels, but caution about its linear plot.

Two months ago, the "Fatal System Error" by Joseph Menn, got me hooked on this cybercrime world. This non-fiction book reads like a thriller. Next was the recent "Counting from Zero" by Alan Johnston. It is a fast-paced fiction tale about a group of friends - eccentric global travelers - trying to save the world from yet another "zero day".

"Zero Day" was a natural next step. The security forensics descriptions were truly fascinating despite the tediousness of the process. It was helpful to get a perspective on the relationships among numerous US agencies involved. I enjoyed the crossing of the mountains part very much. (A hint for the next book.) As a whole, the plot was straightforward until the last few chapters that added thrilling dynamics to the book. I wished, I could have connected with the characters on a more personal level, but they were too dead serious to me.

Hope that you find this review helpful.