Book Review: Adversarial Tradecraft in Cybersecurity
Review of the book Adversarial Tradecraft in Cybersecurity by Dan Borges. Book published in June 2021 by Packt Publication.
In my quest to deepen my understanding of red team operations and adversary emulation, I stumbled upon the book, Adversarial Tradecraft in Cybersecurity by Dan Borges. To be honest, its title immediately caught my attention (yes, I am guilty of judging the book by cover but it turned out to be a good decision ). This book provides actionable guidance for both attackers and defenders. I got it through the Humble Bundle by Packt. It was published in June 2021.
Content Overview
Each chapter is divided into two subsections, offensive and defensive perspectives, making it a comprehensive guide for professionals on both sides of the cybersecurity spectrum.
The book begins with an introduction to adversarial operations and the principles of computer conflict, exploring core concepts like deception, humanity. It guides readers through the essentials of planning, setting up infrastructure, and equipping teams with the necessary tools.
It then covers techniques, from both, offensive and defensive perspectives, to gain a tactical edge by remaining undetected, blending into the opponent’s techniques, and discerning the motivations and capabilities of other actors. It also delves into tampering with opponents' abilities to detect your presence and using advanced research to conclude operations effectively.
Throughout the text, the book covers practical examples that cater to a wide audience, from penetration testers and red teamers to incident responders and security engineers.
Salient Features
Each chapter presents both offensive and defensive viewpoints, providing a holistic understanding of adversarial operations.
The content is grounded in the author’s extensive experience, offering valuable, actionable insights.
The book introduces a plethora of tools spanning offensive, defensive, and forensic domains, many of which were new to me.
It highlights the importance of deception strategies in both offense and defense, a critical yet often underemphasized aspect of cybersecurity.
The book offers numerous techniques and strategies applicable to offense-defense game type scenarios.
It serves as a valuable resource for experienced cybersecurity professionals, including CISOs and managers, and is excellent for a quick refresher on key concepts, tools, and techniques.
Not so salient Features
The book’s breadth of concepts can be daunting for newcomers to the field, despite clear explanations.
Many strategies are tailored to simulated offense-defense game type scenarios and may have constrained applicability in practical settings.
While informative, the book could have been structured better to enhance readability and flow.
My rating 4.0 / 5.0
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Red Team Development and Operations by Joe Vest and James Tubberville