A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules, and How to Bend Them Back (2023) by Bruce Schneier
Bottom Line:
Hall of Fame Candidate; I recommend this nonfiction book for the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame.
Review:
When we think of a hacker, we think of a person wearing a black hoodie with a skull logo on the front. That is because we associate hacking with criminals and technology. However, that is not always the case, according to Bruce Schneier. In his latest book, “A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules, and How to Bend Them Back,” the author, a seasoned security professional, defies this common notion. Schneier explains that hacking does not have to be associated only with technology and criminals. He explains that whenever we bend rules or find loopholes in the system, we are hacking the system.
In “A Hacker’s Mind,” Schneier explains how our legal, financial/taxation, political and other systems are hacked. The most commonly hacked system is probably the taxation system. To a certain extent, we all hack the taxation system – after all, everyone likes to get some deductions on their tax return!
Although “A Hacker’s Mind” is focused on wealthy and influential people, the reality is that we all have hacked the system at one point or another. Think about a time when you talked to someone in a line to get into or cut the line. In this example, people forming a line or standing in line are following a system, and using the “chat and cut” technique to bypass most of the line (and the wait time) is the hack! The author illustrates his point with an example of the Airline Frequent Flyer hack. In 1999, David Phillips bought about 12,000 Healthy Choice pudding cups to take advantage of the airline frequent flyer affiliate program. David purchased about 12,000 of the cheapest Healthy Choice pudding cups for 25 cents each. That gave him over 1 million airmiles and lifetime elite status for only about $3,000. The author has many such real life examples throughout the book. Schneier’s art of explaining makes the book a fascinating read and successfully keeps the reader interested and curious.
Is this illegal? No, it was not unlawful, and Phillips did not commit any crime or violate any frequent flyer program rules. But if you ask, “Was this ethical?” the answer is perhaps different. How do we know if something is being hacked? According to Schneier, the common reactions are “Is that allowed?” or “I didn’t know you could do that!” If you think something is “gray,” you are probably in the hacking territory.
Most non-technical hacks are unethical but legal. This is perhaps the big difference between the technical hacking we know and the hacking described in “A Hacker’s Mind.” Traditional technical hacking is almost always used to gain unauthorized information or monetary benefit, which is illegal. On the other hand, hacks used in society are not illegal. Schneier talks about how people use loopholes in the system or bend the rules to their advantage.
I can relate to the concept described in this book. Growing up in India, I witnessed people subvert the rules of society every day. Most people have to “hack” the system at almost every step of their lives—they don’t have to be rich or powerful. It is practically a necessity of society. Unfortunately, many do not even realize when they have crossed the line from unethical to illegal. This is probably true for most developing countries because of higher demands and limited resources.
Schneier has been recognized by the Cybersecurity Canon as a Lifetime Achievement Author. He is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in cybersecurity. He has written many books and blogs and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster, London, England. Bruce’s knowledge of the subject and writing experience makes “A Hacker’s Mind” a must read for technical and non-technical readers.
Categories: A Hacker’s Mind, Book Reviews, Text