Hacker and the State

In 'The Hacker and the State,' Ben Buchanan provides an in-depth look at how nation-states—including the U.S.

, China, Russia, North Korea, and Britain—use cyber operations to spy, sabotage, and influence one another in a relentless struggle for dominance.

The book moves beyond sensationalized fears of cyberwar to examine the real, pervasive, and often hidden ways that hacking has transformed statecraft and spycraft.

Buchanan draws on insider interviews, declassified documents, and forensic analysis to explain the tactics, motivations, and consequences of state-sponsored cyberattacks, from undersea cable taps and election interference to infrastructure sabotage and billion-dollar heists.

Accessible to both technical and non-technical readers, the book offers a nuanced understanding of the new normal in global politics, where the nation that hacks best may triumph.