News of a computer virus has become fairly common, and doesn’t always garner that much attention anymore. Large scale attacks are talked about by the public for a while, then they face away. Some people, however, are tasked with deciphering a virus and taking steps to keep it from spreading further. Stuxnet made the news, but the full story took time to find out, and is now shared in Countdown to Zero Day, by Kim Zetter.

The appearance of Stuxnet is public knowledge, but what it did, and why it was unleashed, isn’t as widely spread. Zetter tells the different stories involved that make up the whole story; from planning to developing to releasing, and then to the detection and investigation. She describes what made the virus so different, and how the researchers went about tearing into it.

Though it is a lengthy and detailed account, the book is easy to understand. Even people who aren’t real familiar with computers can comprehend what is said, as technical terms and products are explained in plain language. Despite dealing with a highly technical subject, Countdown to Zero Day moves along at a good pace. The events that transpired are documented thoroughly, and there isn’t any kind of bias evident in the presentation.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.